R 271829Z APR 26
MARADMIN 197/26
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC AVN WASHINGTON DC//
SUBJ/UPDATE TO AMPLIFYING GUIDANCE FOR USE OF OPERATIONAL SUPPORT
AIRLIFT//
REF/A/MSGID:MSG/MARADMIN 344/22/DTG:071900Z JUL 22//
REF/B/MSGID:DOC/OMB CIRCULAR A-126/YMD:19920522//
REF/C/MSGID:DOC/DODI 4500.43/YMD:20210730
REF/D/MSGID:DOC/DODI 4500.56/YMD:20240520//
REF/E/MSGID:DOC/USTI 3200.03/YMD:20230127//
REF/F/MSGID:DOC/JTR/YMD:20260101//
REF/G/MSGID:DOC/NALO MOU/YMD:20250227//
REF/H/MSGID:DOC/JALIS MOA/YMD:20231101//
REF/I/MSGID:DOC/OSD MEMO/YMD:20230808//
NARR/REF A IS THE PREVIOUSLY CANCELLED OSA MARADMIN. REF B IS THE
OMB CIRCULAR NO. A-126 FOR IMPROVING THE MANAGEMENT AND USE OF
GOVERNMENT AIRCRAFT. REF C IS THE DOW INSTRUCTION FOR OPERATIONAL
SUPPORT AIRLIFT. REF D IS THE DOW INSTRUCTION FOR USE OF GOVERNMENT
AIRCRAFT AND AIR TRAVEL. REF E IS THE USTRANSCOM INSTRUCTION POLICY
FOR OPERATIONAL SUPPORT AIRLIFT. REF F IS THE JOINT TRAVEL
REGULATIONS. REF G IS THE NAVAL AVIATION LOGISTICS OFFICE (NALO)
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) FOR THE SCHEDULING OF C-20G
AIRCRAFT SITED AT MCAS KANEOHE, HI. REF H IS THE MEMORANDUM FOR
SENIOR PENTAGON LEADERSHIP, COMMANDERS OF THE COMBATANT COMMANDS,
DEFENSE AGENCIES, AND DOD FIELD ACTIVITIES DIRECTORS FOR THE USE OF
GOVERNMENT AIRCRAFT AND AIR TRAVEL. REF I IS THE MEMORANDUM OF
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE JOINT STAFF, U.S. ARMY, U.S. NAVY,
U.S. AIR FORCE, U.S. MARINE CORPS, AND NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU ON
FUNDING FOR THE JOINT AIR LOGISTICS INFORMATION SYSTEM (JALIS).//
PRIMARY AVN POC/EMERICH, J.M./GS-14/HQMC AVN/ASCO DIRECTOR/
COMM: 703-693-9888/EMAIL: JASON.M.EMERICH.CIV@USMC.MIL//
AVN COMMAND POC/ALLISON, B.A./COL/HQMC AVN/EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT/
COMM: 703-614-1010/EMAIL: BRETT.A.ALLISON@USMC.MIL//
PRIMARY LEGAL POC/COUNSEL FOR THE COMMANDANT/
ENIOR SPECIAL ASSISTANT/COMM: 703-614-4067//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. Purpose. To minimize transportation costs and
improve mission effectiveness, there is an increased effort to
utilize Operational Support Airlift (OSA). When executed properly,
the use of OSA assets makes significant contributions to airlift
support while avoiding the high cost of tactical assault support
and/or commercial travel. Appropriate use of OSA programs also
enables aircrews to perform dynamic training in conjunction with
official DoW travel to support operational and wartime readiness
requirements. IAW the references, the guidance below is intended
to reinforce current policy and prevent misuse and/or the perception
of misuse of Opportune and Dedicated OSA programs.
2. Operational Support Airlift (OSA)
2.a. Passenger travel on Government aircraft is considered a
premium mode of travel involving high costs and limited
resources. IAW references (b) thru (e), Government aircraft may
only be used for official travel to meet mission requirements, for
required use, or to support other DoW official travel requirements.
OSA may be requested for other DoW official travel requirements when
one of the following parameters is met: 1) No commercial airlift can
meet the traveler’s departure or arrival requirements within a
24-hour period, unless the traveler demonstrates that extraordinary
circumstances require a shorter period to effectively fulfill the
requirement; or 2) The actual cost of using OSA airlift is not more
than the cost of using commercial airlift. Alternatively, IAW
reference (d), a requester may show: (1) highly unusual
circumstances that present a clear and present danger; (2) an
emergency exists; (3) other compelling operational considerations
make commercial transportation unacceptable.
2.a.1. References (b), (e), and (f) define “official travel” as
traveling in the discharge of U.S. Government business at Government
expense, including travel to meet mission requirements, required use
travel, and other travel for the conduct of agency business.
“Other travel for the conduct of agency business” includes, but is
not limited to, official travel to give speeches, to attend
conferences or meetings, or travel to make routine site visits.
Official travel does not include travel for personal reasons, by a
circuitous route, or by transportation modes not authorized or
approved.
2.a.2. Reference (c) defines “mission requirements” as activities
that constitute the discharge of an agency's official
responsibilities. Such activities include, but are not limited to,
the transport of troops and/or equipment, training, evacuation
(including medical evacuation), intelligence and counternarcotics
activities, search and rescue, transportation of prisoners, use of
defense attaché-controlled aircraft, aeronautical research and space
and science applications, and other such activities.
Mission requirements do not include official travel to give
speeches, to attend conferences or meetings, or travel to make
routine site visits.
2.a.3. Reference (b) defines “required use” as use of a government
aircraft for the travel of an Executive Agency officer or employee,
where the use of the government aircraft is required because of
bona fide communications or security needs of the agency or
exceptional scheduling requirements. Required use travelers are
designated by SecWar in reference (d). Only Marine General
Officers serving in specific positions such as Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), Vice CJCS, Commandant of the Marine
Corps (CMC), or as a Combatant Commander are USMC required-use
travelers.
2.b. Per reference (e), CDRUSTRANSCOM operates the
Joint Operational Support Airlift Center (JOSAC). JOSAC provides
unified OSA scheduling and coordination for dynamic training
missions to meet wartime readiness and aircrew currency
requirements. IAW references (b) and (e), these missions may be
used to transport authorized users on official DoW business within
CONUS when determined to be 1) a mission requirement or 2) a cost
benefit to the DoW.
2.b.1. Per references (b) and (c), DoW Components are not required
to calculate cost comparisons for the use of government aircraft to
meet mission requirements for DoW official travel and required-use
travelers. The secondary use of an aircraft scheduled to satisfy a
mission requirement or required use travel in accordance is presumed
to result in cost savings and requires no cost comparisons;
reference (b) requires the agency conducting the mission to certify
prior to the flight that the aircraft is scheduled to perform a bona
fide mission requirement/required use activity.
2.c. OSA may be Dedicated or Opportune. Dedicated OSA shall only
be used to support mission requirements IAW paragraph 4. Opportune
OSA may be requested for all other official travel IAW paragraph 3.
3. Opportune OSA Support (commonly referred to as MilAir)
3.a. “Opportune OSA” refers to OSA used for official travel that
is not directly in support of mission requirements or required use.
This includes OSA in support of “other official travel” in the
conduct of agency business.
3.a.1. IAW references (b) and (c), secondary use of an aircraft
refers to the support of any additional official travel requirement
when primary use is to meet mission requirements. Secondary use of
an aircraft is presumed to result in cost savings and does not
require a cost comparison.
3.b. Request
3.b.1. Per references (b) and (d), Military Airlift (MilAir)
requests must demonstrate that commercial airline or airlift service
is not reasonably available to effectively fulfill the traveler’s
mission requirements in a 24-hour period, unless the traveler
demonstrates that extraordinary circumstances require a shorter
period. Alternatively, the requester may show: (1) highly unusual
circumstances that present a clear and present danger; (2) an
emergency exists; (3) use of government aircraft is more
cost-effective than commercial air; or (4) other compelling
operational considerations make commercial transportation
unacceptable. Cost-effectiveness will be determined by the
scheduling agencies. Authorizing officials may provisionally
approve a request that states an official purpose for use of MilAir,
subject to a later cost-effectiveness analysis.
3.c. Approval Process
3.c.1. Requests shall be submitted via the DD Form 2768 dated
Mar 1998 located at: https:(slash) (slash)www.esd.whs.mil/
Portals/54/Documents/DD/forms/dd/dd2768.pdf.
3.c.2. All blocks of the DD Form 2768 must be completed.
3.c.3. The name, grade/DV code, duty title, and branch of service
must be provided for the senior traveler, all General/Flag Officers,
Senior Executive Service (SES) employees, spouses, or any
non-federal personnel.
3.c.4. Times on the DD Form 2768 shall be identified as both
Zulu and local time in the remarks section.
3.c.5. The email addresses of the Requester, Departure, and
Arrival Coordinator(s) must be listed in the “Remarks” section
(Block 11).
3.c.6. The Departure and Arrival Coordinator cannot be the same
individual.
3.c.7. All requests must be signed by the senior traveler.
Per reference (d), this signature authority cannot be delegated.
3.c.8. Per reference (d), the Travel Authorizing Official
(Block 13) must be at least one organizational level above the
Senior Traveler (e.g. if the Senior Traveler is a MAG CO, the MAW
CG must sign Block 13; if the Senior Traveler is a MAG OPSO, the
MAG CO must sign Block 13). The Travel Authorizing Official may
also be an individual with delegated authority via a written
“By direction”, explicitly including transportation eligibility
authorization.
3.c.9. Requesters shall submit the completed DD Form 2768 to their
respective validating office (3.f.1.).
3.d. Approval Based on Reasonable Availability
3.d.1. Travel Authorizing Officials shall only approve requests
that sufficiently demonstrate that commercial airline or airlift
service is not reasonably available to effectively fulfill the
traveler’s mission requirements in a 24-hour period (unless the
traveler demonstrates that extraordinary circumstances require a
shorter period).
3.d.2. Requests must clearly demonstrate that a valid official
reason for the use of government aircraft exists, other than for
personal convenience.
3.d.3. Per reference (d), requests must provide scheduling
requirements and explain why they cannot be changed. Scheduling
requirements include those occurring before, during, and after
the travel period that impact potential availability of commercial
travel options.
3.d.4. Requests may cite other factors that make commercial
transportation unacceptable, that justify the use of government
aircraft over alternative modes of transportation.
3.d.5. A need for secure communications is ordinarily insufficient
justification for approval of a non-required user, unless
extraordinary circumstances require the traveler to have otherwise
inaccessible secure communications for a specific purpose during the
travel period. The request shall explain why the activity requiring
secured communications cannot be rescheduled.
3.e. Provisional Approval Based on Cost Effectiveness
3.e.1. Per references (d) and (e), when the initial assessment of
cost effectiveness is not favorable, Travel Authorizing Officials
are encouraged to provisionally approve a request on the basis that,
if consolidated with another request(s), it is determined to be
cost-effective by the scheduling agency. IAW reference (d), only
scheduling agencies shall determine overall cost-effectiveness for
OSA missions.
3.e.2. Upon determination that MilAir is requested for legitimate
“official travel” IAW references (b) thru (e), Travel Authorizing
Officials are encouraged to provisionally approve and forward
requests to their respective scheduling agencies, via service
validators listed in 3.5, for a cost effectiveness determination,
even in the absence of other justification.
3.e.3. To ensure scheduling agencies may accurately determine
cost-effectiveness, requests shall include the costs of all
reasonable commercial travel alternatives. Per reference (d),
reasonable commercial travel alternatives are other available modes
of transportation that are capable of meeting the travel
requirements. The cost of each commercial travel alternative shall
be supported by sufficient information to reflect the fully burdened
cost to complete official DoW business. IAW references
(b) thru (d), information about the cost of commercial travel must:
1) Reflect the current government contract fare or price
(e.g. the General Services Administration city-pare program fare)
or price of the lowest fare known to be available if a government
contract does not exist or is not applicable; 2) Include, as
appropriate, associated costs of any additional ground or other
transportation, per diem and miscellaneous travel (e.g., taxis,
parking, etc.), and lost employees' work time (computed at gross
hourly costs to the government, including benefits) between the
commercial and government options; and 3) Only include costs
associated with passengers on official business.
3.e.4. Format for submission of this information shall use the
example Commercial Cost Worksheet available at https:(slash)
(slash)wwww.aviation.marines.mil/Portals/11/Documents/ASCO/
MilAirCommercialCostWorksheet.xlsx.
3.f. Review and Validation Process
3.f.1. MilAir requests shall be submitted to the appropriate
validation office based upon the requester’s location:
(a) National Capitol Region/HQMC/MARFORs - HQMC AVN (ASCO);
PLAD: CMC AVN ASCO WASHINGTON DC – OMB.ASCO@USMC.MIL.
(b) East Coast – MCI-EAST (G-3); CG MCIEAST MCB CAMPLEJ G
THREE G FIVE – CHPT_ATCO_SMB@USMC.MIL
(c) West Coast - MCI-WEST (G-3); CG MCIWEST MCB G THREE
G FIVE - SMB_MCIWEST_ATCO@USMC.MIL
(d) Hawaii/Japan/Korea - MCI-PAC (G-3); CG MCIPAC G THREE
G FIVE – MCB.G3.AIRCELL.MCBB.FCT@USMC.MIL
(e) Marine Forces Reserve - 4th MAW (ATCO), CG FOURTH MAW
G THREE - MARFORRES_G3_AIR@USMC.MIL
3.f.2. IAW reference (c), validators shall review airlift requests
and assign prioritization using the priority system.
3.f.3. IAW reference (g), validators shall review the accuracy and
validity of travel requirements. If necessary, they may also
re-validate modifications to original travel requests so long as the
overarching mission remains the same.
3.f.4. Once requests have been reviewed and validated, validators
will forward the request to the proper scheduling agency
(JOSAC/NALO/HQMC) via JALIS.
3.f.5. In the event of an MCI-PAC conflict of support, due to
similar priority between two or more requests, MCI-PAC shall
forward the request to MARFORPAC Air to adjudicate supportability
based on mission priority.
3.g. Scheduling Agency Details
3.g.1. Per references (g), and (h), OSA CONUS requests shall be
submitted to JOSAC for small lift or NALO for medium/large lift
through the appropriate validating office.
3.g.2. OSA CONUS-OCONUS requests shall be submitted through the
appropriate validating office. Validating offices shall determine
whether the request should be forwarded to NALO or DC AVN for
sourcing.
3.g.3. INDOPACOM requests shall be appropriately scheduled by the
MCI-PAC validation office via JALIS only.
3.g.4. All other OSA OCONUS requests shall be adjudicated via
the appropriate Combatant or Component Command.
3.h. Scheduling
3.h.1. Only service assigned validators and scheduling agencies
may coordinate scheduling. Modifications to flight advisories
shall only be made by a scheduling agency. The scheduling agencies
may schedule any branch of service to support another branch’s
mission (i.e., USMC units can be scheduled to support an
Army and/or Navy mission). Supporting and supported USMC units
shall not attempt to circumvent the process by arranging
conditional “will supports” with a flying unit or by utilizing
perceived undue command influence.
3.h.2. IAW references (d) and (i), OSA flights will not be
scheduled between locations where the ground transportation is one
hour or less or flight time is 30 minutes or less.
3.h.3. IAW references (d) and (i), only one basic crew and one
aircraft are allocated per mission. Therefore, travel must be
arranged within the crew duty day and crew rest limitations.
3.h.4. Exceptions to Policy (ETP) for provisions of paragraph
3.h. are permissible IAW references (d) and (i). Requests for
ETP must be submitted to HQMC ASCO no fewer than 14 days prior to
the mission execution date.
3.i. Opportune OSA Amplifying Guidance
3.i.1. Requesters must be mindful that MilAir is opportune airlift
regardless of rank and should prepare to utilize another mode of
travel should a request be deemed unsupportable. Be advised that
requests may be deemed unsupportable as late as (3) days prior to
the requested departure.
3.i.2. Per references (b) and (i), DoW Components shall not
schedule training missions to accommodate the travel of
DoW senior officials.
3.i.3. For travelers who are DoW Senior Officials, authorizing
authority cannot be delegated below the two-star or equivalent
level. Reference (c) defines DoW “Senior Official” General and flag
officers and civilian employees of the Senior Executive Service,
or equivalent, and higher-level employees. MilAir requests
identifying a Senior Official the senior traveler are not required
to be authorized beyond the next level of Command (minimum two-star)
unless otherwise determined in writing by local Command.
3.i.4. All Senior Official requests must obtain a legal/ethical
review prior to execution.
3.i.5. All OSA flying units shall ensure aircraft availability in
the JALIS system is open for Joint Scheduling to the maximum extent
possible. The following are the only exceptions in which aircraft
may be blocked: maintenance, scheduled training, tasking from PP&O
for Global Force Management (GFM) requirements, authorization from
DC Aviation or an applicable Component Command to execute Dedicated
OSA/direct support.
3.i.6. All Senior Official scheduled flights shall be closely
monitored by the applicable validation office. Regretted and or
dropped flights are required to be reported to the HQMC ASCO within
30 minutes of the regret or dropped flight or as soon as the
validation office is made aware. This reporting can be completed
by phone at (703)693-9888 or by email to omb.asco@usmc.mil or
jason.m.emerich.civ@usmc.mil.
4. Dedicated OSA/Direct Support
4.a. Per references (c) and (e), “direct support” is defined as
a mission requiring a force to support another specific force and
authorizing it to answer directly to the supported force’s request
for assistance. “Dedicated OSA” or “direct support” missions
generally refer to aircraft or missions scheduled by the Military
Departments to support their forces and operations.
Dedicated OSA/direct support may only be utilized to support
mission requirements.
4.b. Request and Endorsement Process
4.b.1. Requesting units must staff a Dedicated OSA request message
through their respective Chains of Command via Automated Message
Handling System (AMHS) and should include a DD Form 2768.
The request shall, at a minimum, include location, dates, and a
justification statement for the request as it relates to a mission
requirement.
4.b.2. The applicable MARFOR shall review the request for
completeness and accuracy, as well as validate the mission
requirement prior to submitting an endorsement to the Aviation
Support Coordination Office (ASCO), HQMC, DC Aviation. Requests
must be submitted NLT 14 days prior to execution, with the
exception of Priority 1 requests or Priority 2 requests where
training or operations would be degraded without OSA support.
4.c. Approval, Review, and Validation Process
4.c.1. Dedicated OSA Mission Approval. The Deputy Commandant for
Aviation (DC AVN) is the approval authority for all
CONUS-originated DED OSA missions. Approval is granted based on
the justification provided in the AMHS request message and its
alignment with Marine Corps operational and training mission
requirements. Applicable Combatant or Component Commands shall
be notified of all OSA flights transiting their Area of
Responsibility (AOR). This process is separate from the approval
and validation of Opportune Airlift requests.
4.d. Scheduling Agency Details
4.d.1. Dedicated OSA flights originating and or terminating in/from
CONUS will be scheduled via HQMC ASCO.
4.d.2. OSA OCONUS-OCONUS shall be scheduled by the Component
Command when Aircraft are attached via a PP&O GFM requirement.
All others will be approved by the Component Command and scheduled
via the appropriate validation office.
4.e. Scheduling
4.e.1. Dedicated OSA Mission Scheduling. DED OSA missions are not
scheduled through JOSAC or NALO. Upon approval of a DED OSA
request(s), HQMC AVN will task the appropriate Marine Corps aviation
asset directly to execute the mission as specified in the
approved request.
4.f. Dedicated OSA Amplifying Guidance
4.f.1. MARFORs shall determine priority of support for applicable
operational command requests for Dedicated OSA/direct support.
4.f.2. Aircraft assigned Dedicated OSA missions shall block
Aircraft availability to USTRANSCOM/Joint scheduling.
4.f.3. All Dedicated OSA/direct support flights shall be closely
monitored by the applicable validation office. Regretted and or
dropped flights are required to be reported to the HQMC ASCO within
30 minutes of the regret or dropped flight or as soon as the
validation office is made aware. This reporting can be completed
by phone to (703)693-9888 or by email to omb.asco@usmc.mil or
jason.m.emerich.civ@usmc.mil.
4.f.4. Priority 1 flights involving the potential loss of life or
limb may be approved and tasking by the applicable installation
Commanding Officer or validation office.
4.f.5. All approved Dedicated OSA/direct support missions
exceeding 30 days shall be reported to the Joint Staff and DoW
ExecSec via HQMC ASCO biannually.
4.f.6. OSA flying unit aircrews shall ensure all foreign clearance
guide and diplomatic aircraft clearance procedures have been met
prior to support.
4.f.7. Requester(s) shall ensure all foreign clearance guide
procedures have been met for all passengers prior to support.
5. Rotary-Wing/Tilt-Rotor Aircraft for OSA
5.a. The use of rotary-wing/tilt-rotor aircraft shall be approved
by the Deputy Commandant for Aviation.
5.a.1. Rotary-wing/Tilt-rotor aircraft shall only be utilized if
the desired destination cannot be reached by OSA aircraft or any
other means of travel. However, IAW reference (d), required-use
travelers are an exception.
5.a.2. Per reference (d), Rotary-wing/tilt-rotor aircraft will be
used only when the use of ground transportation would have a
significantly adverse impact on the ability of a senior official
to effectively accomplish the purpose of the official travel.
This policy applies to all officers and employees of the DoW.
The Marine Corps does not currently allocate any rotary-wing/
tilt-rotor Aircraft for OSA use.
5.b. Approval Process.
5.b.1. Submit rotary-wing/tilt-rotor aircraft travel requests
to HQMC ASCO.
5.b.2. Submit rotary-wing/tilt-rotor aircraft requests within the
NCR, or outside the NCR for OSW senior officials, to the DoW ExecSec
via HQMC ASCO.
5.c. Review and Validation Process
5.c.1. All rotary-wing/tilt-rotor CONUS OSA requests shall be
submitted to the HQMC validation office.
5.c.2 All rotary-wing/tilt-rotor OCONUS OSA requests shall be
submitted to the appropriate Combatant or Component Command air
office.
5.d. Scheduling Agency Details
5.d.1. All rotary-wing/tilt-rotor CONUS OSA requests shall be
scheduled by the HQMC ASCO office.
5.d.2 All rotary-wing/tilt-rotor OCONUS OSA requests shall be
scheduled by the appropriate Combatant or Component Command
air office.
5.e. Scheduling
5.e.1. Scheduling for rotary-wing/tilt-rotor shall use the same
process as described in paragraphs 4.d. – 4.e.1.
6. This MARADMIN shall be canceled upon the publication of a
forthcoming Marine Corps OSA Order.
9. Release authorized by Lieutenant General William H. Swan,
Headquarters Marine Corps, Deputy Commandant for Aviation,
and SES Mark A. Romano, Counsel for the Commandant.//