R 271909Z SEP 24
MARADMIN 444/24
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC MRA RA//
SUBJ/FISCAL YEAR 2025 ACTIVE RESERVE OFFICER ACCESSION AND CAREER
DESIGNATION PLAN//
REF/A/DOC/MCO 1001.52K/YMD: 20190215//
REF/B/ MSGID: MSG/MARADMIN 169/24//
NARR/REFERENCE (A) IS THE MARINE CORPS ACTIVE RESERVE PROGRAM ORDER.
REFERENCE (B) IS MARADMIN 169/24 ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE ACTIVE RESERVE
DIRECT HIRE PROCESS FOR MARINE CORPS OFFICERS. REFERENCE (C) IS
MARADMIN 229/24 CALENDAR YEAR 2025 CONTINUATION PAY PROGRAM FOR
BLENDED RETIREMENT SYSTEM.
POC/STEPHEN D. GRODEK/MAJ/RAM-2 OIC/TEL: 703-784-0531/DSN:
278-0531/EMAIL: STEPHEN.GRODEK@USMC.MIL//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. This MARADMIN announces the Reserve Affairs
Active Reserve (AR) Officer Accession and Career Designation Plan for
Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. Reserve Affairs Personnel Management (RAM)
will access officers into the AR Program through a single Officer
Accession Board (OAB) and the Direct Hire Process (DHP) in FY25. The
FY25 Career Designation (CD) Board for eligible AR officers on their
accession tour will coincide with the FY25 OAB.
2. AR Program and Accession Tours
2.a. The AR Program provides well-trained and experienced Reserve
Component (RC) officers serving on active duty as full-time support
to integrate the Marine Corps Reserve into the Total Force Marine
Corps. The AR Program is structured to facilitate the mobilization
of Reserve Forces by administering policy, conducting training,
instruction, recruitment, and performing other functions as required
by reference (a).
2.b. Accession tours are between 36 and 48 months in length to
support an EAS date within the typical PCS window (June – August) for
the appropriate calendar year. Accession timelines and assignments
will be coordinated between RAM-2 and each selected officer.
Officers who access into the AR program will be screened for career
designation prior to the end of their accession tour.
3. AR Officer Accession Opportunities and Eligibility Criteria
3.a. Accession Opportunities
3.a.1. Accession Board: The FY25 OAB will convene 20-24 January
2025. Board results listing primary selectees will be published via
MARADMIN. Alternate selectees will be notified via SEPCOR.
3.a.2. Direct Hire Process: The FY25 DHP is open from 1 October
2024 through 30 September 2025. DHP applications have three possible
determinations which will be communicated directly with the member as
follows:
3.a.2.a. Approved: Applicant meets demands of the AR Program and is
offered accession into a specific Billet Identification Code (BIC).
3.a.2.b. Deferred: Applicant meets demands of the AR Program and
may be offered accession when a Rank and MOS match BIC becomes
available.
3.a.2.c. Declined: Applicant does not currently meet the needs of
the AR Program. The declined determination does not preclude
officers from applying to AR accession boards or DHP in follow-on
years.
3.b. Eligibility Criteria
3.b.1. Applicants must meet all qualifications listed on pages 2-2
through 2-3 of reference (a).
3.b.2. Officers in the Active Component (AC), Selected Marine Corps
Reserve (SMCR), Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA), Individual
Ready Reserve (IRR), and serving on Limited Tour orders with the AR
program are eligible to apply. AC applicants must not be in receipt
of future PCS Orders and will be screened for a Reserve Commission
which can take up to 120 days.
3.b.3. Grade and Time-in-Grade (TIG) Eligibility
3.b.3.a. Ground Officers: Grades O-2 and O-3 are eligible with no
TIG limitations. O4 must have less than two years TIG as of 30
September 2025.
3.b.3.b. Aviators (75XX): Grades O-3 through O-5 are eligible with
no TIG limitations.
3.b.4. The AR Program is projecting demand for the following primary
MOS: 0102, 3002, 3404, 6602, and 75XX. Applicants with an MOS not
listed are eligible to apply but may require MOS reclassification.
3.b.5. Officers must complete service obligations (e.g. original
service agreement, minimum time on station, bonus or incentive pay
including continuation pay, utilization tours, flight contracts) by
30 September 2025. Officers who have received or are receiving
involuntary or voluntary separations pay, incentive pay, or
continuation pay under the Blended Retirement System, per reference
(c) may be subject to recoupment by the U.S. Government upon
accession.
3.b.6. Reserve Officer Commissioning Program (ROCP) officers may
apply if their Mandatory Drill Participation Stop Date (MDPSD) is 30
September 25 or earlier. ROCP officers must request a waiver with
endorsement from the first O-6 in their Reserve chain of command to
access earlier than 180 days from their MDPSD.
3.b.7. Eligibility Waiver Process. An officer who does not meet the
eligibility criteria in this MARADMIN may request a waiver in their
application for the specific exception to policy that is required.
Grade and TIG are examples of waivers RAM-2 will consider.
4. Application and Submission Process
4.a. Application Package: The application package for OAB and DHP
are the same. The application template with endorsement requirements
and required enclosures is labeled “Active Reserve Officer Accession
Package Templates,” and can be found at: www.manpower.usmc.mil/
wordpress/?reserve_marine=test-reserve-marine-page/test-reserve-
marine-child-page/personnel-managment-ram/active-reserve-assignments-
ram-2/active-reserve-officer-accessions.
4.b. Submission Methods
4.b.1. OAB Submission: OAB applicants will submit their
applications via the Manpower & Reserve Affairs application website
at: www2.manpower.usmc.mil/application_cac/. The submission window
will open 2 December 24 with a deadline of 2359 on 5 January 25.
4.b.2. DHP Submission: All applicants will apply via NAVMC 10274
Administrative Action (AA) Form addressed to CMC (RAM-2) and sent
directly to the POC listed above.
4.b.2.a. Upon receipt of the DHP application, RAM-2 will staff the
package with appropriate stakeholders within RA, Manpower Management,
Officer Assignments (MMOA), and Manpower Plans and policy
(MPP-30). Final determinations will be made by the Director,
Reserve Affairs Division.
4.b.2.b. DHP decisions, requests for information, or coordination
will be communicated to the applicant via SEPCOR.
5. AR Officer Career Designation
5.a. Competitive CD offers an opportunity for unrestricted AR
officers to continue service in the AR Program beyond their accession
tour. Officers will be screened for CD on the first CD board held
after having served 24-months of their accession tour. Officers
selected for CD will be assigned an indefinite EAS.
5.b. CD eligibility details, application processes, and coordinating
instructions will be provided in SEPCOR from the RAM-2 OIC to the
eligible population.
6. Release authorized by Major General Karl D. Pierson, Director,
Reserve Affairs Division.//