Fiscal Year 2026 Career Counselor of the Year Award
This MARADMIN solicits nominations for the Fiscal Year 2026 Career Counselor of the Year award, which recognizes exceptional performance in support of enlisted retention and career development during FY26. Nominations must be endorsed by the first Commanding General in the chain of command, with only one nomination permitted per Major Subordinate Command, and all packages must be submitted via the Total Force Retention System no later than 1 January 2027.
Issued: September 18, 2026
1. Purpose. This MARADMIN solicits nominations for the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Career Counselor of the Year award. Reference (a) established the subject award to recognize Career Counselors for exceptional performance in support of enlisted retention and career development. The FY26 award will recognize each nominee's contributions to the execution of the FY26 Enlisted Retention Campaign and achievement of the Command Retention Mission, while also considering other retention and assignment actions executed during FY26. 1.a. Retention actions attributable to the FY27 Enlisted Retention Campaign or the forthcoming FY27 Command Retention Mission will not be considered for the FY26 Career Counselor of the Year award. 2. All packages must be received by CMC Manpower Management Enlisted Assignments (MMEA) no later than 1 January 2027. Nominations will be submitted via the Total Force Retention System as an SDA/Miscellaneous Duty request. MMEA will submit the selected nominee to the Director, Manpower Management Division, no later than 1 February 2027. Selection results will be published via MARADMIN. 3. Nominations. Nominations must be endorsed by the first Commanding General in the Marine's chain of command. Only one nomination is permitted from each Major Subordinate Command. 4. Criteria. All nominees must meet the following criteria: 4.a. Have not been previously awarded Career Counselor or Career Counselor of the Year. 4.b. Must hold the Primary Military Occupational Specialty 4821. 4.c. Must have served in a valid Career Counselor billet for the entire fiscal year. 4.d. Must be in the rank of Sergeant or Staff Sergeant. 5. Submission requirements. All packages will contain the following: 5.a. Commanding General endorsement. 5.b. Nomination letter from the command. 5.c. Career Counselor of the Year checklist. 5.d. FY26 Retention Statistics Package, consisting of the following: 5.d.1. FY26 Interview Completion Summary. 5.d.2. FY26 Enlisted Retention Campaign and Command Retention Mission Statistics. 5.d.3. FY26 Other Retention and Assignment Actions Summary. 5.e. Professional biography. 5.f. Copy of pages 11, 13, and Unit Punishment Book. 5.g. Award recommendation as further described in paragraph 8. 5.h. Examples of all required documents are available for download via TFRS forms module. 6. If qualified per reference (b), the selected FY26 Career Counselor of the Year will receive a meritorious promotion. 7. The Marine selected as the FY26 Career Counselor of the Year and the runner-up will be awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal by Direction of Manpower Management. 8. Commands will create a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal recommendation in the HQMC awards processing system. The first sentence of the summary of action will read, "Nominee for Career Counselor of the Year 2026." A complete copy of the award recommendation, including the 1650, Summary of Action, and proposed citation, will be included in the nomination package. 9. The FY26 Career Counselor of the Year will be recognized during the FY26 Deputy Commandant, Manpower and Reserve Affairs Personnel and Programs Awards Ceremony. The date and location will be announced via separate correspondence. 10. This MARADMIN is not applicable to the Marine Corps Reserve. 11. Release authorized by MajGen Fridrik Fridriksson, Director, Manpower Management Division.