R 171500Z JUN 22
MARADMIN 308/22
MSGID/GENADMIN/PRES MCU QUANTICO VA//
SUBJ/ACADEMIC YEAR 2023-2024 ADVANCED INTERMEDIATE LEVEL SCHOOL APPLICATION MESSAGE// 
POC/MS. MELISSA CALLOWAY/PROGRAM MANAGER/SAW/MCU/TEL: (703) 784-6800/DSN 278 EMAIL: MELISSA.CALLOWAY@USMCU.EDU//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  Situation.  Advanced Intermediate Level Schools (A-ILS) produce officers qualified to fill high-impact service and joint planning billets.  These programs enhance an officer's ability to derive critical insights from large quantities of information, make timely and effective decisions, communicate succinctly verbally, visually, and in writing; and collaborate to design cogent orders and plans.  The curricula of each A-ILE program:  School of Advanced Warfighting (SAW), School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS), School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS), and the Maritime Advanced Warfighting School (MAWS) feature rigorous case studies, exercises, staff rides, and a consideration of future war.  Marine graduates earn the secondary Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 0505 Operational Planner and an accredited master's degree.  A-ILS graduates also have a strong record of selection for promotion and command based on their well-developed capability as leaders who reason critically, solve complex problems, and apply operational art.
2.  Mission.  From August to November 2022, A-ILS selection boards will convene to select the best qualified applicants for Academic Year 2023-2024 (AY 23-24) in order to ensure the Marine Corps is supported with highly capable and effective operational planners.
3.  Execution
3.A.  Commanders Intent.  SAMS, SAASS, MAWS, and SAW offer exceptional opportunities for officers to advance their problem solving and leadership skills through advanced intermediate level education programs.  The Marine Corps seeks to maximize the number of high-caliber officers applying for and being selected into these programs.  Each school has overlapping selection timelines and unique submission requirements that interested officers must meet.  The end state is an A-ILS AY 23-24 student body composed of officers who demonstrate the character, competence, and creativity to excel as planners, staff officers, and future commanders.
3.B.  Concept of Operations.  This concept of operations is separated into four parts to represent the different Advanced Intermediate Level Education application and selection processes.  Marine officers interested in pursuing a path to the Operational Planner MOS are highly encouraged to apply to multiple schools.  Because each program has its own requirements, applicants should check the respective websites and contact representatives at each school, as required.  Applicants are also encouraged to begin preparations early to better meet the application requirements.
3.B.1.  SAW
3.B.1.A.  Officers meeting the admissions criteria will, in accordance with this Marine Administrative Message (MARADMIN), accomplish the following:  (1) submit a non-binding email stating intent to apply, (2) submit all application materials, and (3) if invited, participate in a SAW selection panel interview.  Selected applicants and alternates will be screened for eligibility, notified by MARADMIN, and issued orders to attend SAW.
3.B.1.B.  General Eligibility Guidelines
3.B.1.B.1.  Unrestricted officers from all MOS fields who are majors, major-selects at the time of application, and those in zone for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Lieutenant Colonel Promotion Selection Board.
3.B.1.B.2.  Security Clearance:  U.S. Marine Corps officers are required to have, or have initiated, a Top Secret-Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS-SCI) clearance before AY 23-24 school year begins.  For all other United States (U.S.) officers, a SECRET clearance that will not expire during the AY, and must be TS-SCI eligible.
3.B.1.B.3.  All applicants from all U.S. Department of Defense service branches and the U.S. Coast Guard must be Intermediate Level School (ILS) or Intermediate Developmental Education (IDE) complete or currently enrolled in good standing; and projected to complete resident/non-resident ILS/IDE requirements no later than (NLT) June 2023.  Failure to complete ILS (resident or non-resident) will terminate eligibility.
3.B.1.B.4.  International officers from non-English speaking countries must have graduate-level capability to comprehend, read, speak and write English (Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL):  83 on the internet based test or 560 on the paper based test).  The TOEFL score must be included on the application under the civilian education section.
3.B.1.B.5.  International officers must hold a qualifying undergraduate degree (U.S. regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree or equivalent).  U.S. Officers with international degrees should contact Marine Corps University (MCU) Registrar office for special instructions.  Registrar point of contact (POC) is mcu_registrar@usmcu.edu, (703) 432-5503, and DSN 278-5503.
3.B.1.C.  The following are not eligible for consideration.
3.B.1.C.1.  Marine officers who have not satisfied time on station requirements and are not eligible to execute Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders during the summer of 2023.  Marine officers who are not summer of 2023 movers should contact their primary MOS monitor to determine eligibility for PCS orders and submit an Administrative Action (AA) form to request a tour length waiver.  Officers should not delay completion or submission of their application while awaiting AA decision.
3.B.1.C.2.  Officers who have not fulfilled an obligated payback tour for a previously attended program.
3.B.1.C.3.  Captains who are in zone for the FY 2024 Promotion Selection Board for Major.
3.B.1.C.4.  Officers may not be a lieutenant colonel or lieutenant colonel (select) at the time of application.  If the applicant is in zone for lieutenant colonel at the time of application and fails to be selected, their A-ILE eligibility is terminated.
3.B.1.C.5.  Selected Marine Corps Reserve (SMCR), Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), and Active Reserve (AR), are eligible to apply.  SMCR, IMA, and IRR officer applicants must be willing to accept orders for a 12 to 24 month utilization tour at Headquarters, Marine Corps Forces Reserve (MARFORRES) in New Orleans, LA immediately following graduation from SAW.  AR officer selectees will be assigned to a 36 month MARFORRES tour as an Operational Planner following graduation from SAW.
3.B.1.C.5.A.  SMCR, IMA, and IRR officers who complete SAW will be required to conduct a minimum 12 month full-time payback tour after SAW graduation.  This tour may be extended up to 24 months on a voluntary basis.
3.B.1.C.5.B.  SMCR, IMA, and IRR applicants must submit a signed Separate Written Agreement to Train (SWAT) at the time of application to acknowledge and accept post-graduation utilization tour orders in order to be eligible.
3.B.1.C.6.  Joint Service Reserve and National Guard officers are not eligible to apply.
3.B.1.C.7.  Officers selected to assume command of a recruiting station during FY 2024 are not eligible to apply.
3.B.1.D.  Application and Selection Process
3.B.1.D.1.  NLT 1 August 2022, applicants will send their “intent to apply” via email to:  the SAW organizational mailbox, mcu_saw_applications@usmcu.edu, SAW Program Manager, melissa.calloway@usmcu.edu, and SAW Operations clerk, sky.green@usmcu.edu.  Subject line should read “LAST NAME, F. M. - INTENT TO APPLY”.
3.B.1.D.2.  In the body of the email, provide first name, middle initial, last name, rank, branch of service, military email, personal email, and personal and work contact phone numbers.  Applicants will be sent a reply email with a link to application instructions, forms, and the essay prompt.  This information must be completed NLT 15 August 2022.  If the reply email is not received within 48 hours, contact the SAW POC via phone or email.
3.B.1.D.3.  For SAW, competitive applicants will be contacted to schedule an individual panel interview between 1 September 2022 and 1 November 2022.  In-person interviews for out-of-area applicants are not required.  Applicants outside the National Capital Region who cannot make an in-person interview will be scheduled to conduct a video teleconference (VTC) or phone interview.  Out-of-area applicants who choose to execute a face-to-face interview in Quantico will be responsible for travel, lodging, and incidental costs.  Contact information for the all A-ILE schools is included below so that all interested officers have access.
3.B.1.D.4.  Interview dates for SAW selection:  1 September 2022 - 1 November 2022.
3.B.1.D.5.  Interview location:  Warner Center, Bldg. 2044, Suite 2122, South Street, Quantico, VA, 22134.  SAW will not conduct on-site interviews at the United States Army Command and General Staff College, Naval War College, or Air Command and Staff College.  Joint service SAW applicants from these sites will conduct VTC or phone interviews.  Marine POCs at the above locations, listed in paragraph 5, will assist in the scheduling of VTC interviews.
3.B.1.D.6.  Between 1 November 2022 and the end of December 2022, SAW will ensure selected students for all A-ILE programs are approved for attendance by their respective service or nation.  Nominated international officers are invited through the International Military Education and Training office, which in turn coordinates with the officers' military assignment staff.  Once approved, selection results will be announced via separate MARADMIN with a goal for release of the selection message in December 2022.
3.B.1.D.7.  Questions about the application or website problems should be directed to SAW POC, Ms. Melissa Calloway.
3.B.2.  SAMS
3.B.2.A.  The Advanced Military Studies Program (AMSP) is a one year graduate-level education program of SAMS.  The vision for AMSP is to develop effective planners who help senior leaders understand the operational environment and then visualize and describe viable solutions to operational problems.  Graduates of the AMSP are critical and creative thinkers grounded in operational theory, doctrine, and history; can identify problems and propose viable solutions; can clearly communicate to various audiences orally, graphically, and in writing; are good leaders and great teammates who collaborate effectively to get the job done; have the courage to lead from above, beside, and below; are physically and mentally tough; and are humble professionals who are more than they seem.
3.B.2.B.  The AMSP is for majors and junior lieutenant colonels who have completed their Intermediate Level Education requirement or equivalent, with the majority coming to AMSP from Command and General Staff School.
3.B.2.C.  If interested in applying to the United States Army AMSP, contact Ms. Ashley Caudle, (comm) (913) 758-3300/DSN 585 or ashley.l.caudle3.civ@mail.mil.
3.B.3.  SAASS
3.B.3.A.  SAASS is the U.S. Air Force and Space Force graduate school for strategists.  A highly qualified and motivated faculty, a small and carefully selected student body, a coherent and challenging curriculum, outstanding educational and research resources, and a well-designed facility combine to produce tomorrow's senior military leaders who are experts in the role of military force in the art of statecraft.  At the core of the program is a one-year in-residence Master of Philosophy degree in Military Strategy.  For a select cadre of top graduates, SAASS also offers a Doctorate of Philosophy in Military Strategy.  The emphasis is not on military operations; but, rather on the strategic nexus where military and security professionals interact with decision makers on policy, diplomacy, international relations, geopolitics, and matters of military and political theory.  In short, SAASS takes air, space, and cyber-minded officers and educates them to become strategists at the national level where the military tool (airpower in particular) is contemplated as one of several instruments of power that may (or may not) be appropriate for achieving national objectives.
3.B.3.B.  SAASS is tailored for majors and junior lieutenant colonels that have completed Intermediate Level Education.
3.B.3.C.  If interested in applying to the U.S. Air Force SAASS, contact Ms Sheila McKitt, (comm) (334) 953-5155/DSN 493 or sheila.mckitt@us.af.mil. 
3.B.4.  MAWS
3.B.4.A.  MAWS is the U.S. Navy’s resident A-ILE program, completed in conjunction with the College of Naval Command and Staff curriculum.  This course will develop strategic and operational leaders with the skills required to plan, execute, and assess combined, joint, and naval operations.
3.B.4.B.  Applications for the MAWS program are conducted at MAWS for prospective students that are selected and slated to attend the College of Naval Command and Staff in Newport, RI.  U.S Marine officers interested in attending MAWS are encouraged to list Naval Command and Staff College high on their preference choices for the Commandant’s Professional Intermediate level Education Board (CPIB) questionnaire.   
4.  Administration and logistics
4.A.  Follow-on assignments.  0505 Operational planners are a low density, high-demand MOS in critical billets.  0505 assignments are normally 36 months.  Lieutenant colonels and lieutenant colonel-selects with the 0505 MOS will be eligible to screen for command after their first 12 months of their 36 month utilization tour.
5.  Command and Signal
5.A.  POC at SAW:
5.A.1.  SAW Deputy Director:  Lieutenant Colonel H. E. Ruppert, USMC, comm (703) 784-6890/DSN 278 or heath.ruppert@usmcu.edu.
5.A.2.  SAW Program Manager:  Ms. Melissa Calloway, comm (703) 784-6800/DSN 278 or melissa.calloway@usmcu.edu.
5.A.3.  SAW Administrative clerk:  Lance Corporal Sky Green, comm (703) 432-5420/DSN 378 or sky.green@usmcu.edu.
5.B.  POC at the U.S. Army, Command and General Staff College:
5.B.1.  Lieutenant Colonel Travis M. King, USMC, comm (913) 684-4552 or travis.m.king.mil@mail.mil.
5.C.  POC at the U.S. Air Force, Air Command and Staff College:
5.C.1.  Lieutenant Colonel Steven Alsop, USMC, comm (334) 953-6592/DSN 493-6592 or steven.alsop@us.af.mil.
6.  Release authorized by Colonel Paul M. Melchior, President, Marine Corps University.//