MOS Handbook

Introduction

This document was written to provide a personal overview of each Marine Officer Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). Its primary purpose is to give Marine lieutenants an overview of officer’s MOSs to assist them in deciding their preferences for MOS selection at The Basic School (TBS).

The committee members were all Amphibious Warfare Students (AWC-00), Marine captains, with one or two tours experience, and five to eight years in service.

Please note: much of the information in this handbook must be taken "with a grain of salt". Although the facts have been checked for accuracy, much of the information contained herein is opinion formed from these officers’ personal experiences.

Lieutenant Colonel Ricardo Blanco
Faculty Advisor

Note: Since this handbook was written some changes have taken place. Now MOS preferences are entered into a software program via internet interface. This software provides a suggested solution to MOS assignments in order to maximize each students' satisfaction with their MOS assignment. TBS staff use this solution as a guideline for assigning MOS'. TBS claims that 85% of all officers get within their top five choices of MOS'. MOS assignments are ultimately determined by merit and needs of the Marine Corps. MOS allocations can vary dramatically with each TBS class.

Background

One of the most important responsibilities of The Basic School is the assignment of MOSs to lieutenants. The long-term impact of this assignment process has on the welfare of our officers and our Corps is immeasurable; TBS adheres to the highest standards of fairness and consistency, with a firm view towards serving the best interests of the Marine Corps. Prior to 1977, MOSs were assigned based solely on lineal standing at TBS. In 1977, the Commandant of the Marine Corps made the decision to apply a quality spread to the assignment of MOSs. This decision was made to ensure every occupational field received a fair share of the most competitive lieutenants. This policy remains in effect with Officer Assignment Division (MMOA) guidance to TBS stating that one-third of the quotas for each MOS come from the top, middle, and bottom thirds of the company. Within each third, class standing is the primary assignment criteria.

THE NEEDS OF THE CORPS

The needs of the Marine Corps are the primary consideration used to assign MOSs to lieutenants. CMC (MMOA-3 (Plans, Programs and Systems Support)) provides each Basic Officer Course (BOC) company with an allocation of quotas for each MOS. The quotas are generated by Manpower Plans and Policy Division and are based upon the need to balance structure requirements with available qualified officers in each MOS. HQMC directs that the quotas for each MOS be divided as equally as possible for each one-third of the class.

<MOS DISTRIB TABLE GOES HERE, MAYBE GRAPHIC AS WELL>

NAVAL AVIATOR MOS DESCRIPTIONS:

• 7557 NAVAL AVIATOR (KC-130)
• 7562 NAVAL AVIATOR (CH-46, CH-53 D/E)
• 7508 NAVAL AVIATOR (AV-8B)
• 7523 NAVAL AVIATOR (F/A-18)
• 7563 NAVAL AVIATOR (UH-1N)
• 7543 NAVAL AVIATOR (EA-6)

INDIVIDUAL DESIRES:

Although the desires of lieutenants are considered secondary to the needs of the Marine Corps when assigning MOSs, in reality, individual choice probably has the greatest impact on final MOS assignments. Most lieutenants (approximately 75%) will receive one of their top three choices. Therefore, it is essential that lieutenants make informed decisions. In addition to making the most of this guide, classroom instruction, and scheduled MOS mixers, lieutenants should make every effort to identify those MOSs which will capitalize on their personal strengths.

<CHOICE DISTRIB TABLE + GRAPHIC>

STRAW POLLS:

Prior to final MOS selection, lieutenants will be asked to submit their MOS choices in what is commonly referred to as a "straw poll." Essentially, the straw poll is a dress rehearsal for the final MOS selection and will be conducted as described below. In no way will the results of the straw pole resemble the results of the final MOS selection. Not only will most lieutenants change their MOS choices prior to the final MOS selection, but also the lineal list used in the straw poll is arbitrary. Again, the straw pole is merely a dress rehearsal.

Final MOS Selection

Final MOS selection is completed at approximately the 14th training week of the BOC. The following process occurs:

• All lieutenants are ranked according to their overall average in Military Skills, Academics, and Leadership. The lineal list minus guaranteed contracts is divided into thirds.
• Lieutenants list all MOSs available to them in order of preference on small tags and on 3 x 5cards. Lieutenants with guaranteed aviation contracts will only list their top 5 MOS choices on 3x5 cards to be used in the event they lose their contracts while still at TBS. Potential aviators must include at least one non-combat arms MOS in their list of 5 choices. All lieutenants will also list in order their geographic preferences (East Coast, West Coast, or overseas)
• The company staff will prepare an MOS board with "pegs" representing the available quotas for each MOS in each third. The entire staff works straight down the lineal list placing each lieutenant’s tag on empty pegs on the board. When a lieutenant’s name is called from the lineal list, his or her SPC will attempt to place that lieutenant’s tag on a peg representing a quota for that lieutenant’s first MOS choice. If all the pegs are full for that MOS (the MOS is closed for that third), the SPC will continue to search for the first open peg in order of the lieutenant’s preferences. The number one lieutenant will receive his or her first choice. Lieutenants near the top of their one-third have the best opportunity to receive one of their top choices. Lieutenants near the bottom of their one-third increment have a lesser chance.
• Once the board is completely filled, the Staff will consider deviating from the lineal list and making changes to MOS assignments if those changes would better suit the needs of the Marine Corps. Such changes are based on the discretion of the Staff and subject to the approval of the Company Commander. The lineal list is used as a general guide, not as an absolute rule.
• The Company Commander will brief the CO, TBS, on potential MOS assignments, identifying those lieutenants who did not receive one of their top three choices. The CO, TBS approves the entire list prior to forwarding to CMC (Code: MMOA-3).
• DCMC M&RA must approve the MOS assignments before they become official. DCMC M&RA may require TBS to change the recommended MOS assignments. For that reason, results of the MOS selection process are not revealed to lieutenants until final approval from DCMC M&RA.

Conclusion

The current MOS selection process has proven to be the most effective way to serve the needs of the Marine Corps while accommodating the desires of those officers involved. Not every lieutenant will receive one of his or her top choices. Therefore, it is essential that the positive aspects and importance of every MOS to the Marine Corps be emphasized and that lieutenants carefully consider their preferences with an open mind.

SUPPLEMENTARY MOS (SMOS) PROGRAM

ISSUE:

The Marine Corps developed the SMOS program to combat its officer Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) skill imbalances. These skill imbalances occur at the mid-company grade level due to different retention behavior after initial service obligation of officers in different MOSs.

FACTS:

The SMOS program allows officers in "over" MOSs to do a tour in a "short" MOS and then return to their primary MOS. The SMOS tour occurs after the officer's first FMF tour and takes the place of a B-Billet (non-MOS specific) tour. After completion of the SMOS tour, officers are considered for career level school along with officers that did B-Billet tours, with subsequent return to the FMF in their primary MOS. Officers that participate in the SMOS program may do an additional tour in their SMOS later in their career, again during a time in their career when they would normally be on a B-Billet.

The program is primarily voluntary in nature with applications being solicited once or twice a year, depending on need. Boards will be held at HQMC to evaluate applicants and make assignments to "short" MOSs accordingly. Officers are only required to submit one short MOS choice, but improve their chances of being selected if they list additional choices. Officers will only be considered for MOSs they list on the application.

There are numerous reasons an officer might want to apply for this program. Exposure to different MOSs, increased assignment options, additional FMF time (if desired - not all SMOS tours are in the FMF), are just a few of the program's incentives. The program does not guarantee assignment choice, but officers are allowed to note desires such as "same geographical area" and the monitors will consider these desires when making SMOS assignments. While the program is only open to officers in "over" MOSs, a successful SMOS program will allow officers in "short" MOSs to do B-billet tours that would not have been available to them prior to now.

The number of officers needed to participate in the SMOS program will be reevaluated each year. If there are not enough volunteers for the program, additional participants (non-volunteer) will be assigned to the program by MMOA.

Promotion Information

What do I need to be competitive for a promotion?

First and foremost, you need to understand the promotion process. Past the rank of First Lieutenant, the Secretary of the Navy convenes promotion boards to determine which officers will be advanced to the next rank. Promotion zones and promotion opportunities are determined by promotion planners at HQMC (Code MPP-30). Both opportunity and time in grade vary from year to year based on factors such as structure requirements, attrition, and congressional guidelines. The Marine Corps promotion boards operate under a "best and fully qualified" concept. This means infantry officers compete against aviators, who compete against adjutants, who compete against logisticians, etc. While the Marine Corps can, and does, issue "precept" guidance to promotion boards for certain specialties, legal considerations, and short MOSs, that direct promotion board members to consider certain things, the decision to promote one officer over another is ultimately the consensus of those individual board members.

To be competitive for a promotion, you should:

• Insure your record is accurate. Remember that the only thing that the board members know about you is what is in front of them, i.e., your record. If your record is incomplete (e.g., missing fitness reports, no picture, etc), you are in essence telling the board you did not care enough to make it complete.
• Do the PME required for your grade. While the Marine Corps cannot legally make PME a prerequisite for promotion to the next higher grade, it has made it very clear that PME is critical to your development as a Marine officer. If you did not do your PME and the officers you are being compared against did, who do you think the board is going to pick?
• Take advantage of the Career Counselor section ( MMOA-4). They will review your record and tell you what they think are your strengths and weaknesses. While they are not the promotion board and cannot predict or necessarily explain a given board’s decision, they have a great deal of experience as board recorders and as reviewers of other officer’s records (hence they can speak to your relative competitiveness, in their opinion). Do not wait until a week before your board to call them. Call 2 or 3 years prior to your projected "in zone" date so you can act on what they say.
• DEMONSTRATE PERFORMANCE! This seems obvious, and it is, but clearly the most important thing you can do to insure your competitiveness for promotion is to show those board members sustained superior performance

What my opportunities for Augmentation/Retention?

Today’s opportunities for a career in the Marine Corps are better than they’ve ever been . Because the Marine Corps gradually increased the need for field grade officers starting in 1992, augmentation and promotion rates have increased dramatically over the last several years. Augmentation rates are in the high 90% range. Promotion to the rank of captain is expected to be 98% for the "in zone" population this year (FY 00). Promotion to major was set at 90% this year. Once an officer makes major, he or she is allowed to stay until retirement eligible (exception for severe legal cases). The bottom line, if you want a career in the Marine Corps today, you can have it.

VOLUNTARY LATERAL MOVE PROGRAM

For a variety of reasons, to include different structure requirements and different retention propensities, the Marine Corps has always suffered from MOS inventory imbalances. To help correct this problem, the Marine Corps has two programs that offer training and experience in MOSs different from that which was originally assigned to a given officer. One, the SMOS program, is explained on page seven. The other, the Voluntary Lateral move program, allows selected officers a means to switch MOSs. If an officer is in an "over" MOS, as defined by HQMC (code MPP-30), that officer may apply by Administrative Action form to be considered for a lateral move to a "short" MOS. The move under this program is subject to approval by HQMC (Code MMOA) and is permanent in nature. While an officer can request such a move at any rank up to and including major, it is better to do this early on in a career to build MOS credibility in the new MOS. HQMC (code MMOA) will give considerable consideration to prior experience that may relate to the requested MOS and mitigate MOS credibility issues. A MCO order is presently being drafted that outlines the details of this program and will be published in the future. In the meantime, officers can receive additional information from HQMC (code MMOA-3 or MPP-30).