FY05 Arabic Language School Seat Enlistment Retention Incentive

1. PURPOSE. TO ESTABLISH AN INCENTIVE TO ASSIST
COMMANDERS WITH RETAINING HIGH QUALITY MARINES.
2.  BACKGROUND. ACQUIRING AND MAINTAINING ADEQUATE NUMBERS OF
MARINES WITH THE ABILITY TO SUPPORT THE REQUIREMENT FOR QUALIFIED
ARABIC LINGUISTS IN OUR FORCE IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT.
HQMC AND LEADERS THROUGHOUT THE CORPS MUST SHARE THE RESPONSIBILITY
FOR IDENTIFYING, RETAINING AND TRAINING THESE MARINES AS A TEAM.
3.  ACTION
A. HQMC HAS ACQUIRED 50 ARABIC LANGUAGE SCHOOL SEATS TO UTILIZE
AS INCENTIVES FOR MARINES REENLISTING IN THEIR CURRENT PRIMARY MOS
OR EXTENDING THEIR CURRENT ENLISTMENT CONTRACT. MARINES WHO
LATERALLY MOVE ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR 24 MONTHS FROM LAT MOVE PMOS
ATTAINMENT.
B. MARINES ACCEPTED TO THE PROGRAM WILL PCS DURING FY05 TO
MARDET, DEFENSE FOREIGN LANGUAGE INSTITUTE, PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY,
FOR APPROXIMATELY 63 WEEKS OF LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION.
C. ALL ELIGIBLE MARINES ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.  PRIORITY
ACCEPTANCE TO ARABIC LANGUAGE SCHOOL WILL BE GIVEN TO MARINES IN THE
(1) MARINES RETURNING FROM DEPLOYMENTS IN SUPPORT OF OEF OIF.
(2) MARINES REENLISTING AT THE FTAP.
(3) ALL OTHER REENLISTMENTS.
(4) MARINES  
D.  THE FOLLOWING EXECUTION REQUIREMENTS APPLY:
(1) THE FOLLOWING PREREQUISITES APPLY FOR ALL MARINES
APPLYING FOR AN ARABIC SCHOOL SEAT:
(A) MINIMUM DLAB SCORE OF 100 OR MINIMUM GT SCORE OF 105
(NON DEPLOYED MARINES MUST STILL TAKE THE DLAB).  DLAB TESTING IS
AVAILABLE AT ALL BASE EDUCATION CENTERS, AND TESTING LOCATIONS IN
KUWAIT AND BAGHDAD.  REF (A) CONTAINS ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR
TESTING RELATED ISSUES. 
(B) MINIMUM REENLISTMENT LENGTH OR OBLIGATED SERVICE FOR
PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY IS FIVE YEARS FROM DATE OF PROGRAM ACCEPTANCE. 
(C) MARINE MUST BE ELIGIBLE FOR SECRET SECURITY
CLEARANCE BASED ON A NATIONAL AGENCEY CHECK.
(2) ALL PACKAGES SUBMITTED FOR AN ARABIC LANGUAGE SCHOOL
SEAT QUOTA WILL BE ENDORSED BY THE MARINE'S COMMANDING OFFICER.
(3) CAREER RETENTION SPECIALISTS AND COMMANDING OFFICERS
SHOULD ENSURE MARINES MEET THE COURSE PREREQUISITES PRIOR TO
FORWARDING THE PACKAGE. THE COMMAND ENDORSEMENT MUST STATE THE
MARINE MEETS ALL ARABIC LINGUIST COURSE PREREQUISITES.
(4) ALL PACKAGES WILL BE ROUTED VIA CHAIN OF COMMAND AND
I/IOP FOR ENDORSEMENT AND THEN TO MMEA FOR FINAL APPROVAL. 
(5) SCHOOL SEAT ASSIGNMENT AND PCS APPROPRIATION DATA WILL
BE PROVIDED BY HQMC MMEA ONCE THE MARINE HAS REENLISTED OR EXTENDED.
MARINES SHOULD NOT CALL THE SCHOOL HOUSE FOR SEAT ASSIGNMENT OR
APPROPRIATION DATA. 
4. UPON ATTAINMENT OF MINIMUM L2-R2 LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY MARINES
WILL BE AWARDED THE SECONDARY MOS 8611 AND BE ENTITLED TO
PROFICIENCY PAY UNDER THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY PAY (FLPP)
PROGRAM AS A CATEGORY II LINGUIST AS OUTLINED IN REF (B). CURRENT
FLPP FOR CATEGORY II LINGUISTS RANGES FROM $75 TO $125 PER MONTH
BASED UPON PROFICIENCY LEVEL.
5. UPON COMPLETION OF LANGUAGE TRAINING MARINES WILL BE REASSIGNED
IN THEIR PRIMARY MOS, BUT WILL BE SUBJECT TO SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT AS A
LINGUIST-INTERPRETER. MARINES ASSIGNED SPECIAL DUTIES AS
LINGUISTS-INTERPRETERS WILL CONTINUE TO BE PROMOTED IN THEIR PRIMARY
MOS BUT WILL RECEIVE PRECEPT CONSIDERATION ON SUBSEQUENT PROMOTION
BOARDS FOR ANY TIME SPENT OUTSIDE THEIR PRIMARY MOS AS A
LINGUIST-INTERPRETER.
6. MARINES FAILING TO COMPLETE THE COURSE OF STUDY IN ARABIC WILL
NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO TRANSFER TO OTHER LANGUAGE PROGRAMS. RECYCLE
WITHIN THE ARABIC LANGUAGE SCHOOL MAY BE CONSIDERED. MARINES DROPPED
FROM THE ARABIC LANGUAGE SCHOOL WILL BE SUBJECT TO IMMEDIATE PCS
REASSIGNMENT AT THE DISCRETION OF MMEA.
7. MARINES WILL BE REQUIRED TO EXTEND THEIR REENLISTMENT IF AT
ANYTIME AFTER REPORTING TO DLI THEY HAVE LESS THAN 36 MONTHS
OBLIGATED SERVICE REMAINING FROM THEIR PROJECTED GRADUATION DATE.
8. FY05 PRIOR SERVICE ENLISTMENT PROGRAM (PSEP) MARINES ARE ELIGIBLE
FOR THIS INCENTIVE, PROVIDED THEY ARE RETURNING IN THEIR PREVIOUS
MOS.
9. THIS MESSAGE IS NOT APPLICABLE TO THE MARINE CORPS RESERVE.