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CONVENING OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2027 (FY27) RESERVE COMMAND SCREENING BOARD (RCSB)

MARADMIN 206/26 · May 5, 2026 · Source

Are You a Reserve LtCol or Colonel Who Wants Command? The FY27 Board Just Got Its Dates.

The Marine Corps just published the notice for the Fiscal Year 2027 Reserve Command Screening Board.

If you are a Reserve lieutenant colonel or colonel, this board decides who gets screened for command billets opening up across the Reserve Component over the next year.

Read this before the window closes.

Reference: MARADMIN 206/26, signed 04 May 2026. Governing program document is MCO 1300R.65D, Reserve Command Screening Program.

The old problem

Reserve command opportunities are competitive and time-sensitive.

Missing the application window, submitting the wrong format, or applying for a billet you are not MOS-qualified for means the board will not consider you at all.

There is no second chance once the board convenes.

Officers also sometimes did not realize they were ineligible until after they applied, wasting time they could have spent doing something else.

The new rule (in one line)

The FY27 Reserve Command Screening Board convenes 17 August 2026 for LtCols and 24 August 2026 for Cols, with 31 command and post-command billets on the table.

The board dates

Mark these on your calendar now.

✦ LtCol board convenes: 17 August 2026 ✦ Colonel board convenes: 24 August 2026 ✦ Billets cover: commands projected to open between 1 October 2026 and 30 September 2027

The board selects exactly as many primary selectees as there are available commands.

It also selects a list of alternates to fill in if primaries decline or cannot take command.

Alternate status is good for up to 24 months. But your alternate status only applies to the specific commands you applied for. Not any command. The ones you listed.

Once the CMC approves the slate, results for primary selectees go out via MARADMIN. Both the primary and alternate lists will be posted on the RAM-3 website under "Reserve Programs and Boards (RAM-3)" and the "Reserve Command Screening Program" dropdown.

How to apply

There is only one way to submit an application.

The online web-based application. That is it. No other method is accepted.

The basics:

  1. You must possess the primary MOS required by the billet you are applying for. If you do not have the right PMOS, the board will not look at your application.
  2. Submit your application through the online portal listed on the RAM-3 website.
  3. If you are an aviator applying for a billet requiring Duty Involving Flight Operations (DIFOP), you must also submit a signed Aviation Qualification Summary (AQS) along with a current up-chit. No AQS and up-chit means no consideration. Period.

(Senior Reserve Advisor billets do not require an up-chit. Aviators in those billets can breathe easier on that one.)

DIFOP pay continues after selection if you are currently receiving it.

Are you eligible? Check this list first.

The MARADMIN is specific about who cannot apply.

If any of these apply to you, your application will not be considered.

You are ineligible if you:

✦ Have an established separation or retirement date ✦ Have a mandatory removal or retirement date within two years of the projected assumption of command ✦ Are approved for sanctuary, currently serving on orders extending beyond 18 years of active duty, or would exceed 18 years of active duty by taking the billet (this does not apply to Active Reserve officers) ✦ Are unwilling or unable to attend Cornerstone, the Commandant's Combined Commandership Course ✦ Were previously selected for command through an RCSB but declined it ✦ Were an alternate who was offered a command due to a vacancy and then declined it ✦ Are currently in the Special Education Program and have not yet completed 24 months of your utilization tour ✦ Are an Active Reserve officer in a joint duty or overseas assignment who will not have completed 24 months in that assignment by the projected change of command date ✦ Are an Active Reserve officer on an accession tour who has not hit 24 months time on station by 31 July 2026

Additional rules for LtCols:

✦ If you currently hold an RCSB billet, previously held one, or were slated on a previous board, you cannot apply for another LtCol RCSB billet ✦ If you are in-zone or above-zone on the next promotion selection board, you are ineligible

Additional rules for Colonels:

✦ If you have already held an Unrestricted Reserve Colonel command billet, you cannot apply for another one ✦ If you have not completed a successful 24-month Col command billet, you cannot apply for a post-command billet

(Yes, that last one matters a lot. Post-command billets are not a shortcut.)

Available commands

These are the billets on the table for FY27. Read each entry as: title, location, required MOS(s), projected change of command date.

Unrestricted Reserve Colonel / Colonel Select Command Billets

  1. CO, 3d Civil Affairs Group. Great Lakes, IL. MOS 8040/8041/8042. Sep 2027.
  2. CO, 4th Civil Affairs Group. Hialeah, FL. MOS 8040/8041/8042. Jan 2027.
  3. CO, Marine Inspection Unit, MARFORRES. Newburgh, NY. MOS 8040/8041/8042. Sep 2027.
  4. Senior Reserve Advisor, 25th Marines, 4th MARDIV. Fort Devens, MA. MOS 8041. Oct 2026.
  5. Senior Reserve Advisor, 14th Marines, 4th MARDIV. Fort Worth, TX. MOS 8041. Mar 2027.
  6. Senior Reserve Advisor, MAG-41, 4th MAW. Fort Worth, TX. MOS 8042. Aug 2027.
  7. Senior Reserve Advisor, HQ Marine Intelligence Group. JEB Little Creek-Fort Story. MOS 8041/8042. Oct 2026.
  8. Senior Reserve Advisor, CLR-4. Kansas City, MO. MOS 8040. Oct 2026.

Unrestricted Reserve Colonel / Colonel Select Post-Command Billets

  1. Assistant Wing Commander, 4th MAW. New Orleans, LA. MOS 8042. Jun 2027.
  2. Vice Chief of Staff, MARFORSOUTH. New Orleans, LA. MOS 8006. Oct 2026.

Active Reserve Colonel / Colonel Select Command Billet

  1. Director, Marine Corps Installation Reserve Support Activity. New Orleans, LA. MOS 8040/8041/8042. May 2027.

Unrestricted Reserve LtCol / LtCol Select Command Billets

  1. CO, Law Enforcement Battalion. Albuquerque, NM. MOS 5803 or 8006 with MCICOM G-3/5 Law Enforcement Branch approval. Jul 2027.
  2. CO, Intelligence Support Battalion. New Orleans, LA. MOS 0202. Jun 2027.
  3. CO, 3d ANGLICO. Bell, CA. MOS 0302/0802/1802/1803/7506 with 7502 qualification. Jun 2027.
  4. CO, 4th ANGLICO. West Palm Beach, FL. MOS 0302/0802/1802/1803/7506 with 7502 qualification. Apr 2027.
  5. CO, 1st Bn, 23d Marines, 4th MARDIV. Houston, TX. MOS 0302. Jan 2027.
  6. CO, 3d Bn, 23d Marines, 4th MARDIV. Bridgeton, MO. MOS 0302. Dec 2026.
  7. CO, 3d Bn, 25th Marines, 4th MARDIV. Brook Park, OH. MOS 0302. Jun 2027.
  8. CO, 2d Bn, 14th Marines, 4th MARDIV. Grand Prairie, TX. MOS 0802. Aug 2027.
  9. CO, 3d Bn, 14th Marines, 4th MARDIV. Bristol, PA. MOS 0802. Jul 2027.
  10. CO, 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, 4th MARDIV. Camp Fretterd, MD. MOS 1302. May 2027.
  11. CO, HMH-772, 4th MAW. JB McGuire-Dix Lakehurst, NJ. MOS 7566. Jul 2027.
  12. CO, HMLA-775, 4th MAW. Camp Pendleton, CA. MOS 7563/7565. Jul 2027.
  13. CO, VMM-764, 4th MAW. Miramar, CA. MOS 7532. Jul 2027.
  14. CO, MTACS-48, 4th MAW. Great Lakes, IL. MOS 7202. Jun 2027.
  15. CO, MACS-24, 4th MAW. Dam Neck, VA. MOS 7202/0602. Jul 2027.
  16. CO, MWSS-472, 4th MAW. JB McGuire-Dix Lakehurst, NJ. MOS 0402/1302/3002. Jul 2027.
  17. CO, MWSS-473, 4th MAW. San Diego, CA. MOS 0402/1302/3002. Jun 2027.
  18. CO, MALS-41, 4th MAW. Fort Worth, TX. MOS 6002/6602 or 7506 with maintenance background. Jun 2027.
  19. CO, MALS-49, 4th MAW. New River, NC. MOS 6002/6602 or 7506 with maintenance background. Jul 2027.
  20. CO, CLB-23, 4th MLG. Fort Lewis, WA. MOS 0402/1302/3002. Feb 2027.
  21. CO, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th MLG. Portland, OR. MOS 1302. Date not listed in source document. Check RAM-3 for update.

(If you do not see your unit listed, check the RAM-3 site directly. The source document may have had an incomplete transmission on that last entry.)

Why this is a big deal

Reserve command is not automatic.

It is a screened, board-selected process. You do not get command just by being senior enough or being in the right place.

This board is the gate.

If you are a qualified LtCol or Colonel and you want to lead at the battalion, squadron, or group level in the Reserve Component, this is how it happens.

The billets above represent the entire Reserve command opportunity set for FY27. There will not be another board for these specific jobs.

Miss this window, and you wait until FY28.

For officers who are in-zone on promotion and also hoping for command, the eligibility rules above carry real career consequences. Read them carefully before you apply.

A smaller note for active-duty Marines

Active Reserve officers serving in joint duty or overseas assignments are subject to specific timeline restrictions outlined in the eligibility section above.

If you are an AR officer on an accession tour, verify your time-on-station before assuming you can apply.

Check with your monitor at RAM-3 if there is any question.

The bottom line

The FY27 Reserve Command Screening Board convenes in August 2026.

Applications are online only. The wrong MOS means automatic disqualification. Declining a previous command offer also bars you from applying.

If you are eligible and want command, start your application now.

What to do with this

If you are a Reserve LtCol or Colonel considering applying:

  1. Go to the RAM-3 website and pull up the Reserve Command Screening Program page now.
  2. Confirm your PMOS matches at least one of the billets you want.
  3. Work through the ineligibility list in paragraph 7 of the MARADMIN before you spend another minute on this.
  4. If you are an aviator applying for a DIFOP billet, get your AQS signed and your up-chit current before the application deadline.
  5. Contact RAM-3 directly with questions: Maj Kraft at 703-784-1275 or Mr. Ford at 703-432-9410.

If you are a unit S-1 or XO:

✦ Identify any LtCols or Colonels in your unit who might be eligible and pass this along. ✦ The board convenes 17 and 24 August 2026. Application deadlines precede that. Do not let a qualified officer miss the window because nobody told them.

If you are in the IRR or IMA and are a LtCol or Colonel:

✦ This applies to you. Reserve Component eligibility is not limited to SMCR. ✦ Verify your status with your IMA coordinator or the Reserve Affairs Management branch before applying.

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.

Need a shorter version of this? A one-paragraph summary for your unit newsletter is easy to make. Need a deeper breakdown of any specific billet category or the Cornerstone requirement? Ask and I will write it out.

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CONVENING OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2027 (FY27) RESERVE COMMAND SCREENING BOARD (RCSB) — Reservable