Marine Corps releases Talent Management Update 

Release from Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps 6 March 2023 

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MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, VA – The U.S. Marine Corps released the Talent Management Update which details the progress made since the release of Talent Management 2030.  The release of TM2030 marked the Marine Corps’ initial step to transition from an industrial-era model of personnel management to a 21st century talent management system that better harnesses each Marine’s unique talents to improve our readiness and extend our advantage over competitors.   

Marine Corps talent management efforts that recruit, develop, and retain the right Marines are critical to the success of the modern Marine Corps operational concepts, as described in Force Design 2030.   

To date, the Marine Corps enacted the following talent management initiatives: 

• Commandant’s Retention Program.  The CRP provided pre-approved reenlistments for top-performing Marines along with priority access to duty station and assignment options.  This effort resulted in a 72% increase of first-term reenlistment submissions by top-performing Marines, with the average reenlistment approval accomplished in 24 to 48 hours – a fraction of the average reenlistment approval time. 

   

• Staff Non-Commissioned Officer (SNCO) Promotion Board Realignment.  Staff non-commissioned officer promotion boards were realigned, effective for the fiscal year 2024 boards, to more effectively sequence the assignments and reenlistment processes, while reducing billet gaps throughout the Marine Corps, and decrease reenlistment processing time.   

• Recruiting Station Commanding Officer Selection Board (RSCO).  Commissioned officers eligible for recruiting station command consideration were offered two opportunities to increase career flexibility:  volunteer and request removal.  This change allowed officers to volunteer for command, including those not scheduled for consideration; and to request removal from consideration for one year, without penalty, to complete a deployment, personal or professional obligation. 

• Special Duty Assignment (SDA) Volunteer Incentives.  The Special Duty Assignment Volunteer Incentives provided Active and Reserve Component Marines who volunteer for Special Duty Assignment to receive their preferred duty station.  This incentive resulted in an increase of volunteers by 62%, minimizing disruption to Marines, families, and Fleet Marine Force units, while also reducing SDA school attrition.   

• MarineView 360-Degree Leadership Review.  The Marine Corps launched the MarineView360 Leadership Review pilot, a program designed to assess Marines by polling their supervisors, peers, and subordinates to identify strengths and areas of improvement for emerging future leaders.  The MarineView360 pilot began with sitting commanders and will expand to all commanders and senior enlisted leaders in the future.   

• Officer Promotion Opt-Out.  The Officer Promotion Opt-Out initiative allows certain Active and Reserve Component in-zone officer populations to opt-out of consideration for promotion once, without penalty, to pursue unconventional career experiences or formal education, to increase the flexibility in career paths for officers.  The potential for offering this same flexibility to enlisted Marines is being explored. 

• Digital Boardroom 2.0 (DBR 2.0).  The Digital Boardroom 2.0 increases the functionality and accuracy of information presented to board members, safeguards data, and improves this critical talent management process.  The Enlisted Career Retention and Reserve Aviation Boards were successfully executed using the DBR 2.0.  As DBR 2.0 use is expanded, the Marine Corps will assess outcomes, cost and time savings, and professional depth and breadth of board members to benchmark with our legacy process.   

• Separate Competitive Promotion Categories.  To meet the demands of the future, the Marine Corps must retain the highest quality officers with the necessary skill sets at all ranks. We are conducting detailed analysis on options to reorganize the unrestricted officer population into separate competitive categories to better meet the Marine Corps’ need for the diverse expertise and experience at all ranks by competing for promotion with peers having similar skill sets, training, and education. We intend to conduct a pilot program during the 2025 field grade officer promotion boards. 

• Career Intermission Program (CIP).  The Career Intermission Program allows Marines to temporarily pause active duty service and later resume their careers without penalty to enable career flexibility and encourage retention of experienced, talented Marines.  CIP payback was reduced by half to just one month of obligated active service for each month of intermission.  Analysis will be completed to ensure the program is balanced with the need to sustain our professional fighting force and prevent loss of skill and familiarization. 

Future talent management initiatives and developments are nested within the following four mutually supporting lines of effort: 

• LOE 1:  Rebalance recruiting and retention to accelerate the shift from our legacy, high turnover “recruit and replace” personnel model toward one characterized by a greater emphasis on investment in, and retention of, our most capable Marines. 

• LOE 2:  Optimize the employment of talent to maximize our warfighting capabilities by increasing the effectiveness and transparency of the assignments process to better utilize and retain our most talented Marines. 

• LOE 3:  Multiple pathways to career success through career initiatives that account for evolving interests and personal development over the course of a Marine Corps career. 

• LOE 4:  Modernize talent management digital tools and data systems to synthesize personnel information and requirements across the force via a transparent, commander-focused, collaborative system to better align the individual abilities, skills, and aspirations of our Marines to our warfighting requirements. 

Reorienting and reconfiguring our human resources enterprise into a talent management system is a work in progress, but one that is well underway. The actions we have taken, and those we will take, ensure we will remain the Nation’s premier expeditionary force-in-readiness within the rapidly evolving world we face. 

The Talent Management Update can be obtained at: Talent Management 2030 Update