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CONVENING OF THE FY28 U.S. MARINE CORPS RESERVE MAJOR GENERAL AND BRIGADIER GENERAL PROMOTION SELECTION BOARDS

MARADMIN 257/26 · June 5, 2026 · Source

Are You a Reserve BGen or Colonel Being Considered for General Officer? Here's What You Need to Know.

The Marine Corps just published the convening order for the FY28 Reserve General Officer Promotion Selection Boards.

Two boards. Two ranks. Both affecting Reserve officers only.

If you're in the zone, or think you might be, read this now.

Reference: MARADMIN 257/26, signed 04 June 2026. Underlying authority: MCBUL 1400, Officer Lineal Precedence.

The old problem

General officer promotion boards don't come with a lot of runway.

If you're a senior Reserve colonel or brigadier general, the window between "board announced" and "board convenes" is short. Miss the deadline to clean up your record, and you go before the board with whatever's in your file. Right or wrong.

There's also a newer wrinkle: the Marine Corps recently shifted from height-and-weight measurements to a Waist-to-Height Ratio standard. The board's digital system can't automatically pull that new data yet. So there's a gap between what the policy requires and what the board can actually see.

The new rule (in one line)

The FY28 Reserve MajGen and BGen boards convene in July 2026, your record correspondence deadlines are in late June and early July, and you now have the option to manually submit your Waist-to-Height Ratio documentation directly to the board.

The boards, the dates, the zones

Here's the full picture.

Board 1: Major General

✦ Board correspondence due: 26 June 2026 ✦ Board convenes: 07 July 2026 ✦ Location: 2008 Elliot Road, Quantico, VA 22134

Primary zone officers:

  1. Above-zone: BGen Thomas M. Armas (DOR 01 Feb 24)
  2. Senior in-zone: BGen Daniel B. Taylor (DOR 21 Mar 24)
  3. Junior in-zone: BGen Patrick F. Tiernan (DOR 01 Apr 24)

(Secondary zone: none listed for MajGen.)

Board 2: Brigadier General

✦ Board correspondence due: 10 July 2026 ✦ Board convenes: 21 July 2026 ✦ Location: same Quantico address

Primary zone officers:

  1. Senior above-zone: Col Terri R. Zimmermann (DOR 01 Oct 12)
  2. Junior above-zone: Col Bradley G. Fessler (DOR 01 Dec 22)
  3. Senior in-zone: Col Justin M. Martell (DOR 01 Jan 23)
  4. Junior in-zone: Col Sol M. Fiser (DOR 01 Aug 23)

Secondary zone (below-zone):

  1. Senior: Col Nathan P. Morehouse (DOR 01 Sep 23)
  2. Junior: Col Jesse R. Stacy (DOR 01 Jan 24)

Note: Zone boundaries may shift before convening if retirements change.

Who is eligible

You must be an unrestricted Reserve officer on the Reserve Active-Status List (RASL).

To be eligible, on the convening date you must have:

✦ Continuously served on the RASL, the Active Duty List, or a combination of both ✦ For at least one full year without a break

You are not eligible if, by the convening date, you have:

✦ An approved retirement date, or ✦ A separation date within 90 days of when the board convenes

(If that's your situation, the board won't see you. That's the rule.)

What you need to do before the board convenes

This part is on you personally. The Marine Corps will not fix your record for you.

  1. Pull your Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) and review it for accuracy
  2. Check your Master Brief Sheet (MBS) for errors or missing entries
  3. Confirm all fitness reports are submitted and correctly reflected
  4. Decide whether to submit a letter to the President of the Board
  5. If submitting correspondence, follow the format and deadline in MARADMIN 622/25

All of this guidance lives at the officer promotion homepage. Start there.

The body composition situation

This one deserves its own section because it is genuinely in transition.

The Marine Corps has replaced the old height-and-weight standard with a Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR). The new standard is real and in effect.

But here is the catch: the Digital Boardroom system cannot yet pull WHtR data automatically.

So the board will not penalize you simply because a current WHtR measurement is absent from your file.

However:

✦ Old height-and-weight entries in your record will still be visible to the board ✦ Fitness reports that include a WHtR directed comment will still be seen

If you want the board to have your current WHtR on record, you can submit it manually. Have it signed by your Command Physical Training Representative and include it as an enclosure to your letter to the board.

Submitting WHtR is optional. But if your old measurements don't tell the full story, submitting new ones is probably worth it.

Why this is a big deal

These are the two highest promotion boards in the Reserve component.

The officers in zone right now are the ones being considered to lead at the most senior levels of the Reserve establishment. The outcomes of these boards shape Reserve general officer leadership for years.

For the officers in zone: there is almost no time. The MajGen board correspondence deadline is 26 June, and this MARADMIN published 04 June. That is roughly three weeks.

The body composition transition also creates real ambiguity. Officers who have already transitioned to WHtR tracking may benefit from submitting documentation manually. Officers who haven't may be judged on older data. That is not a theoretical gap. It is the current reality.

A smaller note for active-duty Marines

These boards are Reserve-only. Active component general officer boards operate on a separate calendar and separate authority. If you are active duty and stumbled here, this one doesn't apply to you directly.

The bottom line

Two Reserve general officer boards are convening in July 2026. Deadlines are already close. Your record is your responsibility. The body composition system is in transition, and you have the option to submit WHtR data manually if you want the board to see it.

What to do with this

If you are a BGen in the MajGen primary zone:

✦ Correspondence due 26 June 2026. That deadline is close. ✦ Pull your OMPF and MBS now. ✦ Decide on a letter to the board and draft it immediately. ✦ Consider submitting current WHtR documentation as an enclosure.

If you are a Colonel in the BGen zone (primary or secondary):

✦ Correspondence due 10 July 2026. ✦ Same record-review steps apply. ✦ Confirm your RASL status and one-year continuous service with your S-1. ✦ Check whether any retirement or separation paperwork affects your eligibility.

If you are a unit S-1 or staff officer supporting these individuals:

✦ Flag the deadlines now. June 26 is the first one. ✦ Help confirm OMPF accuracy and fitness report status. ✦ Know the WHtR submission option so you can advise correctly.

Questions? Contact the board POCs directly:

✦ Maj Michael J. Cook: michael.j.cook@usmc.mil / (703) 784-9703 ✦ Maj Paul M. Dantonio: paul.dantonio@usmc.mil / (703) 784-9704

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 for a unit brief, or a longer breakdown of the body composition submission process? Both are available on request.

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