ACADEMIC YEAR 2026-2027 TOP LEVEL SCHOOL SELECTION BOARD ANNOUNCEMENT

MARADMINS : 301/25

R 271428Z JUN 25 MARADMIN 301/25 MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC MRA MM// SUBJ/ACADEMIC YEAR 2026-2027 TOP LEVEL SCHOOL SELECTION BOARD ANNOUNCEMENT// REF/A/MSGID: MCO/MM/YMD: 20190530// REF/B/MSGID: MCO/CMC/YMD: 20250307// REF/C/MSGID: MCO/CMC/YMD: 20080125// REF/D/MSGID: MSG/CMC/YMD: 20081211// REF/E/MSGID: DOC/CMC/YMD: 20200825// NARR/REF A IS MCO 1524.1, MARINE CORPS GRADUATE EDUCATION PROGRAM. REF B IS MCO 1300.8 CH-2, MARINE CORPS PERSONNEL ASSIGNMENT POLICY. REF C IS MCO 1553.4B, PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION. REF D IS MARADMIN 703/08, OFFICER PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION SUMMARY. REF E IS MARADMIN 491/20, REMOVAL OF PHOTOGRAPHS FROM CONSIDERATION BY BOARDS AND SELECTION PROCESSES PERTAINING TO ASSIGNMENT, TRAINING, EDUCATION, AND COMMAND.// POC/T. J. KITASATO/MAJ/MMOA-3/(703) 784-9983/ EMAIL: TAYLOR.KITASATO@USMC.MIL// GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. Purpose. This message announces Top Level School (TLS) programs and fellowship assignments available during Academic Year (AY) 2026-2027, the eligible officer population for screening, and the timeline for execution of the TLS selection board. 1.a. Major timeline milestones are: Date Milestone Release of this message TLS questionnaire opens 18 July 2025 Completed questionnaires due 18 July 2025 Remove by requests (RBR) due 5 August 2025 TLS Board convenes 2. Background 2.a. Top Level School. TLS is the premier Professional Military Education (PME) opportunity provided to lieutenant colonels. The purpose of the TLS Selection Board is to select best and fully qualified lieutenant colonels and lieutenant colonels (select) for resident education programs and special duty assignments available to Marine Corps officers. Reference (a), the Graduate Education Program order, establishes the policies and procedures governing TLS. 3. Eligibility 3.a. Eligibility criteria 3.a.1. Lieutenant colonels and lieutenant colonels (select) who will have 24 months’ time-on-station (TOS) by 31 July 2026 or who have completed 24 months in an S-JDA billet or are otherwise scheduled to complete their prescribed tour control factor (TCF) in Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26). 3.a.2. Lieutenant colonels currently in command of an organization identified in the Command Screening Program who are scheduled to complete their command tour in FY26. 3.a.3. Those officers currently in command and on the CY25/FY27 O-6 Promotion Screening Board that were not previously eligible to screen for TLS, may elect to screen on the AY26-27 TLS board by contacting their monitor regardless of their selection status. 3.a.4. The eligibility roster is posted on the following website: https://www.manpower.marines.mil/Divisions/Manpower-Management/Offic er-Assignments/Plans-and-Programs-MMOA-3/#tab/top-level-schools-and- programs 3.b. Ineligibility criteria 3.b.1. Lieutenant colonels in the above zone for promotion. 3.b.2. Majors selected to lieutenant colonel on the CY25/FY27 Lieutenant Colonel Promotion Selection Board. 3.b.3. Officers with a mandatory retirement date prior to 31 December 2028. 3.b.4. Limited duty officers. 3.b.5. Officers attending or selected to attend Intermediate Level School (ILS) or Advanced ILS schools which require a follow on utilization tour who will not complete one year of their utilization tour by 31 July 2026. 3.b.6. Officers with an approved voluntary separation or retirement date. 3.c. Contact Primary Military occupational Specialty (PMOS) monitors with questions regarding eligibility. 4. Education program allocations 4.a. Department of Defense (DoD) schools. The AY26-27 TLS Board will select officers to attend the DoD schools listed below. Schools, quotas, and convening dates are subject to change. Officers who complete one of the following DoD schools will obtain joint PME (JPME) phase II credit. (Read in five columns) Course Title/School Quota Convenes Graduates Note Air War College (AWC) (Montgomery, AL) 7 Jun 26 Jun 27 4 Army War College (USAWC) (Carlisle, PA) 15 Jul 26 Jun 27 1 College of Naval Warfare (CNW) (Newport, RI) 15 Jul 26 Jun 27 College of Information and Cyberspace (CIC) (Washington, DC) 3 Jul 26 Jun 27 5 College of International Security Affairs (CISA) (Washington, DC) 1 Jul 26 Jun 27 Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy (Washington, DC) 12 Jul 26 Jun 27 2 Joint Advanced Warfighting School (JAWS) (Norfolk, VA) 3 Jul 26 Jun 27 3 Marine Corps War College (MCWAR) (Quantico, VA) 10 Jul 26 Jun 27 National War College (NWC) (Washington, DC) 14 Jul 26 Jun 27 Space Force Resident- Johns Hopkins University (Washington, DC) 1 Jul 26 Jun 27 Note 1: Two USAWC quotas are for the blended education program. Selectees for the blended program will conduct distance education from their current home station, with periods of travel to the USAWC campus in Carlisle, PA. Eligible officers should indicate their interest in the blended program in the comments section of the questionnaire. Note 2: The board will identify two students with an acquisition background (PMOS 8059/8061) to participate in the acquisition curriculum. The board will prioritize the slating of officers who possess a Combat Service Support PMOS (0102/0402/1302/3002/3404/ 5803). Note 3: Graduates of this program will complete a mandatory utilization assignment to designated billets on the joint duty assignment list. Note 4: The board will prioritize the slating of officers who possess an aviation PMOS (6002/6602/72XX/73XX/75XX). Note 5: The board will prioritize the slating of officers who possess an information PMOS (02XX/06XX/17XX). 4.b. The TLS Selection Board will select officers for assignment to the foreign senior service colleges and fellowships listed below. Officers interested in a foreign, non-English speaking service school must take the Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB) and have the score included in their record or have an established Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) score on record for the target language. Officers completing a foreign PME assignment or a fellowship will receive TLS PME credit only. 4.b.1. Foreign Professional Military Education (FPME). Language training for FPME courses may result in selected officers attending the course in another academic year. See notes below for details. Additional FPME information is located on the following website: https:(slash)(slash)www.usmcu.edu/Academic-Programs/CMC-Fellows- Strategists-Foreign-PME-Olmsted-Scholars/Foreign-Professional- Military-Education/. (Read in five columns) Course Title/School Quota Convenes Graduates Note Argentine National Defense School Senior Course 1 Jan 26 Dec 26 6 Inter-American Defense College (Ft McNair, Washington, DC) 1 Jul 26 Jun 27 6 Japanese National Institute for Defense Studies 1 Jul 26 Jul 27 6 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Defense College Senior Course (Rome, Italy) 1st session 1 Sep 26 Feb 27 7 2nd session 1 Feb 27 Jul 27 7 Note 6: Language training required at DLI-Washington approx. Jan - Jun 2026. Note 7: No language training required. 4.b.2. CMC Fellowships. Additional details regarding CMC Fellowships are located at the following website: https:(slash) (slash)www.usmcu.edu/Academic-Programs/CMC-Fellows- Strategists-Foreign-PME-Olmsted-Scholars/Commandant-of-the-Marine- Corps-Fellowships/. (Read in five columns) Course Title/School Quota Convenes Graduates Note Advanced Strategic Leadership Studies Program (Fort Leavenworth, KS) 1 Jun 26 Jun 27 8,10,13 Department of Homeland Security (Washington, DC) 1 Jul 26 Jun 27 Department of State (DOS) (Washington, DC) 1 Jul 26 Jun 27 Hoover Institution at Stanford University (Stanford, CA) 1 Jul 26 Jun 27 International Security Studies Program at Yale University (New Haven, CT) 1 Jul 26 Jun 27 JFK School of Government at Harvard University (Cambridge, MA) 1 Jul 26 Jun 27 Lincoln Laboratory at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA) 1 Jul 26 Jun 27 Logistics Fellowship at Pennsylvania State University (State College, PA) 1 Jul 26 Jun 27 9, 10 School of Advanced International Studies (Washington, DC) 1 Jul 26 Jun 27 10 SECDEF Strategic Thinkers Program at Johns Hopkins University (Washington, DC) 3 Jul 27 Jun 27 11 Security Studies Program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA) 1 Jul 6 Jun 27 Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership at U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD) 1 Jul 26 Jun 27 12,13 Note 8: Graduates will complete a mandatory one-year follow-on assignment at Fort Leavenworth as a seminar leader. Note 9: Only open to PMOS 0402 and 3002. Note 10: Master’s program. Note 11: Two quotas are allocated for PMOS 8059/8061 and one quota is allocated for any PMOS. Note 12: Graduates of this program will complete a mandatory two year utilization tour as USNA Marine Detachment Chief of Staff or Battalion Officer. Note 13: Officers may only apply to these programs if they are junior to or in zone on the CY28/FY30 O6 Promotion Screening Board. Anyone selected for ASLSP and Stockdale Fellowships will be required to remain an O5 for their utilization tour. 5. Board communication 5.a. Questionnaire. The online questionnaire is the primary mechanism for board communication. Officers may call attention to any matter they deem important to selection or slating including program preferences and family or personal situations that the board should consider in its decision making. A common access card certificate is required to access the questionnaire. Officers should list their preferences in order of personal desire, but may be selected for any program with which eligibility is met. 5.a.1. Top Level School questionnaire: https://www2.manpower.usmc.mil/application_cac/edu/ViewBoardServlet .action?boardID=5046 5.a.2 The deadline for submitting the online questionnaire is 2359 eastern standard time (EST) on 18 July 2025. Any correspondence received after the convening of the board will be considered at the discretion of the board president. All correspondence to the board must originate from or be endorsed by the officer being considered. 5.b. Officers may submit correspondence after 18 July 2025 such as letters to the board and any material not found in their Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) via email to the MMOA-3 organizational email at smb_mmoa_planso@usmc.mil. Correspondence will not be accepted after 25 July 2025. 5.c. OMPF update material. Officers should submit OMPF update requests via Official-Records Management Application (O-RMA). If assistance is required, contact your unit S-1 or local IPAC. Officers are responsible for ensuring their OMPF is accurate at all times. 5.d. The board does not consider photographs per reference (e). 5.e. Fitness reports. Completed fitness reports must be submitted to the Performance Evaluation Section (MMRP-30) for inclusion into the OMPF. Incomplete fitness reports will not normally be accepted or forwarded to the board. 5.f. Remove by request (RBR) 5.f.1. Officers who are eligible but do not desire to be considered must complete the online TLS Selection Board questionnaire and indicate that they do not desire to screen for TLS. These officers must then confirm their RBR by sending a signed NAVMC 10274 Administrative Action (AA) Form to their PMOS monitor and the MMOA-3 organizational email at smb_mmoa_planso@usmc.mil. The AA form must be signed by the officer requesting removal, but does not require any additional endorsement. The board will consider all officers who do not submit a signed AA form. 5.f.2. Complete questionnaire indicating desire to RBR and submit a signed RBR AA form to MMOA-3 NLT 2359 EST on 18 July 2025. 6. Board results. Manpower Management plans to release the results of the TLS board within 90 days of the board convening. 6.a. Alternates. The board will identify officers as alternates for assignment when TLS program vacancies occur. MMOA-3 will post an alphabetical list of alternates on the MMOA-3 website following the release of the board results. 6.b. Declinations 6.b.1. If an officer believes that they will likely decline TLS selection, then they should request RBR rather than wait to decline until results are released. Declinations should be a tool of last resort for officers who were unable to anticipate circumstances that would lead to them being unable to attend a TLS program. 6.b.2. Officers slated to a TLS program who decline must do so via AA form, endorsed by the first general officer in their chain of command, forwarded to Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) (MMOA-3). Officers who decline will receive a letter in their OMPF documenting the declination. Unless otherwise approved by Director, Manpower Management due to extraordinary circumstances, officers who decline selection to a TLS program will not be considered for any other TLS program during the slating year and are ineligible for screening on future TLS boards. MMOA will place letters of declination in the officer's OMPF. The results MARADMIN will establish a deadline for declination requests. 6.b.3. Alternates identified to fill vacated TLS program quotas are also required to formally decline if they choose not to accept the offer. 6.c. Deferrals 6.c.1. Officers selected for TLS who are unable to execute orders due to extraordinary life or personal circumstances may request a deferral. 6.c.2. Officers requesting deferral must do so via AA form, endorsed by the first general officer in their chain of command, forwarded to HQMC (MMOA-3). The results MARADMIN will establish a deadline for deferral requests. 6.c.3. If approved, the Director, Manpower Management will defer officers to the following year's TLS selection board. 7. Points of contact. Col E. J. Smith Branch Head, MMOA Comm: (703) 784-9300 Email: erik.smith@usmc.mil Col M. D. Simon , Ground Col Monitor Comm: (703)784-9300 Email: michael.d.simon.mil@usmc.mil Col R. B. Tompkins, Aviation Col Monitor Comm: (703) 784-9300 Email: ralph.tompkins@usmc.mil Lieutenant Colonel E. C. Buxton Aviation Lieutenant Colonel Monitor Comm: (703) 784-9267 Email: eben.buxton@usmc.mil Lieutenant Colonel E. F. Bradley Combat Arms Lieutenant Colonel Monitor Comm: (703) 784-9274 Email: evan.bradley@usmc.mil Lieutenant Colonel N. V. Bastian Combat Service Support Lieutenant Colonel Monitor Comm: (703) 784-9274 Email: nicole.v.bastian.mil@usmc.mil Lieutenant Colonel D. C. Burton Information Lieutenant Colonel Monitor Comm: (703) 784-9274 Email: david.c.burton@usmc.mil Mr. J. A. Bilyew, CMC Fellowships/Foreign PME, MCU Comm: (703) 432-0696 Email: jake.bilyew@usmcu.edu 8. This message is not applicable to the Marine Corps Reserve. 9. Release authorized by MajGen Ryan S. Rideout, Director, Manpower Management, Manpower and Reserve Affairs.//