Transitioning to the Marine Corps Reserve:
Obtaining a Reserve Commission:
1. Resigning your regular commission on active duty and requesting a Reserve commission. Officers who resign fall under two categories: those with Mandatory Service Obligations (MSO) or those without. Officers with MSOs have a contractual obligation beyond their active duty service to serve in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) or optionally in the Selected Reserve. Those that do not have a remaining MSO are transferred to the IRR upon their EAS if they request a Reserve commission. A status change to a Reserve commission is not complete until a NAVMC 763 (Appointment and Acceptance Record) has been processed by the separating command. The definition and obligations of being a member of the IRR are contained in Sections I and II of the Reserve Guidebook.
2. Active duty officers who twice fail selection to the next higher grade will be afforded the opportunity to accept a Reserve commission. Upon acceptance, they are joined to the IRR.
3. Qualified Reserve enlisted members can apply for the Reserve Enlisted Commissioning Program.
4. Former Marine officers (active and Reserve) can request reappointment of their commission.
5. Policy on the interservice transfers of officers is governed by section 3009 of MCO P1100.73. The DoD policy with regard to interservice transfer is that an officer of any military service who is especially qualified to contribute to an activity of another Uniformed Service will be given the opportunity to apply. HQMC's current policy limits transfers to technical fields where there is an urgent shortage of qualified and available Marine Officers and approvals are very rarely given and only under exceptional circumstances. Contact the CMT for further information.
Serving in the Reserves:
1. An Officer's career in the Reserves is generally self-managed. Factors that may influence billet assignments include individual flexibility, billet availability, geographics, and type of assignment or unit desired. Based on personal preference, officers may participate in one of several types of components in the Ready Reserve or Standby Reserve. Component definitions are contained in Section I of the Reserve Guidebook. Assignment factors, to include tour lengths and strength/grade limitations, are detailed in Section III of the Reserve Guidebook. Some types of Reserve opportunities are as follows:
a. The Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) is whom you will be transferred to if you accept a reserve commission. The IRR is a pool of reserve personnel that may be recalled to active duty should the country enter a serious, prolonged crisis. Your obligations in the IRR are to ensure the Marine Corps Reserve Support Command (MCRSC) in Kansas City, MO has your current address, marital status and other significant personal information on file. You may be recalled annually to a location in your area for one paid day to review physical appearance standards, uniforms, and administrative data as well as to discuss Marine Corps Reserve opportunities. You earn 15 retirement points annually as being a member of the IRR and can pursue further reserve opportunities from the IRR.
b. The Selected Marine Corps Reserve (SMCR) is what most transitioning Marines envision when they think of reserve opportunities. As a member of a Selected Marine Corps Reserve Unit, your commitment is usually one weekend a month and two weeks of annual training a year. As a drilling reservist you receive four days base pay for two days work and limited PX/Commissary privileges, dental and medical benefits and SGLI coverage. You also continue to receive annual pay raises approved by Congress, promotion opportunities and retirement points.
c. The Active Reserve (AR) Program conducts quarterly selection boards in order to select Reserve Marines from the SMCR and IRR to serve as full time USMCR personnel who support many of the critical requirements of managing the Marine Corps Reserve. All active duty benefits apply. Convening dates of boards and related information are released via MARADMIN.
d. Active Duty Special Work (ADSW) is temporary active duty work that can be arranged through communication with a Reserve Support Unit (RSU) or with a specific point of contact in the Fleet Marine Force. ADSW opportunities are limited by budget constraints but if funding is available and you locate someone who needs your skills, they can "By Name Request" you and orders will be written for a specific period of time. Most active duty benefits apply.
e. Individual Mobilization Augmentees (IMA) Marines are members of the SMCR, but are not members of an SMCR unit. The IMA program provides a source of trained and qualified individuals to fill a time-sensitive portion of the active component wartime structure. Most IMA Marines are attached to active duty units in support of the 9 operational Combatant Commanders and governmental agencies.
f. Reserve Counterpart Training (RCT) provides officer and enlisted IRR Marines opportunities to volunteer annually for assignments to active duty for training. The program is designed to upgrade and maintain MOS and technical skills considered essential for mobilization. RCT is specifically designed for IRR Marines in the grades Private through Gunnery Sergeant, Warrant Officer through Chief Warrant Officer-3 and Second Lieutenant through Major. Reserve Marines who have completed 60 days or more of active duty in the preceding 6 months are not eligible for RCT.
2. The primary method to search for and obtain a Reserve billet is to contact a Prior Service Recruiter (PSR) for facilitation. A PSR directory is available in Appendix H of the Reserve Guidebook. PSRs and Reserve Marines have access to RDOL, the official Reserve billet search engine. Officers may also apply through RDOL for extended active duty either by volunteering for mobilization to serve in billets supporting the Global War on Terrorism or as a special project officer under the Active Duty Special Work (ADSW) program, the latter of which is described in Appendix M of the Reserve Guidebook. Officers are afforded similar opportunities to attend PME resident and non-resident schools for additional drill and retirement credit.
Sample Career Pattern for Marine Corps Reserve Officer
Year |
Grade |
Career Pattern |
Duty |
1-5 |
Lt |
Active Duty |
|
6-11 |
Capt |
Staff or Company Commander of SMCR Unit
IRR Member |
SMCR Unit 1 weekend a month/2 week annual training; complete Reserve EWS School
ADSW/Reserve EWS School |
12-18 |
Maj |
XO/Staff Officer/IMA Member
MTU/IRR Member Reserve
|
1 weekend a month/2 week annual training; complete Command and Staff PME
Reserve Counterpart Training; ADSW; Command and Staff PME; exercise augmentation |
19-21 |
LtCol |
CO/Regimental, Group or MSC Staff Officer of SMCR unit/IMA Member
MTU/IRR Member |
1 weekend a month/2 week annual training; Top Level School
Senior formal staff courses; member of promotion and policy boards |
21-30 |
Col |
Command Screened SMCR Billet/IMA Member
MTU/IRR Member |
1 weekend a month/2 week annual training; Top Level School
Senior formal staff courses; member of promotion and policy boards |
Benefits of the Reserves:
1. Supplemental part-time income with qualification for Reserve retirement at age 60. To qualify, Reservists must attain 20 years of qualifying service. A qualifying year of service is defined as achieving a minimum of 50 membership points during an anniversary year of service. Points may be viewed in the member's Career Retirement Credit Report (CRCR) through Marine On Line.
2. Further important administrative information regarding assignment policies, participation and administrative procedures, career progression, component transfers, mobilization, Reserve privileges/benefits/entitlements, and IMA membership are found in the Marine Corps Reserve Administrative Management Manual or MCRAMM (MCO P1001R.1J).
3. The Marine for Life (M4L) Program is another resource available to you as you transition. The mission of this program is to sponsor Marines back home on their last set of PCS orders. Marines (called Hometown Links) located in 44 locations throughout the country, assemble a network of veteran Marines, Marine friendly employers and others who want to assist Marines with their transition back to the community. These Hometown Link Coordinators will then connect transitioning Marines to that network of resources. More information is available at www.marineforlife.com.
Separating from the Reserves:
Reserve officers can voluntarily retire or be voluntarily or involuntarily separated from the Reserves as outlined in the Marine Corps Separation and Retirement Manual (MCO P1900.6E). Some of the more common instances include:
1. Upon reaching retirement eligibility (minimum of 20 qualifying service years), the officer may request transfer to the Retired Reserve (retired awaiting pay at age 60). To be eligible, the last 6 years of qualifying service must be with a Reserve component.
2. Resignation of the officer's Reserve commission.
3. Lieutenants, Captains, and Majors who have twice failed selection for promotion and do not have 20 years of qualifying service will be separated the first day of the seventh month following the board results. Those that are retirement eligible will be afforded the opportunity to request transfer to the Retired Reserve.
4. Mobilization Potential Screening Board. Periodically, boards are convened to screen Reserve officers for the potential and availability for mobilization on active duty. Those that do not meet certain criteria may be involuntarily discharged. Some common reasons include being on the ISL list for at least 3 years, not keeping their parent unit informed of their current mailing address, not responding to official correspondence within a reasonable period of time, and not found to be medically qualified. |