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Time restrictions eased for E-6 promotions

A few years ago, a recon Marine needed four years as a sergeant before he’d be considered for that first rocker.

This year, recon Marines are headed before the staff sergeant selection board with barely four years in the Corps — and not much more than a year in grade.

The Corps unveiled this year’s zones and allocations for the staff sergeant selection board that convenes July 15, offering the latest illustration of how two wars, high operational tempo and a push to grow the Corps’ end strength are creating opportunities for many Marines.

For many military occupational specialties, the staff sergeant selection board will look at Marines with less time in grade than at any time since at least 2002, according to a Marine Corps Times analysis of the selection boards from 2002 through 2008.

In some cases, demand has spiked. Recon, for example, is taking 122 new staff sergeants this year, a fivefold increase from the 22 recon promotions the staff sergeant board doled out in 2004.

Explosive ordnance disposal is another example. The Corps promoted 24 EOD sergeants in 2004, but this year the board is looking to tap 110 for staff sergeant, according to the May 21 message from Marine Corps headquarters.

In other cases, the Corps has to cast a wider net to fill the same number of slots. For example, demand for counterintelligence specialists (MOS 0211) has remained steady, but the board will look at Marines with as little as six months in grade. That’s a big drop from 2004, when the board only considered Marines who had been sergeants for more than 18 months when the board convened.

Overall, the board is looking to fill 3,533 staff sergeant slots for fiscal 2009. That falls short of the 4,303 tapped last year but is higher than the 3,025 selected for fiscal 2007.

Plenty of infantry Marines are getting a look this year. The board will fill 420 slots for infantry unit leader (MOS 0369) and Marines with just three years in grade are in the zone for consideration, a time frame that has fallen incrementally since 2004.

The trend for many jobs over the past six years has followed a similar arc — growing more competitive as the war geared up, then less so during the past few years. One example is data chief (MOS 0659). In 2004, those Marines needed more than 40 months in grade for consideration by the staff sergeant board. But as the years tick by and the demand for staff NCOs grows, the experience level required has dropped. This year, data chiefs with 21 months experience as sergeants are in the zone for promotion.

The same goes for combat engineers. In 2003, combat engineers with a minimum of 29 months as a sergeant were considered for staff sergeant. That minimum cutoff rose to a peak of 38 months in 2006 but has fallen back to 25 months for this year.

Many specialists in aircraft maintenance fields are looking at Marines at or near the lowest level of experience considered since before the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began. For example, a helicopter airframe mechanic (MOS 6154), can be in the zone for staff sergeant selection after only 17 months in grade, roughly half the time required for the same Marine to get a look in 2004.

On the other hand, some jobs appear to be growing more selective. A few logistics jobs are now requiring more time in grade than in any year since the wars began.

For example, maintenance management specialists (MOS 0411) with less than 3½ years in grade as a sergeant will not be considered in the zone. That’s slightly higher than in 2002, when those Marines were in the zone with about three years and two months in grade.

Nevertheless, the board’s convening date is still six weeks out, and Manpower officials often revise the allocations and zones in the final weeks. Manpower officials say all Marines should check their computerized records for accuracy and discuss their options with a career counselor.