R 012008Z JUL 19
MARADMIN 363/19
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC MRA RA//
SUBJ/FY20 MARINE CORPS READY RESERVE ENLISTED CAREER FORCE CONTROLS (ECFC) PROGRAM//
REF/A/MSGID: DOC/CMC/YMD: 20110502//
REF/B/MSGID: DOC/CMC/YMD: 20190215//
NARR/REFERENCE (A) IS MCO 1040R.35 RESERVE CAREER PLANNING AND RETENTION MANUAL. REFERENCE (B) IS MCO 1900.16 CH 2 SEPARATION AND RETIREMENT MANUAL//
POC/A. D. BELL/LTCOL/RA (RAM)/TEL: (703)784-0514/EMAIL: ALVIN.BELL@USMC.MIL//
POC/J. U. ARELLANO/MAJ/RA (RAP)/TEL: 703-784-9143/EMAIL: JESSICA.ARELLANO@USMC.MIL//
POC/K. L. BROWN/MGYSGT/RA (RAP)/TEL: 703-784-0583/EMAIL: KEVIN.L.BROWN5@USMC.MIL//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. Purpose. To provide Commanders, Senior Enlisted Leaders, Career Planners, and individual Marines information regarding the origin, requirement, and program elements of the Ready Reserve Enlisted Career Force Controls (ECFC). This MARADMIN provides Ready Reserve ECFC policies based on the current environment and is in accordance with the provisions in the references. Refer to reference (a) for definitions of components, years of service, and programs. This message is not applicable to Active Component Marines or Reserve Marines in the Active Reserve (AR) program.
2. Background
a. The Marine Corps implemented the ECFC program for the Active Component (AC) in 1985 as a tool to improve the management of the career force. The Director of Reserve Affairs (RA) instituted the Ready Reserve ECFC to:
(1) Actively shape the inventory of Marines by grade and military occupational specialties (MOS) to the requirements of the Selected Marine Corps Reserve (SMCR), Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA), and Individual Ready Reserve (IRR).
(2) Stabilize retention in order to standardize promotion flow points across all MOSs and maintain career progression opportunities for SMCR, IMA, and IRR Marines.
(3) Retain the best and most qualified Marines.
(4) Comply with Title 10 United States Code end strength requirements.
b. The end state of the Ready Reserve ECFC program is to balance the inventory of Marines by grade and MOS to meet career force requirements.
3. Ready Reserve Service Limits
a. The basis for service limitations in the Ready Reserve (excluding AR Marines) are qualifying years of service and total federal service.
(1) A qualifying year of service (satisfactory year (sat year)) is the sum of all periods of service in the AC, SMCR, IMA, AR, and IRR. A year of qualifying service occurs when the member earns a minimum of 50 reserve retirement points (including 15 membership points) during the members anniversary year.
(2) Total federal service is the sum of all periods of time during which the Reserve Marine is a member of the armed forces.
b. Service spent as prior service, or in another branch of service will be considered when determining service limits.
c. The grade held determines the number of years of service authorized. Reserve Marines selected to the next higher grade will use the select grade to determine service limits.
d. The following table shows Ready Reserve service limitations by grade for calculation at the time of reenlistment, to include the period of reenlistment/extension contemplated:
(read in two columns)
Grade Limit of Service
Cpl 8 years qualifying service
Sgt 13 years qualifying service
SSgt 20 years qualifying service
GySgt 22 years qualifying service
1stSgt/MSgt 27 years qualifying service
SgtMaj/MGySgt 30 years total federal service
Note: "30 years total federal service", also applies to all ranks as a maximum service limit.
4. Ready Reserve Service Limit Waiver Process
a. Consideration for waivers of service limits is on case-by-case basis and only when retention is in the best interest of the service, the Marine is deploying for combat and cannot be replaced, the Director of RA designates a critical MOS, or the request is for retirement.
b. Service limit waiver requests require positive endorsements from the first Commanding General in the chain of command. The endorsements must address the critical issues in paragraph 4a.
(1) The Deputy Commandant, Manpower and Reserve Affairs (DC MandRA)) is the adjudicating authority for waivers of service limits in the case of sergeants major or master gunnery sergeants who request additional service beyond 30 years of total federal service.
(2) Director, RA is the adjudicating authority for all other requests.
(3) Exception
(a) The Director, RA is the approval authority for service limit waiver requests of two months or less. Requests for service beyond service limitations for the purpose of retirement will not require an endorsement from a Commanding General when the effective date of the retirement is 30 days or less from the date the Marine reaches service limitations. The Marines Reserve end of current contract (RECC) must not exceed 60 days past service limitations.
(b) The Director, RA has the authority to approve waiver requests for one month or less without an endorsement from the first Commanding General in the Marines chain of command. This authority applies to the cases outlined in paragraph 4a of this message.
c. Submit all service limit waiver requests and chain of command endorsements to Reserve Affairs Personnel Management (RA (RAM)) in TFRS. Submission must comply with reference (a) and the current fiscal year Reserve Reenlistment Extension Lateral Move (RELM) processing guidelines. The RA Sergeant Major will provide additional information to all 1stSgt/SgtMaj (8999 MOS) requests.
5. Additional information
a. Members with an approved waiver may compete for promotion if applicable. Members twice failed for selection in grade will not be eligible to compete for promotion.
b. ECFC waivers are not required for medical hold purposes.
6. Action. Commanders, Senior Enlisted Leaders, and Career Planners will familiarize all Ready Reserve Marines with the contents of this MARADMIN.
7. This MARADMIN is applicable to the Reserve Component.
8. Release authorized by Colonel J. M. Morrisroe, Director, Reserve Affairs Division, Acting.//