R 311813Z JAN 25 MARADMIN 048/25 MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC MRA MM// SUBJ/FISCAL YEAR 2027 (FY27) ACTIVE AND RESERVE MARINE ATTACHÉ  (MARA) SELECTION BOARD ANNOUNCEMENT// REF/A/MSGID: DOC/MCO/YMD: 20090709// REF/B/MSGID: DOC/MCO/YMD: 20210510// REF/C/MSGID: DOC/MCO/YMD: 20150219// NARR/REF A IS MCO 3821.2, USMC PARTICIPATION IN THE DEFENSE ATTACHÉ  SERVICE. REF B IS MCO 1300.8 CH-1, PERSONNEL ASSIGNMENT POLICY. REF C IS MCO 1900.16 CH 2, SEPARATION AND RETIREMENT MANUAL  (MARCORSEPMAN)// POC/J. L. GOSS/MAJ/MMOA-3/TEL: 703-784-9284/ EMAIL: [email protected]// POC/T. D. STOKES/GYSGT/MMEA-25/TEL: 703-432-9473/ EMAIL: [email protected]// POC/S. A. WESTERFIELD/CIV/DCI IID/TEL: 703-693-5421/ EMAIL: [email protected]// POC/C. J. FORAN/MAJ/INTEL DIV, ATTACHÉ AFFAIRS/ TEL: 703-614-1668/ EMAIL: [email protected]/ POC/C. S. SMITH/CIV/MCIA, ATTACHÉ PROGRAM/TEL: 703-432-5992/ EMAIL: [email protected]// POC/T. M. GILBERTSON/CIV/MCIA, ATTACHÉ PROGRAM/ TEL: 703-432-7842/ EMAIL: [email protected]// POC/R. W. DAWSON/LTCOL/RESERVE ATTACHÉ DETACHMENT/TEL: 501-847-2186/ EMAIL: [email protected]// POC/M. T. WELTZIEN/MAJ/DCI RESERVE LIAISON/TEL: 703-692-1395/ EMAIL: [email protected]// GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  Purpose.  In accordance with the references,  this message outlines the Active Duty and Reserve Marine Corps  Attaché (MARA) program, the procedures for consideration for service with the Defense Attaché Service (DAS), and solicits applications  for the FY27 MARA program.  The board selects Marines based on  Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) experience and performance, and slates Marines based on their specific language, regional expertise, and cultural skills. 1.a.  Major timeline milestones are below (read in three columns). Date                        Milestone                           Note Release of this message     Applications open 31 March 2025               Applications due 05 May 2025                 Board convenes Sep - Dec 2025              Results released                     1 Note 1:  Following approval of primary selects by the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV), Manpower and Reserve Affairs (M&RA) releases the results of the FY27 MARA Selection Board anytime from September to  December 2025.  Results may be delayed due to SECNAV approval. 2.  MARAs fill influential, strategic-level positions within embassy country teams.  Depending on the specific billet and country, they  serve as the direct representative of the Secretary of Defense, the  SECNAV, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, geographic  combatant commanders, and the Commandant of the Marine Corps.  MARAs may also serve as the Senior Defense Official/Defense Attaché  (SDO/DATT) at particular embassies.  SDO/DATTs direct, control,  operate, and administer the Defense Attaché Office to which  assigned.  Attaché duties vary by country, but all personnel will  advise the Chief of Mission on military matters. 2.a.  Reserve attaché program.  Reserve attachés’ primary purpose is to augment the DAS utilizing drills and annual training periods,  30-60 continuous days in the National Capital Region (NCR) or abroad per year.  However, they may also have opportunities to support  while on longer term Active-Duty Operational Support orders for  periods of three months to two years based on operational MARA gaps. Reserve attaché program selectees will be assigned to a geographic  division and utilized based on DAS priorities, Marine availability, suitability, and funding availability. 3.  Eligibility criteria.  Active Component (AC) and Reserve  Component (RC) Marines who meet the following criteria are eligible  to apply. 3.a.  Grade and career timing 3.a.1.  AC applicants must meet the grade criterion (or be selected  for promotion to that grade) and possess the career timing to serve a full tour of duty in the grade of the billet for which they are  applying.  Lieutenant Colonel applicants must plan to opt-out of  consideration for promotion if selected if they enter the in-zone  population at any time during their anticipated tour of duty and must agree to do so in their application if selected.   3.a.2.  Enlisted Marines in grade of E-5 to E-8.  E-5s must have two years TIG. 3.a.3.  RC applicants must belong to one of the following categories of the ready reserve: Selected Marine Corps Reserve, Individual  Mobilization Augmentee (IMA), Individual Ready Reserve, or AC with a transfer date to the Ready Reserve before the end of FY25. 3.a.4.  AC Marines must be a FY26 mover based upon their current  prescribed tour control factor (TCF).  If selected, Marines will  depart their current duty station in FY26 to attend training prior  to reporting to their assigned country in FY27. 3.a.5.  If an applicant does not meet their prescribed TCF  requirements in paragraph 3.a.4, they must submit a exception to  policy (ETP), endorsed by the first O-6 in the chain of command, via NAVMC 10274 (AA-Form), with their application.  Transfer inside of  the prescribed TCF will result in a gap for that command until the  TCF has concluded.  If an officer is selected prior to his/her  normal rotation date, Manpower Management Officer Assignments (MMOA) will attempt to provide a backfill.  A commander's endorsement of  the AA Form is considered acknowledgement of this situation.  MMOA will adjudicate the ETP separately from the board process and must  be approved by MMOA before a Marine will be considered for a MARA  billet vacancy.  An officer with an approved ETP will be a FY26 mover regardless of selection to the MARA program.    3.a.6.  AC applicants must include email correspondence from their  PMOS monitor. RC applicants must include email correspondence from RAM-1 confirming their eligibility for this program by using [email protected].  The board will not consider applications  without PMOS monitor or RAM confirmation.  Service requirements and other manpower considerations may preclude eligibility IAW ref (b). 3.a.7.  Per references (a) and (b), AC applicants must have  completed a Single Scope Background Investigation or Top Secret (TS) Security Investigation and have Sensitive Compartmented Information  (SCI) eligibility to apply.  Application to the MARA program is not sufficient justification for an investigation eligibility  determination for AC applicants.  Officers and Marines selected by  the board will be required to either have a current (within the last five years) counterintelligence scope polygraph or obtain one prior  to attending the Joint Military Attaché School (JMAS).  For  questions regarding clearances, contact USMC HQMC Special Security  Office at 703-693-6005 or [email protected]. 3.a.8.  RC Marines without TS/SCI eligibility may apply, however, if a reserve primary selectee does not have TS/SCI eligibility, the  Marine will be submitted for and must obtain a TS/SCI clearance  before transferring to the IMA and subsequently pass a  counterintelligence-scope polygraph before starting the Reserve  Support Course (RSC).  3.a.9.  RC Marines must have had four satisfactory years of service (50 points minimum each year) during the last five years. 4.  Ineligibility criteria 4.a.  Marines with an established separation or retirement date. 4.b.  AC Captains and Majors in the Above-Zone (AZ).  LtCols in the  AZ will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 4.c.  Restricted officers. 4.d.  Marines with pending legal action. 4.e.  Marines affiliated with the Active Reserve Program. 4.f.  RC Marines above 5840 Active Duty Points on their Career  Retirement Credit Report.  RC Marines with less than 5040 Career  Retirement Credit Report points are preferred. 4.g.  AC officers and Marines in receipt of Permanent Change of  Station or Permanent Change of Assignment orders. 4.h.  Officers and Marines selected for or currently attending  programs that have a designated utilization assignment.  Examples  include, Commandant’s Education Board, and School of Advanced  Warfighting. 4.i.  AC aviators completing two or more consecutive years in Duties Involving Flying - Denied status during FY26 will not normally be  screened.  These officers may request consideration by contacting  their PMOS monitor.   4.j.  AC Marines without TS/SCI clearance eligibility. 5.  Additional considerations 5.a.  Language, regional expertise, and culture skills are highly  desirable but are not prerequisites. 5.b.  Families are an important element of the MARA program.   Attachés are encouraged to take their families to most assignments. Applicants with dependents enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program are eligible to apply but may not be able to participate  pending availability of required care. 5.c.  Foreign-born Marines are not eligible for assignment to the  country in which they were born. 5.d.  Spouses of AC applicants must be naturalized US citizens.   Applicants will not be eligible for assignment to the country in  which the spouse was born.  For RC applicants, spouses are not  required to be naturalized US citizens for the applicant to serve in the Reserve Attaché Program. 5.e.  Applicants will not be eligible for assignment to a country in which immediate family members still maintain citizenship.   Applicants should identify in their application letter whether any  of their immediate family are not US citizens or dual citizens.   Immediate family members include parents, stepparents, siblings, and children. 5.f.  Dual Active-Duty applicants must have concurrence from both  monitors and be willing to forego co-location if selected.  This  should be annotated in the MARA application.   6.  Training 6.a.  AC Training.  AC Marines selected for the program will attend JMAS, conducted over approximately 13 weeks at the Defense  Intelligence Agency (DIA) in Washington, DC.  Marines who  successfully complete this training are then available for  assignment abroad.  Language training is also required for most  billets.  The length of language training will be based on the  language and proficiency level required.  Training start dates are  dependent upon the country to which selected, JMAS, and the language training (up to 64 weeks in duration).  In some cases, this training may start as early as Spring 2026.  Active Duty officers serving as  MARAs are administratively controlled by the Marine Corps  Intelligence Activity (MCIA) throughout training and while assigned  to their respective countries. 6.b.  RC Training.  Reserve Attachés selected for the program must  complete both the RSC and Geographic Division  Training/Familiarization before serving overseas.  RSC is a resident one-week introductory course taught by the JMAS annually, usually in December, at DIA in Washington, DC. 7.  AC vacancies.  The FY27 MARA board will screen AC applicants for the below assignments.  This list is subject to change up until the conclusion of the board based on DIA requirements.  For the most  current list, visit the website listed in paragraph 9.c.  All are  36-month accompanied tours unless noted otherwise. 7.a.  Officers  (Read in four columns): Country           Language     Rank      Notes Bangladesh        English      Maj       24-month tour Cameroon          French       LtCol     24-month tour China             Mandarin     LtCol      Indonesia         Indonesian   Maj        Iraq              Arabic       Maj       12-month unaccompanied tour Jordan            Arabic       Maj Kenya             Swahili      Maj Norway            Norwegian    Maj Oman              Arabic       LtCol Senegal           French       LtCol     24-month tour Thailand          Thai         LtCol Turkey            Turkish      Maj  Ukraine           Russian      Maj       12-month unaccompanied tour Vietnam           Vietnamese   Maj      7.b.  Enlisted  (Read in four columns) Country           Language     Rank      Notes Egypt             Arabic       Sgt-MSgt  24-month tour El Salvador       Spanish      Sgt-MSgt    Oman              Arabic       Sgt-MSgt    Tunisia           Arabic       Sgt-MSgt Ukraine           Russian      Sgt-MSgt  12-month unaccompanied tour 8.  Reserve attaché program 8.a.  The FY27 board will screen two primary and two alternate  reserve component O-3 to O-5 billets, and one primary and one  alternate reserve component E-6 and E-7. 8.b.  Reserve IMA billets are three to five years in duration. 8.c.  Selectees will be transferred to the HQMC Intelligence  Department’s IMA unit (RUC 88600) prior to the start of RSC once the required clearance has been adjudicated.  RC selectees will attend  RSC as soon as able, per paragraph 6.b.  Drill attendance sheets, orders requests, and other administrative requirements associated  with this duty will be processed by HQMC Deputy Commandant for  Information.  Drills and Annual Training will likely occur in the  NCR for the first year in support of this program’s substantial  onboarding process. 8.d.  Reserve Marines selected as Alternates on the FY26 Marine  Attaché Board are encouraged to reapply. 9.  Application process 9.a.  All applicants will follow guidelines posted to the  Headquarters Marine Corps Intelligence Division MARA website listed in paragraph 9c.  Applications must include a command endorsement  from the first O-6 commander in the applicant’s chain of command.   Applicants will list assignments in order of preference, although  country selections will be based on the needs of the service.   Prospective applicants, if selected, must be prepared to serve at  any duty station listed in paragraph 7.  Any officer who declines a MARA position will be ineligible for future MARA boards unless  otherwise approved by Director, Manpower Management.    9.b.  A full medical screening is not required for the application  process, however, all applicants must provide a Certification of  Suitability for Overseas Assignment for themselves and all family  members.  It is imperative applicants disclose ongoing conditions to best ensure the applicant and family members' needs can be met.   Once selected, MARA candidates and their families must complete a  full medical overseas screening within 90 days of acceptance. 9.c.  Application requirements, documents and templates are  available at:  https:(slash)(slash)www.intelligence.marines.mil/ OCC-Field-Foreign-Language/Defense-Attache-Program/. 9.c.1.  Every document within the application must be a separate  file in portable document format (.pdf) and saved with the naming  convention EDIPI_LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_MI_RANK_ACTIVE (or RESERVE) MOS_ENCLOSURENUMBER_DOCUMENTNAME (e.g. 1234567890_SMITH_JOHN_A_MAJ RESERVE_0302_ENCL1_O6_COMMAND_ENDORSMENT). 9.c.2.  OMPF update material.  Officers should submit OMPF update  requests via OMPF-Records Management Application (O-RMA). If  assistance is required, contact your unit S-1 or local IPAC.  Officers are responsible for ensuring their OMPF and Master Brief Sheet is accurate at all times.  Panel members will have access to the OMPF during the panel.    9.c.3.  The board will not consider incorrect or incomplete  packages. 9.c.4.  Applications must arrive to HQMC Intelligence Division no  later than 1630 Eastern Standard Time on 31 March 2025 to be  considered by the board.  9.c.5.  Applications will be submitted using DODSAFE  (https:(slash)(slash)safe.apps.mil/) to: [email protected]. Ensure encryption passphrases are emailed to  [email protected] to prevent delayed processing. 9.c.6.  Enlisted Marines applying will also submit their application via the Special Duty Assignment Miscellaneous Reenlistment Extension Lateral Move (RELM) in the Total Force Retention System (TFRS) via  the normal RELM routing chain to CMC (MMEA-25).  Unit Career  Planners have access to the TFRS program.  Enlisted packages not  routed through TFRS will not be boarded. 10.  Results.  M&RA will publish results following SECNAV approval  of all primary selectees.  The results MARADMIN will contain  information on the process for acceptance of the assignment and  basic reporting information. 11.  This message is applicable to the Marine Corps Total Force. 12.  Release authorized by MajGen Ryan S. Rideout, Director,  Manpower Management Division.//