FISCAL YEAR 2025 ACTIVE AND RESERVE MARINE ATTACHÉ SELECTION BOARD ANNOUNCEMENT

MARADMINS : 153/23

R 271615 MAR 23 MARADMIN 153/23 MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC MRA MM// SUBJ/FISCAL YEAR 2025 ACTIVE AND RESERVE MARINE ATTACHÉ SELECTION BOARD ANNOUNCEMENT// REF/A/MSGID: DOC/MCO/YMD: 20090709// REF/B/MSGID: DOC/MCO/YMD: 20210510// REF/C/MSGID: DOC/MCO/YMD: 20150219// NARR/REF A IS MCO 3821.2, THE DEFENSE ATTACHÉ SYSTEM. REF B IS MCO 1300.8 CH-1, PERSONNEL ASSIGNMENT POLICY. REF C IS MCO 1900.16 CH 2, SEPARATION AND RETIREMENT MANUAL (MARCORSEPMAN)// POC/M. D. SCOTTO/MAJ/MMOA-3/TEL: 703-784-9284/EMAIL: MICHAEL.D.SCOTTO@USMC.MIL// POC/T.F. WRIGHT/GYSGT/MMEA-25/TEL: 703-432-9473/EMAIL: THOMAS.F.WRIGHT@USMC.MIL// POC/S.A. WESTERFIELD/CIV/INTEL DIV/TEL: 703-693-5421/EMAIL: SCOTT.WESTERFIELD@USMC.MIL// POC/E.J. SHEA/COL/IMA/EMAIL: EDWARD.SHEA@DODIIS.MIL// GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. Purpose. In accordance with the references, this message outlines the active duty and reserve component Marine Corps Attaché (MARA) program, the procedures for consideration for service with the Defense Attaché Service (DAS), and solicits applications for the fiscal year 2025 (FY25) MARA program. Marines are selected based on Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) experience, overall performance, and specific language, regional expertise, and cultural skills. 1.a. Major timeline milestones are below. (Read in three columns) Date Milestone Note Release of this message Eligibility criteria defined 1 30 June 2023 MARA applications due 2 29 August 2023 FY25 MARA board convenes 3 30 November 2023 FY25 MARA results released 4 Note 1: Refer to paragraph 3 of this message for additional details regarding eligibility criteria. Note 2: Eligible applicants must complete and submit all application requirements by 2359 EST on 30 June 2023. Refer to paragraph 9 of this message for additional details regarding application submission requirements. Note 3: Manpower Management Division (MM) convenes the FY25 MARA Selection Board on or about 29 August 2023 to select Marines for assignment to MARA program. Refer to paragraph 7 of this message for additional details regarding the available locations. Note 4: Following approval of primary selectees by the Secretary of the Navy, MM releases the results of the FY25 MARA Selection Board on or about 30 November 2023. 2. MARAs fill influential, strategic-level positions within the country team of their respective embassies. Depending on the specific billet and country, they serve as the direct representative of the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Navy, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, geographic combatant commanders, and the Commandant of the Marine Corps. Marines serving as MARAs may also serve as the Senior Defense Official/Defense Attaché (SDO/DATT) at particular embassies. SDOs/DATTs direct, control, operate, and administer the Defense Attaché Office to which assigned. Attaché duties vary by country, but all personnel will advise the Chief of Mission on military matters and security assistance issues. 3. Eligibility criteria. For additional information relating to reserve applicants, see paragraph 8. 3.a. Grade. 3.a.1. Officers must meet the grade criterion (or be selected to or in-zone and competitive for promotion to that grade) of the associated duty for which they are applying. HQMC Intelligence Division and MM will consider officers applying outside the grade criteria on a case-by-case basis. 3.a.2. Enlisted Marines in grade of E-5 to E-8. E-5s must have two years TIG. 3.a.3. Marines applying must possess the career timing to serve a full tour of duty (36 months) in the grade of the billet for which they are applying. Requests for exceptions will not normally receive favorable consideration. 3.b. Tour length. 3.b.1. Must be a FY24 mover based upon current prescribed tour length. If selected, Marines will depart their current duty station in FY24 to attend training prior to reporting to their assigned country in FY25. 3.b.2. Officers may request via administrative action form to screen if they are scheduled to complete their prescribed tour length in FY25 or beyond. Requests must be submitted to Manpower Management, Officer Assignments Branch (MMOA), and be endorsed by the first O-6 level position in the chain of command and therein acknowledge a potential gap in staffing should the requesting Marine be selected for service with the DAS, and inventory does not support a replacement. 3.c. All applicants (officer and enlisted) must include email correspondence from their PMOS monitor confirming their eligibility for this program. Any application without PMOS monitor confirmation will not be boarded. Service requirements and other manpower considerations may preclude eligibility IAW ref (b). 3.d. Per references (a) and (b), active duty applicants must have completed a Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) or Top Secret (TS) Security Investigation and have Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) eligibility to apply. Application to the MARA program is not sufficient justification for an investigation eligibility determination for active duty applicants. Officers and Marines selected by the board will be required to either have a current (within the last five years) counterintelligence scope polygraph, or obtain one prior to attending the Joint Military Attaché School (JMAS). For questions regarding clearances, contact USMC HQMC SSO at 703-693-6005 or hqmc_sso@usmc.mil. 4. Ineligibility criteria. 4.a. Marines with an established separation or retirement date. 4.b. Restricted officers. 4.c. Marines with pending legal action. 4.d. Officers and Marines in receipt of permanent change of station (PCS) or permanent change of assignment (PCA) orders, in accordance with (IAW) references (b) and (c). 4.e. Officers and Marines selected for or currently attending programs that have a designated utilization assignment are ineligible. Examples include, but are not limited to, Commandant’s Education Board, Test Pilot, School of Advanced Warfighting, and Funded Law. 4.f. Naval aviators completing two or more consecutive years in Duties Involving Flying - Denied (DIFDEN) status during FY24 will not normally be screened. These officers may request consideration by contacting their primary military occupational specialty (PMOS) monitor. 4.g. Captains and Majors in the above-zone (AZ) for promotion not selected for continuation are statutorily not eligible to apply. Lieutenant Colonels in the AZ may apply on a case-by-case basis. 4.h. Marines affiliated with the Active Reserve Program. 4.i. Active Duty Marines without TS/SCI clearance eligibility are ineligible. Reservists without TS/SCI eligibility may apply, but will be required to submit for a TS/SCI clearance and must receive favorable adjudication prior to transferring to the IMA. 4.j. Reservists above 5040 Active Duty Points on their Career Retirement Credit Report are ineligible. 5. Additional considerations. 5.a. Language, Regional Expertise, and Culture (LREC) are highly desirable qualities but are not prerequisites. 5.b. Families are an important element of the MARA program. Attachés are encouraged to take their families to most assignments. Applicants with dependents enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) are eligible to apply, but may not be able to participate pending availability of required care. 5.c. Foreign-born Marines are not eligible for assignment to the country in which they were born. 5.d. Spouses of applicants must be naturalized US citizens. Applicants will not be eligible for assignment to the country in which the spouse was born. 6. Training. JMAS is conducted over approximately 13 weeks at the Defense Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC. Marines who successfully complete this training are then available for assignment abroad. Language training is also required or desired for most billets. The length of language training will be based on the language and proficiency level required or desired. Training start dates are dependent upon language training (up to 64 weeks in duration, depending on country assigned), JMAS (13 weeks), and the country to which selected. In some cases, this training may start as early as January 2024. Active duty officers serving as MARAs are administratively controlled by the Marine Corps Intelligence Activity (MCIA) throughout training and while assigned to their respective countries. 7. Vacancies. The FY25 board will screen applicants for the below assignments. This list is subject to change before the selection board based on DIA requirements. For the most current list, visit the website listed in paragaph 9.b. All are 36-month accompanied tours unless noted otherwise. 7.a. Officers. (Read in four columns) Country Language Rank Notes Bangladesh English Maj 24-month tour Colombia Spanish Maj France French LtCol Iraq Arabic Maj 12-month unaccompanied Kenya Swahili Maj Mexico Spanish Maj Philippines Tagalog Maj Romania Romanian Maj Senegal French LtCol 24-month tour Singapore English LtCol South Africa English Maj Ukraine Russian Maj 12-month unaccompanied United Kingdom English LtCol 7.b. Enlisted. (Read in four columns) Country Language Rank Notes Armenia Armenian Sgt-GySgt 24-month tour Dominican Republic Spanish MSgt Egypt Arabic Sgt-GySgt 24-month tour El Salvador Spanish Sgt-GySgt Mexico Spanish Sgt-GySgt Nepal English Sgt-GySgt 24-month tour Ukraine Russian Sgt-GySgt 12-month unaccompanied 8. Reserve attachés’ primary purpose is to augment the DAS utilizing drills and annual training periods (30-60 continuous days in the NCR or abroad per year), but they may also have opportunities to support while on longer term Active-Duty Operational Support (ADOS) orders for periods of up to two years based on operational MARA gaps. Reserve attaché program selectees will be utilized based on DAS priorities and Marine availability and suitability. Selectees will be transferred to the HQMC Intelligence Department’s Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) unit (RUC 88600) prior to the start of the reserve attaché training course (RSC) once the required clearance has been adjudicated. Reserve selectees will attend RSC as soon able, as the course is required prior to filling any assignments abroad. Drill attendance sheets, orders requests, and other administrative requirements associated with this duty will be processed by HQMC Deputy Commandant for Information. Drills and Annual Training will likely occur in the National Capitol Region for the first year in support of this program’s substantial onboarding process. 8.a. The FY25 board will screen four primary and four alternate reserve component O-3 to O-5 billets, and one primary and two alternate reserve component E-6 and E-7. 8.b. Reservists without TS/SCI eligible may apply; however, if a reserve primary selectee does not have TS/SCI eligibility, the Marine will be submitted for and must obtain a TS/SCI clearance before transferring to the IMA and subsequently pass a counterintelligence-scope polygraph before starting RSC. 8.c. Reserve IMA billets are three to five years in duration. 8.d. For reserve billets, eligible applicants must belong to one of the following categories of the ready reserve (SMCR, IMA, or IRR) or the active component with a transfer date to the ready reserve before the end of FY23. 8.e. Reserve candidates must have had four satisfactory years of service (50 points minimum each year) during the last five years. 9. Application process. 9.a. All applicants will follow guidelines posted to the HQMC Intelligence Division MARA website indicated in paragraph 9.b. Applications must include a command endorsement from the first O-6 commander in the applicant’s chain of command. Applicants will list assignments in order of preference, although country selections will be based on the needs of the service. Prospective applicants, if selected, must be prepared to serve at any duty station solicited in paragraph 7. 9.b. Application requirements, documents and templates are available at: https:(slash)(slash)www.hqmc.marines.mil/intelligence/intel-ops-pers/defense-attaché-program/ 9.b.1. Every document within the application must be a separate file in portable document format (.pdf) and saved with the naming convention EDIPI_LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_MI_RANK_ACTIVE(or reserve)_MOS_ ENCLOSURENUMBER_DOCUMENTNAME (e.g. 1234567890_SMITH_JOHN_A_MAJ_RESERVE_0302_ENCL7_FAMILYPHOTO). 9.b.2. The board will not consider incorrect or incomplete packages. 9.b.3. Applications must arrive to HQMC Intelligence Division no later than 2359 Eastern Standard Time on 30 June 2023 to be considered by the board. 9.b.4. Applications will be submitted using DODSAFE (https:(slash)(slash)safe.apps.mil/) to: mara.application@usmc.mil. Ensure encryption passphrases are provided to prevent delayed processing. 9.b.5. Enlisted Marines applying will additionally submit their application via the Special Duty Assignment Miscellaneous Reenlistment Extension Lateral Move (RELM) in the Total Force Retention System (TFRS) via the normal RELM routing chain to CMC (MMEA-25). Unit Career Planners have access to the TFRS program. Enlisted packages not routed through TFRS will not be boarded. 10. Results. MM will publish results following Secretary of the Navy approval of all primary selectees. The results MARADMIN will contain information on the process for acceptance of the assignment and basic reporting information. 11. This message is applicable to the Marine Corps Total Force. 12. Release authorized by MajGen Michael J. Borgschulte, Director, Manpower Management Division//