MARADMIN 473/26
FISCAL YEAR 2027 ACTIVE RESERVE OFFICER ACCESSION AND CAREER DESIGNATION PLAN
R 021430Z OCT 26 MARADMIN 473/26 MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC MRA RA// SUBJ/FISCAL YEAR 2027 ACTIVE RESERVE OFFICER ACCESSION AND CAREER DESIGNATION PLAN// REF/A/DOC/MCO 1001.52K/YMD/20190215// REF/B/ MSGID: MSG/MARADMIN 169/24// REF/C/DOC/DODI 1205.18/YMD/20200605// REF/D/ MSGID: MSG/MARADMIN 003/26// 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 DOD INSTRUCTION FOR FULL-TIME SUPPORT TO THE RESERVE COMPONENTS. REFERENCE (D) IS MARADMIN 003/26 CALENDAR YEAR 2026 CONTINUATION PAY POLICY FOR BLENDED RETIREMENT SYSTEM PARTICIPANTS. POC 1/ANDREW J. WALLACE/LTCOL/RAM-2 OIC – AR AVIATION MONITOR/TEL: 703-784-0531/DSN: 278-0531/EMAIL: [email protected]// POC 2/SEAN K. HERLIHY/MAJ/AR ACCESSION OIC – AR O-4 AND BELOW GROUND MONITOR/TEL: 703-784-9149/DSN:278-9149/EMAIL: [email protected]// POC 3/STEPHEN D. GRODEK/LTCOL/RAM DEPUTY – AR O-5 GROUND MONITOR/TEL: 703-784-0530/DSN: 278-0530/EMAIL: [email protected]// GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. This MARADMIN announces the Reserve Affairs Active Reserve (AR) Officer Accession and Career Designation (CD)Plan for Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27). Reserve Affairs Manpower Management (RAM) will join officers into the AR Program through a single Officer Accession Board (OAB) and on a continual basis through the Direct Hire Process (DHP). The FY27 OAB will occur 25-29 January 2027; FY27 CD Board will coincide with the FY27 OAB. 2. AR Program, Accession Tours, and Component Assignments. 2.a. The AR Program provides well-trained and experienced Reserve Component (RC) officers serving on active duty as full-time support (FTS) 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). Officers within the AR Program are assigned one of two component codes: Component Code B1 (field grade accession, career designation eligible) or Component Code B4 (company grade probationary accession or officers serving on a limited tour). 2.a.1. Component Code B1: Field grade officers on their accession tour and AR career designated officers are assigned to Component Code B1. Officers within Component Code B1 are in a promotion competitive category consisting of only Component Code B1 officers. 2.a.2. Component Code B4: Company grade officers on either accession tour or Limited Tour are assigned to Component Code B4. Officers within Component Code B4 share a promotion category with Selected Marine Corps Reserve (SMCR), Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) , and Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) officers. 2.b. Accession Orders. Officers selected for accession into the AR Program will be joined to a component based on grade: 2.b.1. Company Grade Officers (O-2 to O-3): Company grade officers selected for accession will be assigned to a probationary accession tour in Component Code B4. Upon selection for the grade of O-4, these officers will be eligible for reassignment to Component Code B1. Per reference (b), probationary periods shall not exceed six years. 2.b.2. Field Grade Officers (O-4 to O-5): Field grade officers selected for accession will be assigned to an accession tour in Component Code B1. 2.c. Probationary and Accession Tour Length: Probationary and accession tours are between 36 and 48 months in length, depending on date of accession, to support an End of Active Service (EAS) date of 30 September 2030. Accession timelines, billet assignments, and tour length will be coordinated between AR monitors and the selected officer. 2.d. Limited Tour: AR orders and assignments of less than 36 months, regardless of grade, will be considered Limited Tours. Officers assigned to such tours will be restricted to Component Code B4. Officers serving on limited tours, regardless of rank or duration, are in the competitive category with SMCR, IMA, and IRR officers. 3. AR Officer Eligibility Criteria and Accession Opportunities. 3.a. Eligibility Criteria 3.a.1. Applicants must meet all qualifications listed on pages 2-2 through 2-3 of reference (a). 3.a.2. Officers serving in the Active Component (AC), SMCR, IMA, IRR, or on AR Limited Tours are eligible to apply. 3.a.3. Grade and Time-in-Grade (TIG) Eligibility 3.a.3.a. Ground Officers: Grades O-2 and O-3 are eligible with no TIG limitations. O-4 must have less than two years TIG upon application. 3.a.3.b. Aviators (75XX): Grades O-3 through O-5 are eligible with no TIG limitations. 3.a.4. Applicants must be cognizant of standing service obligations (e.g. original service agreement, minimum time on station, bonus or incentive pay including continuation pay, utilization tours, flight contracts, etc.) when applying to the AR Program. Officers who have received or are receiving involuntary or voluntary separations pay, incentive pay, or continuation pay per reference (d) or subsequent continuation pay MARADMIN may be subject to recoupment upon accession. 3.a.5. Reserve Officer Commissioning Program (ROCP) officers executing their initial mandatory service obligation may apply if they are within a year of their Mandatory Drill Participation Stop Date (MDPSD) upon application. 3.a.6. Eligibility Waiver Process. Officers who do not meet the eligibility criteria in this MARADMIN or the references may request a waiver in their application for the specific exception to policy that is required. 3.b. Accession Opportunities 3.b.1. Accession Board: The FY27 AR OAB will convene from 25-29 January 2027. Primary selectees for accession will be published via MARADMIN. Alternate selectees will be notified via SEPCOR. 3.b.2. Direct Hire Process (DHP): The FY27 DHP is open from 1 October 2026 through 30 September 2027. DHP applications have three possible determinations which will be communicated directly with the member as follows: 3.b.2.a. Approved: Applicant meets the needs of the AR Program and a rank and MOS match Billet Identification Code (BIC) is available. 3.b.2.b. Deferred: Applicant meets the needs of the AR Program and may be offered accession when a rank and MOS match BIC becomes available during that FY. 3.b.2.c. Declined: Applicant does not currently meet the needs of the AR Program. This determination does not preclude officers from applying to AR accession boards or DHP opportunities in a future FY. 4. Application and Submission Process. 4.a. Application Package: The application format is the same for OAB and DHP. The application template, with endorsement requirements and required enclosures, is labeled “Active Reserve Officer Accession Package Templates” and found under the “Active Reserve Officer Accessions” drop-down within the “AR Assignments (RAM-2)” tab at: https://www.manpower.marines.mil/Divisions/Reserve-Affairs-Division /Reserve-Affairs-Management-RAM/. 4.b. Reserve Officer Applications: Officers with a reserve commission will apply via one of the submission methods detailed in paragraph 4.d. 4.c. AC Officer Applications: AC officers are encouraged to communicate their intent to apply to the AR Program with MMOA and MMSR at the earliest opportunity. The AC application process includes three distinct but related processes that are all conditional. For an AC officer to join the AR Program they must be approved for: an RC commission, an Intra-Service Transfer (IST) and Form DD-368 (Conditional Release) from the AC, and AR accession. The AC to AR transition requirements listed below are further detailed within the application template. 4.c.1. Reserve Commission: AC officers cannot join the AR without a reserve commission. The reserve scrolling process can take up to 120 days. AC officers may request, via email to the appropriate AR monitor, to be screened for a reserve commission prior to formal application. 4.c.2. IST and Form DD-368 (Conditional Release): AC officers without an EAS or those requesting to join prior to their current EAS, must submit an IST with Form DD-368 in conjunction with submission of AR accession application. Officers with obligation to the AC will not be approved for an IST. RAM-2 will submit DD-368 and IST to MMSR-2(O) on behalf of applicants for determination by MMOA. 4.c.3. Approval for AR accession: AC Officers are evaluated for approval into the AR program via OAB or DHP. 4.d. Submission Methods 4.d.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 is 1 December 2026 through 15 January 2027. 4.d.2. DHP Submission: Interested officers are encouraged to contact the appropriate AR monitor prior to submitting a DHP application in order assess potential Direct Hire opportunities relevant to their qualifications. All applicants must apply via NAVMC 10274 Administrative Action (AA) Form addressed to CMC (RAM-2) and sent directly to the POC listed above. DHP involves rolling submissions closing at the end of FY27. Applicants that were deferred in FY26 that wish to be reconsidered for accession are encouraged to contact the respective AR monitor and provide update material to the deferred application. 4.d.2.a. Upon receipt of a DHP application, RAM-2 will staff the package with appropriate stakeholders within Reserve Affairs (RA) and Manpower Management Officer Assignments (MMOA). 4.d.2.b. The appropriate AR monitor will communicate DHP decisions, requests for information, or coordination directly with applicants. 5. AR Officer Career Designation (CD). 5.a. Competitive CD offers an opportunity for AR officers in Component Code B1 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 via SEPCOR from RAM-2 to the eligible population. 6. Release authorized by Brigadier General Guillermo Rosales Jr., Director, Reserve Affairs Division.//