R 202046Z MAR 25
MARADMIN 151/25
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC MRA MM//
SUBJ/FISCAL YEAR 2026 AIR OFFICER APPLICATIONS FOR SERVICE WITH
MARINE FORCES SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND//
REF/A/MSGID: DOC/MCO/YMD: 20210510//
REF/A/MSGID: DOC/MCO/YMD: 20191226//
REF/C/MSGID: DOC/MCO/CMC/YMD: 20210203
NARR/REF A IS MCO 1300.8 CH.1, MARINE CORPS PERSONNEL ASSIGNMENT
POLICY. REF B IS MCO 3500.109A, MARINE CORPS AVIATION WEAPONS AND
TACTICS TRAINING PROGRAM. REF C IS MCO 1001.65A, OFFICER RETENTION
AND PRIOR SERVICE ACCESSIONS.//
POC/A. BEHRENDS/LTCOL/MARFORSOC G-3 AIR/FIRES OFFICER/TEL:
(910)440-0864/DSN 758 /EMAIL: ANDREW.V.BEHRENDS.MIL@SOCOM.MIL//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. Marine Forces Special Operations Command
(MARFORSOC) is seeking interested active or reserve component
officers that are assigned 73xx or 75xx Military Occupational
Specialty (MOS) to serve in 24-month length Air Officer tours. The
Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) MARFORSOC Air Officer Selection Panel will
convene on or about 29 May 2025. This message announces the
eligibility criteria for interested applicants, the process for
application, and establishes the timeline for application and
execution of the panel.
Major timeline milestones (read in 2 columns):
Date Milestone
Message release MARFORSOC Air Officer application window open
16 May 2025 MARFORSOC Air Officer application deadline
29 May 2025 Selection Panel convenes
2. Application and selection overview. MARFORSOC seeks applicants
with the experience, maturity, judgement, leadership ability, and
tactical acumen that match the gravity of the missions they are
being selected to perform. Applicants should possess a strong
fires integration background. Previous Air Officer and Forward Air
Controller tours are highly encouraged. Aircraft qualifications
such as Forward Air Controller (Airborne) and instructor
qualifications/designations are highly competitive. Experience,
both inside and outside of the cockpit, will help to build a
picture of the whole Marine, which will be used as a basis for
panel selection.
3. Eligibility
3.a. Eligibility Criteria
3.a.1. Active or reserve component commissioned officers in the
rank of lieutenant colonel, major, or captain. Reserve component
officers must be willing to be appointed to the active component if
selected for this duty, in accordance with reference (c).
3.a.2. Designated Naval Aviators, Naval Flight Officers, or
Unmanned Aerial Systems Officers.
3.a.3. Active duty applicants must have completed minimum
time-on-station requirements per reference (a) and be eligible for
permanent change of station orders in FY26. Applicants must notify
their PMOS monitor of their intent to apply and must receive email
confirmation of their eligibility to apply.
3.a.4. Applicants must be able to successfully complete
Expeditionary Warfare Training Group, Atlantic/Pacific
(EWTGLANT/PAC) Tactical Air Control party (TACP) school and be
awarded the additional MOS of 7502 prior to check-in.
3.a.5. Applicants must be medically qualified to attend Full
Spectrum Level C SERE upon assignment to MARFORSOC, if not already
SERE Level C complete. Applicants shall submit a letter signed by a
medical provider to certify this qualification, or SERE Level C
completion certificate.
3.a.6. Weapons and Tactics Instructors (WTIs) applying to MARFORSOC
must be scheduled to have served a minimum of 18 months with their
unit following graduation from WTI course by 30 September 2025.
This requirement does not preclude WTIs from applying to MARFORSOC,
and MMOA can adjust orders on a case-by-case basis to ensure this
prerequisite is satisfied. Route waiver requests to HQMC (MMOA)
NLT the application deadline using a NAVMC 10274 (AA form). Waiver
requests must be endorsed by the applicant's chain of command and
appropriate approval authority per reference (b).
3.b. Ineligibility Criteria. Officers unable to be world-wide
deployable while assigned to MARFORSOC.
4. Selection and approval
4.a. Selectees will be approved by MMOA prior to notification.
4.b. Reserve component officers must submit a return to active duty
(RAD) package along with their application, and will be approved
for RAD if selected by the panel.
5. Application Process
5.a. Interested personnel should contact the MARFORSOC Air/Fires
Officer, LtCol Andrew Behrends, via the email listed in paragraph
(6) to receive a Prospective Air Officer Resume and Prospective Air
Officer Information Sheet, as well as further information on
required documents.
5.b. Reserve component officers must submit a RAD package as part
of the application process. These officers shall submit a RAD
package directly to the MMOA-3 Retention and Release Officer
(RRO). The RRO will provide correspondence confirming the
completeness of the package and the applicant’s eligibility for
RAD. The applicant shall provide the MARFORSOC Air/Fires Officer
with this correspondence.
5.c. Applicants will submit all required documents via email in
portable document format (PDF), unless otherwise indicated.
Applicants shall carbon copy (CC) their Primary Military
Occupational Specialty (PMOS) monitors on all correspondence when
submitting application documents to MARFORSOC Air/Fires Officer.
6. Points of contact:
MARFORSOC Air/Fires Officer
LtCol Andrew Behrends
Comm: (910) 440-0864
Email: andrew.v.behrends.mil@socom.mil
MARFORSOC JTAC PM
Mr. Michael Menchio
Comm: (910) 440-0862
Email: michael.j.menchio.civ@socom.mil
Aviation Lieutenant Colonel Monitor
Col Jason Potter
Comm: (703) 784-9267/8/9/70
Email: jason.w.potter@usmc.mil
Fixed Wing Majors Monitor
LtCol Jesse Simmermon
Comm: (703) 784-9267/8/9/70
Email: jesse.simmermon@usmc.mil
Fixed Wing Company Grade Monitor
Capt Maverick Santamaria
Comm: (703) 784-9267/8/9/70
Email: maverick.santamaria@usmc.mil
Rotary Wing Majors Monitor
Maj Brandon Thompson
Comm: (703) 784-9267/8/9/70
Email: brandon.k.thompson@usmc.mil
Rotary Wing Company Grade Monitor
Maj Anthony Emberger
Comm: (703) 784-9267/8/9/70
Email: anthony.emberger@usmc.mil
7. This MARADMIN is applicable to the total force.
8. Release authorized by MajGen Ryan S. Rideout, Director,
Manpower Management Division.//