MV-22 Osprey Transition Policy for Enlisted Marines (Revision)

1. PURPOSE. TO PROVIDE REVISED GUIDELINES FOR TRANSITIONING
ENLISTED MARINES FROM THE CH-46/CH-53D COMMUNITIES TO THE MV-22
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTIES (MOS).
2. BACKGROUND. ACTIVE AND RESERVE OPERATIONAL CH-46/CH-53D
HELICOPTER SQUADRONS WILL TRANSITION TO MV-22 SQUADRONS BETWEEN FY06
AND FY18. VMMT-204 AND NAMTRAMARU NEW RIVER WILL TRAIN MARINE
CORPS AND AIR FORCE V-22 PILOTS, CREW CHIEFS, AND ENLISTED V-22
MAINTENANCE MARINES. IN FY06, THE FIRST TWO TACTICAL CH-46 SQUADRONS
WILL ENTER TRANSITION TRAINING. PER REFS A AND B, POLICIES HAVE BEEN
PUBLISHED TO ENSURE EQUITABLE PROMOTION AND RETENTION OPPORTUNITIES
FOR ENLISTED MARINES. THIS MARADMIN REFINES THOSE POLICIES IN ORDER
TO CONTINUE PROPER MANAGEMENT AND SHAPING OF THE ENLISTED POPULATION
WHILE BETTER ENABLING COMMUNITY TRANSITION AND ONGOING WARFIGHTING
REQUIREMENTS.
3. SPECIFIC GUIDELINES FOR THE MV-22 INITIAL ACCESSION PIPELINE,
PROMOTION PROCEDURES, RETENTION OPPORTUNITIES, TRANSITION OBLIGATED
SERVICE CRITERIA, AND ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES ARE PROVIDED
BELOW:
A. INITIAL ACCESSION. MV-22 INITIAL ACCESSION REQUIREMENT WILL
INCREASE AS THE MARINE CORPS TRANSITIONS AND DESIGNATES MORE CH-46/
CH-53D TO MV-22 SQUADRONS. MV-22 ENTRY-LEVEL MARINES WILL CONTINUE TO
BE ASSIGNED TO VMMT-204 AND SQUADRONS UNDERGOING TRANSITION TRAINING.
THE GOAL REMAINS TO TEAM NEW ENTRY-LEVEL MARINES WITH A TRANSITIONING
SQUADRON AND BUILD MORE COHESIVE UNITS. EVENTUALLY, NEWLY TRAINED
MV-22 MARINES WILL BE SENT DIRECTLY TO MV-22 SQUADRONS TO REPLACE
MARINES WHO ARE TRANSFERRING OR SEPARATING.
B. PROMOTION. MARINES WITH MV-22 EXPERIENCE FROM MV-22
DESIGN/OPERATIONAL TEST AND EVALUATION HAVE BEEN RECEIVING MV-22
MOS S. SIMILAR MOS'S FROM BOTH CH-46/MV-22 COMMUNITIES WILL CONTINUE
TO BE COMBINED MAINTAINING EQUITABLE PROMOTION OPPORTUNITIES DURING
THE TRANSITION PERIOD. ELIGIBILITY FOR PROMOTION TO THE SNCO GRADES
WILL CONTINUE TO BE BASED ON SENIORITY IN GRADE AND TIME IN SERVICE
FOR A COMBINED CH-46/MV-22 COMMUNITY. AS CH-53D SQUADRONS ARE
RE-DESIGNATED MV-22, MARINES TRANSITIONING TO THE MV-22 WILL BE GIVEN
AN INTENDED MV-22 MOS AND BE CONSIDERED FOR PROMOTION WITH CH-46/MV-22
PEERS.
C. RETENTION. RETENTION OF FIRST-TERM MARINES FROM THE CH-46/MV-22
(AND LATER--THE CH-53D) COMMUNITIES WILL CONTINUE TO BE MANAGED
SIMILAR TO THE PROMOTION GUIDELINES. FIRST-TERM ALIGNMENT PLAN
BOATSPACES FROM SIMILAR MOS'S WILL BE COMBINED TO PROVIDE EQUITABLE
RETENTION OPPORTUNITIES. THERE ARE A LIMITED NUMBER OF REENLISTMENT
BOATSPACES AVAILABLE EACH FY. MARINES DESIRING TO REENLIST SHOULD
SUBMIT THEIR REENLISTMENT PACKAGES AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. AS
NECESSARY, SELECTIVE REENLISTMENT BONUSES (SRB) WILL CONTINUE TO BE
OFFERED. THE SAME SRB MULTIPLE WILL BE PROVIDED TO THE LIKE MOS'S IN
RESPECTIVE CH-46/MV-22/CH-53D COMMUNITIES. NOTE THAT DURING THE MV-22
TRANSITION, THERE WILL BE A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE MECHANIC
(6112 MOS) POPULATION AND AN INCREASE IN AIRFRAME MECHANIC (6156 MOS)
POPULATION DUE TO DIFFERENCES IN AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE
REQUIREMENTS/WORK CENTER REALIGNMENT.
D. OBLIGATED SERVICE. OBLIGATED SERVICE REQUIREMENTS FOR FIRST-TERM
AND CAREER MARINES TRANSITIONING TO MV-22 MOS S ARE DELINEATED BELOW:
 (1) FIRST-TERM MARINES. THESE ARE MARINES ON THEIR INITIAL
ENLISTMENT CONTRACT.
 (A) FIRST-TERM MARINES IN TRANSITIONING SQUADRONS WITH MORE
THAN 2.5 YEARS REMAINING ON THEIR ENLISTMENT CONTRACT, FROM THE DATE
ENTERING TRANSITION TRAINING, WILL BE ELIGIBLE AND SCREENED FOR
TRANSITION.
 (B) FIRST-TERM MARINES WITH LESS THAN 1 YEAR REMAINING ON
THEIR ENLISTMENT CONTRACT, AND WITHIN THE FY OF REENLISTMENT, MUST
APPLY AND BE APPROVED FOR REENLISTMENT IN ORDER TO HAVE THE REQUIRED
OBLIGATED SERVICE FOR TRANSITION SCREENING. WHILE IT IS THE INTENT TO
TRANSITION BY SQUADRON, FIRST-TERM MARINES FROM TARGETED AVIATION
COMMUNITIES AND NOT ASSIGNED TO THE TRANSITIONING SQUADRON MAY
CONTINUE TO APPLY FOR TRANSITION TO MV-22 MOS S AS PART OF THEIR
REENLISTMENT.
 (C) FIRST-TERM MARINES WITH LESS THAN 2.5 YEARS REMAINING ON
THEIR ENLISTMENT (FROM THE DATE ENTERING TRANSITION TRAINING) AND NOT
WITHIN THE REENLISTMENT WINDOW WILL HAVE THE OPTION TO APPLY FOR AN
EXTENSION (MAXIMUM OF 23 MONTHS EXTENSION NOT TO EXCEED 6 YEARS ACTIVE
SERVICE) TO MEET THE TRANSITION OBLIGATED SERVICE REQUIREMENT OF 2.5
YEARS FROM DATE ENTERING TRANSITION TRAINING. THOSE FIRST-TERM
MARINES WITH LESS THAN 2.5 YEARS REMAINING ON CONTRACT NOT WISHING TO
EXTEND WILL BE ASSIGNED TO ANOTHER CH-46/CH-53D SQUADRON OR AS PER
NEEDS OF THE MARINE CORPS AND AWAIT REENLISTMENT/ SEPARATION.
 (2) CAREERISTS. THESE ARE MARINES ON THEIR SECOND OR SUBSEQUENT
ENLISTMENT. PRIOR SERVICE MARINES ON THEIR FIRST PSEP REENLISTMENT
WILL BE TREATED AS CAREERISTS.
 (A) ELIGIBLE CAREER CH-46E/CH-53D ENLISTED MARINES IN THE
TACTICAL SQUADRON ABOUT TO TRANSITION, AND THOSE RETURNING TO THE
OPERATING FORCES, WILL BE SCREENED AND ASSIGNED TO MEET SPECIFIC
TRANSITION REQUIREMENTS.
 (B) CAREERISTS MUST HAVE AT LEAST 3 YEARS REMAINING ON THEIR
CURRENT ENLISTMENT CONTRACT OR EXTEND TO MEET THE 3 YEARS OF OBLIGATED
SERVICE REQUIREMENT TO BE ELIGIBLE.
E. ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES. MAG/PSD OF TRANSITIONING
SQUADRONS WILL COORDINATE WITH DC M&RA (MMEA-6/8, MPP) TO PLAN FOR AND
EFFECT TRANSITION COORDINATING REENLISTMENTS/EXTENSIONS, REPLACEMENTS,
PCS/PCA TRANSFERS, ETC. DC AVN (ASM/ASL), TECOM (ATB), VMMT-204,
NAMTRA MARU - NEW RIVER, AND EAMTMU WILL SUPPORT THE TRANSITION
PROCESS. PRIOR TO LAST DEPLOYMENT AND NLT 12 MONTHS PRIOR TO
TRANSITION TRAINING, EACH TRANSITIONING CH-46/CH-53D SQUADRON WILL
PROVIDE AN ASSESSMENT OF THEIR ENLISTED MARINES' ELIGIBILITY BY NAME
TO MAG/PSD AND MMEA-6/8. UPON COMPLETION OF LAST DEPLOYMENT OR NLT 6
MONTHS PRIOR TO TRANSITION TRAINING WHICHEVER IS EARLIER, THE MAG/PSD
WILL IDENTIFY SCREENED MARINES WHO ARE ELIGIBLE FOR TRANSITION TO
MMEA/ASL. SQUADRONS MUST PROVIDE THE FINAL TRANSITION ROSTER TO CMC
(MMEA-6/8) LISTING THE NAME, GRADE, MOS, AND EAS OF EACH INDIVIDUAL.
MARINES NOT TRANSITIONING TO MV-22 WILL BE REASSIGNED TO ANOTHER
CH-46/CH-53D SQUADRON OR AS PER NEEDS OF THE MARINE CORPS. CMC
(MMEA-8) INTENDS TO MAINTAIN THE STANDARD PERSONNEL ROTATION BASIS
WHENEVER A SQUADRON RETURNS FROM DEPLOYMENT TO MAINTAIN CONTINUITY FOR
FUTURE OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS.
4. THIS MESSAGE IS NOT APPLICABLE TO THE MARINE CORPS RESERVE AT THIS
TIME.