Want to Spend 5 Months Doing AI Research for the Marine Corps?

The Marine Corps just opened applications for its AI Fellowship program — and Reserve Marines are eligible.

This isn't a recruiting pitch. It's a real fellowship, run through the Naval Postgraduate School, where you build something that matters and write a publishable research paper on it.

Here's what you need to know.

Reference: MARADMIN 135/26, signed 27 March 2026. Issued by the Deputy Commandant for Information, in partnership with the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS).

The old problem

The Marine Corps has AI problems to solve and not enough people working on them full-time.

Most Marines with technical skills are absorbed into their day jobs. There hasn't been a structured way to pull them out, give them protected time, and aim them at hard AI problems — until this.

The new rule (in one line)

The Marine Corps is sending a small cohort of Marines to NPS for a 5-month, telework-based AI fellowship, starting this summer.

How the fellowship works

This is project-based. You don't show up to sit through lectures.

You bring a real AI problem from your command. You work on it for five months. You ship a publishable research paper at the end.

Here's the structure:

You telework daily under NPS operational control. Your current command keeps administrative control.
Your command funds three short TAD trips to Monterey.
You finish with a completed capstone project and a research paper.

The three TAD windows:

✦ TAD 1: 8 to 12 June 2026 ✦ TAD 2: 24 to 27 August 2026 ✦ TAD 3: 2 to 5 November 2026

Cost to your command: About $5,000 total to cover those TAD trips. Nothing else.

(Yes, that's it. $5k and you get a Marine doing AI research for five months.)

Who can apply

Rank:

✦ Officers: O-1 through O-5 ✦ Enlisted: E-4 through E-8 ✦ Warrant Officers: CWO-1 through CWO-5 ✦ Civilians: GS-5 through GS-14

You also need:

✦ A real, unclassified AI use case that your command has endorsed ✦ Access to the data that use case requires. Or a reasonable expectation you can get it. ✦ Demonstrated ability to self-direct in a loosely structured environment ✦ A personal computer and reliable internet connection. You're teleworking throughout.

No exceptions to these requirements. If you don't meet them at time of submission, you're ineligible for this cohort.

How to apply

Deadline: 30 April 2026 at 2359 Eastern.

Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. Not for any reason.

Tell your chain of command you're applying.
Get a command endorsement letter signed by your first O-6 in the chain.
Submit through the application portal: forms.osi.apps.mil/r/KuXD4BgLmg

What happens after:

✦ Selection board convenes around 4 May 2026 ✦ You hear back no later than 15 May 2026 ✦ Selected Marines get additional coordination instructions at that point

You can apply for one or both fellowship programs offered under this MARADMIN.

Why this is a big deal

Reserve Marines with technical backgrounds often hit the same wall.

They have skills. They have ideas. But their drill weekends are packed, their AT is spoken for, and there's no mechanism to do serious intellectual work on hard military problems.

This fellowship is a mechanism.

It's telework-based, which means it fits around a reserve career in a way that a traditional TAD school does not. The TAD trips are short. The timeline is five months. And the output is something real: a research paper that could actually influence how the Corps uses AI.

If you're an O-3 or O-4 with a data or technology background, this is one of the more interesting things the Corps has opened up to reservists in a while.

A smaller note for active-duty Marines

This program is open to active duty as well. The eligibility requirements and deadlines are identical. Your command still funds TAD. Check with your S-1 on how operational control transfer to NPS would interact with your current billet.

The bottom line

Applications close April 30. You need an O-6 endorsement and an unclassified AI use case ready to go. The fellowship runs five months, mostly remote, with three short trips to Monterey. You finish with a research paper.

What to do with this

If you think you're eligible: Start identifying your AI use case now. Talk to your chain of command this week. The endorsement letter takes time to route, and April 30 will arrive faster than it looks.

If you're an S-1 or career planner: Flag this for junior officers and senior NCOs with technical or data backgrounds. The telework structure makes this accessible for SMCR Marines in a way most fellowships are not.

If you're a commander or OIC: The cost to you is about $5,000 in TAD funds and one endorsement letter. The return is a Marine who comes back with AI research skills and a completed project. Worth the conversation.

Questions? Contact the POCs directly: ✦ MAJ C D Clark: christopher.d.clark.mil@usmc.mil / 703-692-3780 ✦ HQE C A Crosby: colin.crosby@usmc.mil / 703-693-9979

This is written by a reservist, for reservists. It is not an official publication of HQMC or MARFORRES. Always verify guidance with your command or unit S-1 before acting on any article or summary.

Want a shorter version of this for a unit brief or a longer breakdown of how to build a strong AI use case for the application? Just ask.

FY26-2 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS