R 271356Z MAY 26
MARADMIN 239/26
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC MRA MM//
SUBJ/ACADEMIC YEAR 2027-2028 TOP LEVEL SCHOOL SELECTION BOARD
ANNOUNCEMENT//
REF/A/MSGID: MCO/CMC/20190530//
REF/B/MSGID: MCO/CMC/20250307//
REF/C/MSGID: MCO/CMC/20080125//
REF/D/MSGID: MSG/CMC/20081211//
REF/E/MSGID: MSG/CMC/20251204//
REF/F/MSGID: DOC/DOD/20161012//
NARR/REF A IS MCO 1524.1, MARINE CORPS GRADUATE EDUCATION PROGRAM.
REF B IS MCO 1300.8 CH-2, MARINE CORPS PERSONNEL ASSIGNMENT POLICY.
REF C IS MCO 1553.4B, PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION. REF D IS
MARADMIN 703/08, OFFICER PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION SUMMARY.
REF E IS MARADMIN 582/25, REQUIREMENT UPDATE ON OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHS
FOR NON-PROMOTION SELECTION BOARDS. REF F IS DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
INSTRUCTION 1322.06 FELLOWSHIPS, LEGISLATIVE FELLOWSHIPS,
INTERNSHIPS, SCHOLARSHIPS, TRAINING-WITH INDUSTRY (TWI), AND GRANTS
PROVIDED TO DOD OR DOD PERSONNEL FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING//
POC/J. SCHULZE/MAJ/MMOA-3/(703) 784-9983/
EMAIL: [email protected]//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. Purpose. This message announces Top Level
School (TLS) programs and fellowship assignments available during
Academic Year (AY) 2027-2028, the eligible officer population for
screening, and the timeline for execution of the TLS selection
board.
1.a. Major timeline milestones are:
Date Milestone
Release of this message TLS questionnaire opens
3 July 2026 Completed questionnaires due
3 July 2026 Remove by requests (RBR) due
3 August 2026 TLS Board convenes
2. Background
2.a. Top Level School. TLS is the premier Professional Military
Education (PME) opportunity provided to lieutenant colonels. The
purpose of the TLS Selection Board is to select the best and most
fully qualified lieutenant colonels and lieutenant colonels (select)
for resident education programs and special duty assignments
available to Marine Corps officers. Reference (a), the Graduate
Education Program order, establishes the policies and procedures
governing TLS.
3. Eligibility
3.a. Eligibility criteria
3.a.1. Lieutenant colonels and lieutenant colonels (select) who
will have met minimum 24 months time-on-station (TOS) by 31 July
2027 or who have completed 24 months in an Standard Joint Duty
Assignment (S-JDA) billet or are otherwise scheduled to complete
their prescribed tour control factor (TCF) in Fiscal Year 2027
(FY27).
3.a.2. Lieutenant colonels currently in command of an organization
identified in the Command Screening Program who are scheduled to
complete their command tour in FY27.
3.a.3. Those officers currently in command and on the CY26/FY28
O-6 Promotion Screening Board that were not previously eligible to
screen for TLS, may elect to screen on the AY27-28 TLS board by
contacting their monitor regardless of their selection status.
3.a.4. The eligibility roster is posted on the following website:
https://www.manpower.marines.mil/Divisions/Manpower-Management/
Officer-Assignments/Plans-and-Programs-MMOA-3/#tab/top-level-schools
-and-programs
3.b. Ineligibility criteria
3.b.1. Lieutenant colonels in the above zone for promotion and
lieutenant colonels on the CY26/FY28 O-6 Promotion Screening Board.
3.b.2. Majors selected to lieutenant colonel on the CY26/FY28
Lieutenant Colonel Promotion Selection Board.
3.b.3. Officers with a mandatory retirement date prior to 1
June 2030.
3.b.4. Limited duty officers.
3.b.5. Officers attending or selected to attend Intermediate Level
School (ILS) or Advanced ILS schools which require a follow on
utilization tour.
3.b.6. Officers with an approved voluntary separation or
retirement date.
3.c. Officers should contact their Primary Military
occupational Specialty (PMOS) monitors with questions
regarding eligibility.
4. Education program allocations
4.a. Senior Service Colleges. The AY27-28 TLS Board will select
officers to attend the Senior Service Colleges (SSC) listed below.
Schools, quotas, and convening dates are subject to change.
Officers who complete one of the following SSCs will obtain joint
PME (JPME) phase II credit. (Read in five columns)
Course Title/School Quota Convenes Graduates Note
Air War College (AWC)
(Montgomery, AL) 7 Jul 27 May 28 4
Army War College (USAWC)
(Carlisle, PA) 15 Jul 27 Jun 28 1
College of Naval Warfare (CNW)
(Newport, RI) 15 Jul 27 Jun 28
College of Information and Cyberspace (CIC)
(Washington, DC) 3 Jul 27 Jun 28 5
College of International Security Affairs (CISA)
(Washington, DC) 1 Jul 27 Jun 28
Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy
(Washington, DC) 12 Jul 27 Jun 28 2
Joint Advanced Warfighting School (JAWS)
(Norfolk, VA) 3 Jul 27 Jun 28 3
Marine Corps War College (MCWAR)
(Quantico, VA) 10 Aug 27 Jun 28
National War College (NWC)
(Washington, DC) 14 Jul 27 Jun 28
Space Force Resident- Johns Hopkins University
(Washington, DC) 1 Jul 27 Jun 28
Note 1: Two USAWC quotas are for the blended education program.
Selectees for the blended program will conduct distance education
from their current home station, with periods of travel to the
USAWC campus in Carlisle, PA. Eligible officers should indicate
their interest in the blended program in the comments section
of the questionnaire.
Note 2: The board will identify two students with an acquisition
background (PMOS 8059/8061) to participate in the acquisition
curriculum. The board will prioritize the slating of officers who
possess a Combat Service Support PMOS (0102/0402/1302/3002/3404/
5803).
Note 3: Graduates of this program will complete a mandatory
utilization assignment to designated billets on the joint duty
assignment list.
Note 4: The board will prioritize the slating of officers who
possess an aviation PMOS (6002/6602/72XX/73XX/75XX).
Note 5: The board will prioritize the slating of officers who
possess an information PMOS (02XX/06XX/17XX).
4.a.1. Per reference (a), officers will incur a 24 month service
obligation upon completion of the above courses.
4.b. The TLS Selection Board will select officers for assignment to
the foreign senior service colleges and fellowships listed below.
Officers interested in a foreign, non-English speaking service
school must take the Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB) and
have the score included in their record or have an established
Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) score on record for the
target language. Officers completing a foreign PME assignment or a
fellowship will receive TLS PME credit only.
4.b.1. Foreign Professional Military Education (FPME). Language
training for FPME courses may result in selected officers attending
the course in another academic year. See notes below for details.
Additional FPME information is located on the following website:
https:(slash)(slash)www.usmcu.edu/Academic-Programs/CMC-Fellows-
Strategists-Foreign-PME-Olmsted-Scholars/Foreign-Professional-
Military-Education/. (Read in five columns)
Course Title/School Quota Convenes Graduates Note
Center des Hautes Etudes Militaires (France)
1 Aug 27 Jun 28 6
Inter-American Defense College (Ft McNair, Washington, DC)
1 Jul 28 Jun 28 6
India National Defense College
1 Jan 28 Dec 28 6
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Defense College
Senior Course (Rome, Italy)
1st session 2 Sep 27 Feb 28 7
2nd session 2 Feb 28 Jul 28 7
UK Higher Command and Staff Course
1 Jan 28 May 28 7
Note 6: Foreign language proficiency is required to attend
these courses.
Education Command (EDCOM) coordinates language training with Defense
Language Institute (DLI) for selected officers who do not meet this
requirement. Language training timelines are dependent on the
selected officer's current proficiency and FPME course dates.
Note 7: No language training required.
4.b.2. CMC Fellowships. Additional details regarding CMC
Fellowships are located at the following website: https:(slash)
(slash)www.usmcu.edu/Academic-Programs/CMC-Fellows-
Strategists-Foreign-PME-Olmsted-Scholars/Commandant-of-the-Marine-
Corps-Fellowships/. (Read in five columns)
Course Title/School Quota Convenes Graduates Note
Advanced Strategic Leadership Studies Program
(Fort Leavenworth, KS) 1 Jun 27 Jun 28 8,10,12
Department of Homeland Security
(Washington, DC) 1 Jul 27 Jun 28
Department of State (DOS)
(Washington, DC) 1 Jul 27 Jun 28
Hoover Institution at Stanford University
(Stanford, CA) 1 Jul 27 Jun 28
Logistics Fellowship at Pennsylvania State University
(State College, PA) 1 Jul 27 Jun 28 9,10
School of Advanced International Studies
(Washington, DC) 1 Jul 27 Jun 28 10
SECWAR Strategic Thinkers Program at Arizona State University in
Washington D.C.
(Washington, DC) 3 Jul 27 Jun 27 10
Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership at U.S. Naval Academy
(Annapolis, MD) 1 Jul 26 Jun 27 11,12
Note 8: Graduates will complete a mandatory one-year follow-on
assignment at Fort Leavenworth as a seminar leader.
Note 9: Only open to PMOS 0402 and 3002.
Note 10: Master's program.
Note 11: Graduates of this program will complete a mandatory two
year utilization tour as USNA Marine Detachment Chief of Staff
or Battalion Officer.
Note 12: Officers may only apply to these programs if they are
junior to or in zone on the CY29/FY31 O6 Promotion Screening Board.
Anyone selected for Advanced Strategic Leadership and Studies
Program (ASLSP) and Stockdale Fellowships will be required to remain
an O5 for their utilization tour.
4.b.3. Per reference (e), officers will incur service obligation
equal to three times the length of the fellowship.
5. Board communication
5.a. Questionnaire. The online questionnaire is the primary
mechanism for board communication. Officers may call attention to
any matter they deem important to selection or slating including
program preferences and family or personal situations that the board
should consider in its decision making. A common access card
certificate is required to access the questionnaire. Officers
should list their preferences in order of personal desire but may
be selected for any program for which eligibility is met.
5.a.1. Top Level School questionnaire:
https://www2.manpower.usmc.mil/application_cac/edu/
ViewBoardServlet.action?boardID=5585
5.a.2 The deadline for submitting the online questionnaire is
2359 eastern standard time (EST) on 3 July 2026. Any
correspondence received after the convening of the board will be
considered at the discretion of the board president. All
correspondence to the board must originate from or be endorsed by
the officer being considered.
5.b. Officers may submit correspondence such as letters to the
board and any material not found in their Official Military
Personnel File (OMPF) via email to the MMOA-3 organizational email
at [email protected]. Correspondence will not be accepted
after 3 July 2026.
5.c. OMPF update material. Officers should submit OMPF update
requests via Official-Records Management Application (O-RMA). If
assistance is required, contact your unit S-1 or local IPAC.
Officers are responsible for ensuring their OMPF is accurate at all
times.
5.d. The board will consider photographs per reference (e).
5.e. Fitness reports. Completed fitness reports must be submitted
to the Performance Evaluation Section (MMRP-30) for inclusion into
the OMPF. Incomplete fitness reports will not normally be accepted
or forwarded to the board.
5.f. Remove by request (RBR)
5.f.1. Officers who are eligible but do not desire to be
considered for TLS must complete the online TLS Selection Board
questionnaire and indicate that they do not desire to screen for
TLS. These officers must then confirm their RBR by sending a
signed NAVMC 10274 Administrative Action (AA) Form to their PMOS
monitor and the MMOA-3 organizational email at
[email protected]. The AA form must be signed by the
officer requesting removal but does not require any additional
endorsement. The board will consider all officers who do not
submit a signed AA form requesting to RBR.
5.f.2. Complete the questionnaire indicating desire to RBR and
submit a signed RBR AA form to MMOA-3 NLT 2359 EST on 3 July
2026.
6. Board results. Manpower Management plans to release the
results of the TLS board within 90 days of the board convening.
6.a. Alternates. The board will identify officers as alternates
for assignment when TLS program vacancies occur. MMOA-3 will
post an alphabetical list of alternates on the MMOA-3 website
following the release of the board results.
6.b. Declinations
6.b.1. If an officer believes that they will likely decline TLS
selection, then they should request RBR rather than wait to decline
until results are released. Declinations should be a tool of last
resort for officers who were unable to anticipate circumstances that
would lead to them being unable to attend a TLS program.
6.b.2. Officers slated to a TLS program who decline must do so via
AA form, endorsed by the first general officer in their chain of
command, forwarded to Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) (MMOA-3).
Officers who decline will receive a letter in their OMPF
documenting the declination. Unless otherwise approved by
Director, Manpower Management due to extraordinary circumstances,
officers who decline selection to a TLS program will not be
considered for any other TLS program during the slating year and
are ineligible for screening on future TLS boards. MMOA will place
letters of declination in the officer's OMPF. The results MARADMIN
will establish a deadline for declination requests.
6.b.3. Alternates identified to fill vacated TLS program quotas
are also required to formally decline if they choose not to accept
the offer.
6.c. Deferrals
6.c.1. Officers selected for TLS who are unable to execute orders
due to extraordinary life or personal circumstances may request a
deferral.
6.c.2. Officers requesting deferral must do so via AA form,
endorsed by the first general officer in their chain of command,
forwarded to HQMC (MMOA-3). The results MARADMIN will establish a
deadline for deferral requests.
6.c.3. If approved, the Director, Manpower Management will defer
officers to the following year's TLS selection board.
7. Points of contact.
Colonel E. J. Smith Branch Head, MMOA
Comm: (703) 784-9300
Email: [email protected]
Colonel E. F. Bradley, Ground Col Monitor
Comm: (703)784-9300
Email: [email protected]
Colonel R. B. Tompkins, Aviation Col Monitor
Comm: (703) 784-9300
Email: [email protected]
Colonel E. F. Bradley
Combat Arms Lieutenant Colonel Monitor
Comm: (703) 784-9274
Email: [email protected]
Colonel N. V. Bastian
Combat Service Support Lieutenant Colonel Monitor
Comm: (703) 784-9274
Email: [email protected]
Lieutenant Colonel E. C. Buxton
Aviation Lieutenant Colonel Monitor
Comm: (703) 784-9267
Email: [email protected]
Lieutenant Colonel D. C. Burton
Information Lieutenant Colonel Monitor
Comm: (703) 784-9274
Email: [email protected]
Lieutenant Colonel James Pineiro, CMC Fellowships, MCU
Comm: (703) 432-4837
Email: [email protected]
Major Taylor Wulff-Morrison, Foreign PME, MCU
Comm: (703) 784-1209
Email: [email protected]
Mr. J. A. Bilyew, Registrar, MCU
Comm: (703) 432-0696
Email: [email protected]
8. This message is not applicable to the Marine Corps Reserve.
9. Release authorized by MajGen Fridrik Fridriksson, Director,
Manpower Management, Manpower and Reserve Affairs.//