R 101220Z JUL 25 MARADMIN 322/25 MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC PPO PO// SUBJ/WET SILK PARACHUTE TRAINING INTERIM POLICY MESSAGE// REF/A/DOC/MCRP 3-10.1 (W/CH1) REF/B/DOC/MCO 3120.11A REF/C/DOC/USSOCOM MANUAL 350-3CC REF/D/DOC/TM 1670-10/1  AMPN/REF A IS THE STATIC LINE PARACHUTING TECHNIQUES  AND TRAINING MARINE CORPS REFERENCE PUBLICATION.  REF B IS THE MARINE CORPS ORDER (MCO) FOR PARACHUTING  POLICY AND PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION. REF C IS THE SPECIAL  OPERATIONS FORCES BASELINE INTEROPERABLE AIRBORNE  OPERATIONS (PARACHUTING) TRAINING STANDARDS. REF D IS THE  OPERATOR’S MANUAL FOR PARACHUTE SYSTEM-2 (PS-2) AND TANDEM OFFSET RESUPPLY DELIVERY SYSTEM (TORDS). POC/J. HIBLER/LTCOL/POF PARACHUTE SPONSOR/ TEL: 703-692-4494/[email protected]// POC/M. EATON/MGYSGT/POF PARACHUTE SPONSOR /TEL: 703-692-4305/[email protected]// GENTEXT/PURPOSE/1. This message directs all Marine Corps  units to comply with the enclosed interim policy guidance  for the conduct of deliberate Water Drop Zone (WDZ)  parachute operations and personnel parachute operations  in the vicinity of high-risk water obstacles. The content  contained herein is supplemental to that expressed in the  references.  2.  Background 2.a.  The conduct of deliberate WDZ parachute operations  and personnel parachute operations in the vicinity of  high-risk water obstacles presents an acute risk to force  that must be mitigated through additional equipment,  training, and planning by leaders at all levels.   2.b.  Per ref (a), a high-risk water obstacle is defined  as any water body within 1000 meters of any edge of a  DZ, more than four feet deep, and more than 40 feet wide. 3.  Action 3.a.  Currency and refresher training requirement 3.a.1.  To account for the risk of unintentional water  landings, wet silk currency training is required for all personnel participating in parachute operations at DZs with  a high-risk water obstacle or where one-third of the  freefall or canopy flight is over water. The wet silk  currency training interval is no greater than 48 months.  3.a.2.  Wet silk refresher training is to be conducted no  more than 90 days prior to deliberate WDZ operations for  participating parachutists. All supporting personnel to  include Drop Zone Safety Officers, Malfunctions Officers,  supporting Corpsmen, and safety swimmers shall be present  at the time of training regardless of currency or jump status.     3.a.3.  All qualified Military Freefall (MFF) and  Low-Level Static Line (LLSL) parachutists assigned to  parachutist-coded billets must be current in wet silk  training before composite to a Marine Expeditionary Unit  (MEU), Marine Littoral Regiment (MLR), or Special Purpose  Marine Air Ground Task Force (SPMAGTF) or deployment  under the Unit Deployment Program (UDP). 48 month  currency periods for qualified parachutists must support  the completion of the deployment’s anticipated duration  (otherwise, currency training must be conducted prior to  MEU/MLR/SPMAGTF composite or UDP deployment).  3.a.4.  Students attending the Multi-Mission Parachutist  Course (MMPC) and conducting training at DZ Sawtooth  (Eloy, AZ) are exempt from the wet silk currency  requirement due to the impracticality of training  completion prior to system familiarization and qualification.  DZ Sawtooth has two high-risk water obstacles within  263 meters of the DZ edge (six-foot deep ponds at 118  degrees and 279 degrees magnetic from the DZ center point).   3.b.  Currency and refresher wet silk training procedures 3.b.1.  Wet silk training is conducted at the unit level  by appointed unit jumpmasters and designated safety  swimmers.  3.b.1.a  Designated safety swimmers will possess a Water  Survival-Advanced swim qualification and will utilize the  equipment as described in ref (a).  3.b.2.  Personnel will conduct wet silk training in the  camouflage utility uniform and boots. Currency and  refresher wet silk training will consist of the following.   3.b.2.a.  Jumpers will stand at the edge of the pool and  execute each step of unintentional water landing emergency  procedures.  3.b.2.b.  Jumpers will demonstrate lowering/jettison of  combat equipment.   3.b.2.c.  Jumpers will loosen or unfasten the chest strap  and waistband. 3.b.2.d.  Jumpers will enter the water, release leg  straps, arch out of the harness, and swim free of the  harness and suspension lines. 3.b.2.d.1.  For LLSL parachute systems, jumpers will then  swim under the canopy and demonstrate their ability to  follow a radial seam to safely egress from under the  canopy and make an air pocket under the canopy to breathe  from. 3.b.2.d.2.  For ram air parachute systems (zero porosity),  jumpers will demonstrate the ability to swim out from  underneath the canopy material.   3.b.2.e.  Jumpers will simulate the activation of their  flotation system, demonstrating an understanding of its  operation. In addition, jumpers will be placed into an  inflated flotation device utilizing a belt and manipulate  the inflated system to different locations on their body  to experience how it changes their orientation in the water. 3.c.  Administration 3.c.1.  Per ref (b), Marine Corps personnel filling valid  parachuting billets and/or participating in parachute  training on a permissive basis must be qualified as Water  Survival-Intermediate at a minimum. 3.c.2.  Unit Training Managers will document the completion  of wet silk currency and refresher training, with training  rosters, in the Marine Corps Training Information  Management System. Wet silk training records will also be  maintained within individual parachutist record jackets.   3.c.3.  MFF-qualified parachutists will complete currency  wet silk training for both LLSL and MFF systems. The  refresher training requirement applies only to the  parachute system being jumped during the upcoming  deliberate WDZ parachute training event.   3.c.4.  Due to system scarcity and replacement timelines,  personnel qualified to jump the Coach’s Ram Air Parachute  System (CRAPS) and TORDS-Equipment/Personnel (TORDS-E/P)  will conduct currency and refresher training with available  training aids that best emulate the CRAPS and TORDS systems. 3.c.5.  Completion of wet silk refresher training prior  to deliberate WDZ parachute operations resets 48-month wet  silk currency requirements for the specific system used in  training.   3.c.6.  Personnel out of 48-month wet silk training  currency are not authorized to participate in parachute  operations in high-risk water obstacle DZs.  3.c.7.  Personnel out of 48-month wet silk training  currency are not authorized to participate in parachute  operations where more than one-third of the freefall or  canopy flight is over open water (measured from the  planned high altitude release point to the water’s edge). 3.c.8.  Wet silk currency training is mandatory for tandem  passengers participating in parachute operations on DZs  with a high-risk water obstacle or where more than  one-third of the freefall or canopy flight is over water.  Tandem passengers must complete wet silk refresher training  to participate in deliberate WDZ operations. Completing  currency training within 90 days of deliberate WDZ  operations fulfills the refresher training requirement.  3.c.9.  Personnel who have completed wet silk training  prior to the promulgation of this message within 48 months  have satisfied the currency training requirement for the  parachute system utilized (for a period of 48 months from  the training date).  3.c.10.  Initial wet silk currency training requirement for  parachutists must be completed no later than 31 January  2026. Students attending the Basic Airborne Course (BAC)  or MMPC are exempt from the wet silk currency requirement.   3.c.11.  Before the commencement of all personnel  parachute training, units will conduct a Casualty  Evacuation (CASEVAC) rehearsal that includes immediate  stabilization, loading a simulated casualty, preservation  of the simulated mishap site, and transportation for  link-up at an ambulance exchange point. Deliberate WDZ  operations or operations near a high-risk water obstacle  require a physical rehearsal of simulated casualty loading  from the water into a safety boat. The Drop Zone Safety  Officer, safety craft operators, safety swimmers, drivers,  supporting Corpsman, and Malfunctions Officer will conduct  an on-site debrief of the CASEVAC rehearsal before live  parachute operations commence.      4.  This interim policy guidance is inclusive of all  parachute systems and configurations.   5.  Units with parachuting missions are directed to  utilize procedures contained in the references for guidance  not specifically enumerated in this message.  6.  Commanders of Marine Corps units and activities with a  parachute requirement are required to utilize the  Dive/Jump Reporting System module within the Risk  Management Information safety reporting application to  document all parachuting activities. 7.  Duration.  This policy applies to the Marine Corps  Total Force, with the exception of student personnel  assigned to BAC and MMPC. This guidance will be codified  in MCO 3120.11B.  8.  Headquarters Marine Corps Plans, Policies, and  Operations directs forwarding this message to subordinate  units for the widest dissemination.  9.  Release authorized by MajGen J. L. Morris, Director,  Operations Division.//