Fiscal Year 2027 Active Reserve Alignment Plan

1. This message announces the commencement of the
Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) Active Reserve (AR) Alignment Plan (ARAP).
Effective upon publication of this MARADMIN, the submission period
commences.  The purpose of the ARAP is to balance the AR enlisted
career force inventory by grade and military occupational specialty
(MOS) while retaining the Marine Corps' highest-quality Marines to
meet current and future mission requirements.  AR Marines are
encouraged to contact their unit career counselor for guidance
regarding eligibility, requirements, and compliance with the
provisions of this MARADMIN. The FY27 ARAP applies to all AR Marines
with an End of Active Service (EAS) during FY27.
2.  Background. The AR Program provides full-time active-duty support
to facilitate the integration of the Marine Corps Reserve within the
Total Force.  AR Marines organize, administer, train, recruit,
retain, and develop policies that ensure the readiness and
mobilization capability of the Reserve Component. Maintaining a
highly qualified AR force is essential to meeting current and future
operational requirements.  Accordingly, commanders shall remain
actively engaged in retention efforts to identify and retain the
Marine Corps' highest-quality Marines.
3.  Execution
3.a.  Submission Requirements.  This MARADMIN applies to Active
Reserve (AR) Marines who are career-designated and non-career-
designated and who have an EAS between 1 October 2026 and 30
September 2027.  Marines shall submit a Reserve Reenlistment
Extension Lateral Move (RRELM) request via the Total Force Retention
System (TFRS) no later than 31 January 2027. All retention requests
shall be submitted to Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) Reserve
Affairs (RA) through TFRS.  Marines requiring a Commanding General
endorsement shall include the endorsement with the initial TFRS
submission.  Marines must meet the service limitation requirements
contained in reference (a).
3.b.  Commander's Recommendation.  The commander's recommendation is
a critical component of the retention process.  Commanders and unit
senior enlisted leaders shall provide objective, substantive comments
addressing each Marine's character, leadership, technical
proficiency, and potential for continued service. Meaningful
recommendations are essential to informed retention decisions and the
continued strength of the AR force.
3.c.  Interviews. Per reference (a), commanding officers and career
counselors will conduct interviews with 100 percent of Marines
identified within their FY27 ARAP cohort using the ARAP Interview in
the TFRS Interview Management Module and within the prescribed due
dates.  In addition to the interview requirements contained in
reference (a), career counselors will capture and document each
Marine's intent to request further service or separate from the AR
Program.
3.c.1.  Intent to Reenlist. Upon completion of the interview, career
counselors will coordinate with the unit administrative section to
record the reenlistment intent in the Marine Corps Total Force System
(MCTFS) for AR Marines identified within the ARAP cohort.  This
requirement applies only to Marines within the designated ARAP
cohort.  The reenlistment intent must be recorded no later than 1
December 2026 using the following diary transaction:
TTC                   Purpose                         Diary Value
788 000 RER FLAG      Intent to Reenlist              Y
788 000 RER FLAG      Does Not Intend to Reenlist     N
3.c.2.  Diary Entry.  The applicable MCTFS diary entry is required
before submitting a retention request in TFRS.  Requests submitted
without the required diary entry will be returned as Pending
Additional Information until the appropriate code is reflected in
MCTFS.  Reserve Affairs Manpower Management Branch (RAM-2) will use
these diary entries to monitor reenlistment intent and assess the
FY27 AR retention cohort in support of inventory management and
force alignment decisions.
3.c.3. Exception. Reenlistment requests routed to HQMC RA on or
before 1 December 2026 are exempt from the requirement in paragraph
3.c.2. to report reenlistment intent in MCTFS prior to submission.
3.d.  Failure to Submit.  Marines who do not submit a request for
further service by the applicable submission deadline will be
considered to have elected to separate from the AR Program or retire
upon completion of their current contractual obligation.  This
provision does not apply to Marines who are unable to submit due to
circumstances beyond their control, including enlisted career force
controls (ECFCs), medical limitations, or legal matters.  Marines who
otherwise meet all reenlistment eligibility requirements but fail to
submit by the submission deadline must include an endorsement, with
justification for the late submission, from the first O-6 commander
in their chain of command.
3.e.  Conditional Release.  AR Marines with an EAS during FY27 who
wish to transfer to the Active Component, apply for an Active
Component officer program, or conduct an inter-service transfer may
submit a request for conditional release from the AR Program
effective upon release of this MARADMIN through 31 January 2027. The
effective date of release will be determined by RAM based on the
needs of the Service.  Contract extensions beyond 30 September 2027
will not be authorized for the purpose of processing or completing a
request for conditional release from the AR Program.
3.f.  Local Command Authority (LCA) Extensions.  Commands are
authorized to approve LCA extensions beginning upon release of this
MARADMIN.  Marines may be extended, not to exceed 31 May 2027, to
facilitate reenlistment under this campaign. Career counselors will
process these extensions in TFRS using the Reserve LCA RRELM type.
The associated NAVMC 321A will cite the TFRS reference number and
state:  "To await a response to a submitted FY27 ARAP retention
request."  The LCA procedures contained in this MARADMIN apply only
to AR Marines who fall within the FY27 ARAP cohort and supersede the
LCA guidance contained in the FY27 Reserve Retention Campaign in
reference (b).
4. Early Reenlistment Authority. Marines with an End of Current
Contract (ECC) between 1 October 2026 and 30 September 2027 whose
EAS extends beyond 30 September 2027 may voluntarily submit for early
reenlistment in accordance with this MARADMIN. To maintain the FY27
ARAP cohort while ensuring the highest-quality Marines are retained
on the AR Program, RAM-2 may approve early reenlistments for these
Marines to obtain the required obligated service for permanent
change of station orders (PCSO), Transfer of Education Benefits
(TEB), Special Duty Assignment (SDA), and promotion selections.
5.  Processing Timeline.  All FY27 ARAP RRELMs submitted in
accordance with this MARADMIN will be adjudicated by RAM-2 no later
than 31 March 2027.
6.  Acceptance of Approved RRELMs. Marines must accept or decline
approved RRELMs in TFRS within 30 days of notification. Failure to
respond within 30 days may result in revocation of the approval
unless coordinated with the assigned monitor.  Approval authority
for enlistment extensions, other than the LCA extensions authorized
above, resides with RAM-2.
7.  Applicability.  This MARADMIN is applicable only to Active
Reserve.
8.  Release authorized by Brigadier General G. Rosales Jr., Director,
Reserve Affairs Division.