FISCAL YEAR 2028 (FY28) ACTIVE AND RESERVE MARINE ATTACHÉ (MARA) SELECTION BOARD ANNOUNCEMENT

R 061941Z APR 26
MARADMIN 160/26
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC MRA MM//
SUBJ/FISCAL YEAR 2028 (FY28) ACTIVE AND RESERVE MARINE ATTACHÉ
(MARA) SELECTION BOARD ANNOUNCEMENT//
REF/A/MSGID: MCO/CMC/20090709//
REF/B/MSGID: MCO/CMC/20210510//
REF/C/MSGID: MCO/CMC/20150219//
NARR/REF A IS MCO 3821.2, USMC PARTICIPATION IN THE DEFENSE ATTACHÉ
SERVICE. REF B IS MCO 1300.8 CH-1, PERSONNEL ASSIGNMENT POLICY.
REF C IS MCO 1900.16 CH 2, SEPARATION AND RETIREMENT MANUAL
(MARCORSEPMAN)//
POC/J. SCHULZE/MAJ/MMOA-3/TEL: 703-784-9284/
EMAIL: [email protected]//
POC/D. A. HAMRICK/GYSGT/MMEA-25/TEL: 703-784-9276/
EMAIL: [email protected]//
POC/C. S. SMITH/CIV/MCIA, ATTACHÉ PROGRAM/TEL: 703-432-5992/
EMAIL: [email protected]//
POC/T. M. GILBERTSON/CIV/MCIA, ATTACHÉ PROGRAM/TEL: 703-432-7842/
EMAIL: [email protected]//
POC/R. W. DAWSON/LTCOL/RESERVE ATTACHÉ DETACHMENT/TEL: 501-847-2186/
EMAIL: [email protected]//
POC/M. T. WELTZIEN/MAJ/DCI RESERVE LIAISON/TEL: 703-692-1395/
EMAIL: [email protected]//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. Purpose. In accordance with the references,
this message outlines the Active Duty and Reserve Marine Corps
Attaché (MARA) program, the procedures for consideration for
service with the Defense Attaché Service (DAS), and solicits
applications for the FY28 MARA program. The board selects Marines
based on Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) experience and
performance, and slates Marines based on merit and their specific
language, regional expertise, and cultural skills.
1.a. Major timeline milestones are below (read in three columns).
Date Milestone Note
Release of this message Applications open
26 June 2026 Applications due
31 August 2026 Board convenes
January 2027 Results released 1
Note 1: Following approval of primary selects by the Secretary of
the Navy (SECNAV), Manpower and Reserve Affairs (M&RA) releases the
results of the FY28 MARA Selection Board anytime from December 2026
to January 2027. Results may be delayed due to SECNAV approval.
2. MARAs fill influential, strategic-level positions within
embassy country teams. Depending on the specific billet and
country, they serve as the direct representative of the Secretary
of War, the SECNAV, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
geographic combatant commanders, and the Commandant of the Marine
Corps. MARAs may also serve as the Senior Defense Official/Defense
Attaché (SDO/DATT) at particular embassies. SDO/DATTs direct,
control, operate, and administer the Defense Attaché Office to which
assigned. Attaché duties vary by country, but all personnel will
advise the Chief of Mission on military matters.
2.a. Reserve attaché program. Reserve attachés' primary purpose
is to augment the DAS utilizing drills and annual training periods,
30-60 continuous days in the National Capital Region (NCR) or
abroad per year. However, they may also have opportunities to
support while on longer term Active-Duty Operational Support orders
for periods of three months to two years based on operational MARA
gaps. Reserve attaché program selectees will be assigned to a
geographic division and utilized based on DAS priorities, Marine
availability, suitability, and funding availability.
3. Eligibility criteria. Active Component (AC) and Reserve
Component (RC) Marines who meet the following criteria are eligible
to apply.
3.a. Grade and career timing
3.a.1. AC applicants must meet the grade criterion (or be selected
for promotion to that grade) and possess the career timing to serve
a full tour of duty in the grade of the billet for which they are
applying. Lieutenant colonel applicants must plan to opt-out of
consideration for promotion if selected if they enter the in-zone
population at any time during their anticipated tour of duty and
must agree to do so in their application.
3.a.2. Enlisted Marines in grade of E-5 to E-8. E-5s must have
two years TIG.
3.a.3. RC applicants must belong to one of the following
categories of the ready reserve: Selected Marine Corps Reserve,
Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA), Individual Ready Reserve,
or AC with a transfer date to the Ready Reserve before the end of
FY26.
3.a.4. AC Marines must be a FY27 mover based upon their current
prescribed tour control factor (TCF). If selected, Marines will
depart their current duty station in FY27 to attend training prior
to reporting to their assigned country in FY28.
3.a.5. If an applicant does not meet their prescribed TCF
requirements in paragraph 3.a.4, they must submit an exception to
policy (ETP), endorsed by the first O-6 in the chain of command,
via NAVMC 10274 (AA-Form), with their application. Transfer inside
of the prescribed TCF will result in a gap for that command until
the TCF has concluded. If an officer is selected prior to his/her
normal rotation date, Manpower Management Officer Assignments
(MMOA) will attempt to provide a backfill. A commander's
endorsement of the AA Form is considered acknowledgement of this
situation. MMOA will adjudicate the ETP separately from the board
process and must be approved by MMOA before a Marine will be
considered for a MARA billet vacancy. An officer with an approved
ETP will be a FY27 mover regardless of selection to the MARA
program. MMOA will not accept conditional tour curtailment
requests.
3.a.6. AC applicants must include email correspondence from their
PMOS monitor. RC applicants must include email correspondence from
RAM-1 confirming their eligibility for this program by using
[email protected]. The board will not consider applications
without PMOS monitor or RAM confirmation. Service requirements and
other manpower considerations may preclude eligibility IAW ref (b).
3.a.7. Per references (a) and (b), AC applicants must have
completed a Single Scope Background Investigation or Top Secret
(TS) Security Investigation and have Sensitive Compartmented
Information (SCI) eligibility to apply. Application to the MARA
program is not sufficient justification for an investigation
eligibility determination for AC applicants. Officers and Marines
selected by the board will be required to either have a current
(within the last five years) counterintelligence scope polygraph or
obtain one prior to attending the Joint Military Attaché School
(JMAS). For questions regarding clearances, contact USMC HQMC
Special Security Office at 703-693-6005 or [email protected].
3.a.8. RC Marines without TS/SCI eligibility may apply, however,
if a reserve primary selectee does not have TS/SCI eligibility, the
Marine will be submitted for and must obtain a TS/SCI clearance
before transferring to the IMA and subsequently pass a
counterintelligence-scope polygraph before starting the Reserve
Support Course (RSC).
3.a.9. RC Marines must have had four satisfactory years of service
(50 points minimum each year) during the last five years.
4. Ineligibility criteria
4.a. Marines with an established separation or retirement date.
4.b. AC captains and majors in the Above-Zone (AZ). Lieutenant
colonels in the AZ will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
4.c. Restricted officers.
4.d. Marines with pending legal action.
4.e. Marines affiliated with the Active Reserve Program.
4.f. RC Marines above 5840 Active Duty Points on their Career
Retirement Credit Report. RC Marines with less than 5040 Career
Retirement Credit Report points are preferred.
4.g. AC officers and Marines in receipt of Permanent Change of
Station or Permanent Change of Assignment orders.
4.h. Officers and Marines selected for or currently attending
programs that have a designated utilization assignment. Examples
include, Commandant's Education Board, and School of Advanced
Warfighting, etc.
4.i. AC aviators completing two or more consecutive years in
Duties Involving Flying - Denied status during FY27 will not
normally be screened. These officers may request consideration
by contacting their PMOS monitor.
4.j. AC Marines without TS/SCI clearance eligibility.
4.k. Current MARAs can only apply for back to back tours if you
are eligible for rotation in FY28.
5. Additional considerations
5.a. While actively serving in the Marine Attache (MARA) training
pipeline, while attending Joint Military Attache School (JMAS), and
while posted overseas as a MARA, the Defense Intelligence Agency
(DIA) and the Defense Attache Service (DAS) retain operational
control (OPCON) of you at all times. During these same periods of
time, your administrative control (ADCON) is retained by Marine
Corps Intelligence Activity (MCIA), including responsibility for
fitness report processing, orders generation (both to and from the
program), and court-martial authority.
5.b. Language, regional expertise, and culture skills are highly
desirable but are not prerequisites.
5.c. Families are an important element of the MARA program.
Attachés are encouraged to take their families to most assignments.
Applicants with dependents enrolled in the Exceptional Family
Member Program are eligible to apply but may not be able to
participate pending availability of required care.
5.d. Foreign-born Marines are not eligible for assignment to the
country in which they were born.
5.e. Spouses of AC applicants must be naturalized US citizens.
Applicants will not be eligible for assignment to the country in
which the spouse was born. For RC applicants, spouses are not
required to be naturalized US citizens for the applicant to serve
in the Reserve Attaché Program.
5.f. Applicants will not be eligible for assignment to a country
in which immediate family members still maintain citizenship.
Applicants should identify in their application letter whether any
of their immediate family are not US citizens or dual citizens.
Immediate family members include parents, stepparents, siblings,
and children.
5.g. Dual Active-Duty applicants must have concurrence from both
monitors and be willing to forego co-location if selected. This
must be annotated in the MARA application.
6. Training
6.a. AC Training. AC Marines selected for the program will
attend JMAS, conducted over approximately 16 weeks at the Defense
Intelligence Agency (DIA) in Washington, DC. Marines who
successfully complete this training are then available for
assignment abroad. Language training is also required for most
billets. The length of language training will be based on the
language and proficiency level required. Training start dates are
dependent upon the country to which selected, JMAS, and the
language training (up to 64 weeks in duration). In some cases,
this training may start as early as Spring 2027. Active Duty
officers serving as MARAs are administratively controlled by the
Marine Corps Intelligence Activity (MCIA) throughout training and
while assigned to their respective countries.
6.b. RC Training. Reserve Attachés selected for the program must
complete both the RSC and Geographic Division
Training/Familiarization before serving overseas. RSC is a
resident one-week introductory course taught by the JMAS annually,
usually in December, at DIA in Washington, DC.
7. AC vacancies. The FY28 MARA board will screen AC applicants
for the below assignments. This list is subject to change up
until the conclusion of the board based on DIA requirements. For
the most current list, visit the website listed in paragraph 9.c.
All are 36-month accompanied tours unless noted otherwise.
7.a. Officers (Read in four columns):
Country Language Rank Notes
Bangladesh Bengali Maj 1,2
Colombia Spanish Maj
Denmark Danish LtCol
France French LtCol
Iraq None Maj 3
Japan Japanese Col 4
Latvia Latvian LtCol SDO/DATT,5
Liberia None Maj 1,2,6
Mexico Spanish Maj
Papua New Guinea None LtCol SDO/DATT,1,5
Peru Spanish Maj
Philippines Tagalog Maj
Romania Romanian Maj
Senegal French LtCol 1
United Kingdom None LtCol 2
7.b. Enlisted (Read in four columns)
Country Language Rank Notes
Bahrain None GySgt-MSgt 7
Dominican Republic Spanish GySgt-MSgt 7
Mexico Spanish Sgt-GySgt
Taiwan Chinese-Mandarin Sgt-MSgt 8
Ukraine Ukrainian Sgt-GySgt 3
Libya French GySgt-MSgt 7

Note 1: 24 month tour
Note 2: FY27 report date that may require a attendance at Apr27
JMAS
Note 3: 12 month restricted tour
Note 4: 64 week language training program
Note 5: SDO/DATT applicants must have FAO and/or MARA experience
Note 6: "Education Limitations" (K-10 Only) 11-12 Homeschool or
Boarding School
Note 7: OPS CO Billet
Note 8: 2629 MOS (Linguist" is required
8. Reserve attaché program
8.a. The FY28 board will screen two primary and two alternate
reserve component O-3 to O-5 billets, and one primary and one
alternate reserve component E-6 and E-7.
8.b. Reserve IMA billets are three to five years in duration.
8.c. Selectees will be transferred to the HQMC Intelligence
Division IMA unit (RUC 88600) prior to the start of RSC once the
required clearance has been adjudicated. RC selectees will attend
RSC as soon as able, per paragraph 6.b. Drill attendance sheets,
orders requests, and other administrative requirements associated
with this duty will be processed by HQMC Deputy Commandant for
Information. Drills and Annual Training will likely occur in the
NCR for the first year in support of this program's substantial
onboarding process.
8.d. Reserve Marines selected as Alternates on the FY27 Marine
Attaché Board are encouraged to reapply.
9. Application process
9.a. All applicants will follow guidelines posted to the
Headquarters Marine Corps Intelligence Division MARA website listed
in paragraph 9c. Applications must include a command endorsement
from the first O-6 commander in the applicant's chain of command.
Applicants will list all assignments in order of preference, although
country selections will be based on the needs of the service.
Prospective applicants, if selected, must be prepared to serve at
any duty station listed in paragraph 7. Partial lists will not be
accepted.
9.b. Any Marine officer or enlisted personnel selected and slated
for the MARA program who subsequently declines participation must
submit their declination and the reasons therefore via NAVMC 10274
(AA-Form) to the Director, Manpower Management within 10 calendar
days the release of the board selection results. Marines who
decline selection will not be allowed to return or reapply to the
MARA program and will have a declination letter placed into their
OMPF.
9.c. A full medical screening is not required for the application
process; however, all applicants must provide a Certification of
Suitability for Overseas Assignment for themselves and all family
members. It is imperative applicants disclose ongoing conditions
to best ensure the applicant and family members' needs can be met.
Once selected, MARA candidates and their families must complete a
full medical overseas screening within 90 days of acceptance.
9.d. Application requirements, documents and templates are
available at: https:(slash)(slash)www.intelligence.marines.mil/
OCC-Field-Foreign-Language/Defense-Attache-Program/.
9.d.1. Every document within the application must be a separate
file in portable document format (.pdf) and saved with the naming
convention EDIPI_LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_MI_RANK_ACTIVE
(or RESERVE)_MOS_ENCLOSURENUMBER_DOCUMENTNAME
(e.g., 1234567890_SMITH_JOHN_A_MAJ_RESERVE_0302_ENCL1_O6_COMMAND_END
ORSMENT).
9.d.2. OMPF update material. Officers should submit OMPF update
requests via OMPF-Records Management Application (O-RMA). If
assistance is required, contact your unit S-1 or local IPAC.
Officers are responsible for ensuring their OMPF and Master Brief
Sheet is accurate at all times. Board members will have access to
the OMPF during the panel. Photographs will be reviewed by the
selection board.
9.d.3. The board will not consider incorrect or incomplete packages.
9.d.4. Applications must arrive to HQMC Intelligence Division no
later than 1630 Eastern Standard Time on 26 June 2026 to be
considered by the board.
9.d.5. Applications will be submitted using DODSAFE
(https:(slash)(slash)safe.apps.mil/) to:
[email protected]. Ensure encryption passphrases are
emailed to [email protected] to prevent delayed processing.
9.d.6. Enlisted Marines applying will also submit their
application via the Special Duty Assignment Miscellaneous
Reenlistment Extension Lateral Move (RELM) in the Total Force
Retention System (TFRS) via the normal RELM routing chain to CMC
(MMEA-25). Unit Career Planners have access to the TFRS program.
Enlisted packages not routed through TFRS will not be boarded.
10. Deconfliction with Active Component O-5 and O-6 Command
Screening Boards (CSB) and Top Level School (TLS) Board. If a
Marine is selected for the FY27 CSB or TLS board, the CSB or TLS
selection will take priority and the Marine will no longer be
eligible for consideration to the Marine Attaché Program or like
assignment. Marines considering applying to this or similar
programs are recommended to contact their PMOS monitor with further
questions.
11. Results. M&RA will publish results following SECNAV
review/approval of AC Officer primary selectees. The results
MARADMIN will contain information on the process for acceptance
of the assignment and basic reporting information.
12. This message is applicable to the Marine Corps Total Force.
13. Release authorized by BGen Fridrik Fridriksson, Director,
Manpower Management Division.//