Favorable gunny promotions could be good news for junior Marines

For the second year in a row, enlisted Marines have a good shot at making Your chances to make sergeant, staff sergeant and gunny as the Corps approaches the end of its post-war drawdown. are not as strong as last year, but much better than recent years.

The Corps plans to promote to give a second rocker to 1,696 Marines to gunnery sergeant in 2016. While the number could increase ould go up slightly, but manpower officials do not expect gunny promotions it to exceed the pre-drawdown average of 1,750.

While it's a nThis represents and 17-percent drop from the 2,047 Marines who made gunny last year, but it is far better than the 1,129 promoted in 2014. During the drawdown, gunny promotions averaged around 1,400.

Those roughly 1,700 promotions Promotions to gunnery sergeant will have a trickle-down effect.

The Marine Corps plans to promote 3,600 sergeants to staff sergeant this year, said Lane Beindorf, the enlisted promotion plans officer at who heads up enlisted promotions for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. 

Another 9,600 corporals will likely be able to make sergeant, Beindorf added. Beginning As of April 1, though, corporals and lance corporals must meet a new a new 12-month time-in-grade requirement before they can add another stripe.

"The [promotion] numbers for 2016 will be somewhat lower than 2015, especially since last year’s allocations of 4,274 staff sergeants were the second highest in a decade," said Lane Beindorf said, who heads up enlisted promotions for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. "There were a number of [Temporary Early Retirement Authorization] takers, which opened several of allocations. This year, we anticipate 3,600 allocations for staff sergeant, which will mean about 9,600 sergeant promotions."

The infantry’s quota of 143 promotions is by far the most of any military occupational specialty. It is followed by administrative specialist, which has 107 slots, and motor transport operations chiefs, which has 83.

Five aviation MOSs will have no gunny promotions for a second year, including several in the F-35B joint strike fighter community and one for KC-130s. on  Helicopter/Tiltrotor Dynamic Components Mechanic; Fixed-Wing Aircraft Mechanic, EA-6; Ffixed-wing aircraft airframe mechanic, F-35B; Fixed-Wing Aircraft Safety Equipment Mechanic, KC-130; and Fixed-Wing Aircraft Safety Equipment Mechanic, F-35B.

Manpower officials emphasized that all every he individual responsibility of each Marines needs to make sure the information in their  ensure the accuracy and completeness of their official military personnel file and master brief sheet are up to date before promotion boards convenes.

Marines can perform an audit of their records by following instructions at the Manpower Management Division home page. Click the "MMRP-50 Officer/Enlisted Career Counseling" link on the left, then click the "OMPF and MBS Self Audit Document" link at the bottom of the page and follow the instructions. 

If Marines you find errors or omissions, they should a visit their o the career counselor is strongly recommended. Once all documents needed to update the OMPF are compiled, be sure they are boldly marked "Contains Documents for FY16 [Specific Rank] Selection Board." With the exception of fitness reports, all OMPF documents and photos must be received at least two weeks prior to the board’s convening date.

There are two areas that can quickly derail a Marine's shot at a promotion throw a wrench in your promotion: photographs and professional military education requirements. The latter will play a larger role in promotions beginning this year. All lance corporals must complete an online course the MarineNet "Leading Marines" course and complete a command-sponsored leadership and ethics seminar to be eligible for promotion to corporal. Corporals must complete a command-sponsored corporals course to be eligible for promotion to sergeant.

On Oct. 1, sergeants will be required to complete an online version of sergeants course, the MarineNet "Sergeants Course," followed by the resident version of the course Sergeants Course at a staff NCO Noncommissioned Officer A academy, to become eligible for promotion to staff noncommissioned officer.

Staff sergeants have a little more leeway. In order to make gunny, o be eligible for promotion to gunnery sergeant, they must complete the MarineNet career course, followed by a resident or distance education program. followed by either the resident Career Course at a Staff Noncommissioned Officer Academy or the Career Course Seminar distance education program. The completion of resident PME courses will not fulfill nonresident PME requirements.

Marines up for promotion Eligible Marines are also required to submit an official photograph taken within 12 months of the board’s convening date. The lack of a photo is not a reason for non-selection in and of itself, but an updated photograph or letter explaining the absence of photograph will go a long way when the selection board decides who is the best qualified for selection, officials said.