GUIDANCE FOR EXCEPTION TO POLICY (ETP) REQUESTS TO THE ENLISTED PROMOTION MANUAL (ENLPROMMAN)
MARADMIN 263/26 · June 9, 2026 · Source
Your promotion ETP request just got a rulebook. Do you know the new process?
Headquarters Marine Corps quietly standardized something that used to be a patchwork of informal requests and unclear routing.
If you or one of your Marines ever needs an exception to the enlisted promotion rules, there is now one official process. And the old guidance that governed PME exemptions for Corporal and Sergeant promotions has been cancelled entirely.
This matters for Reserve Marines because promotion eligibility questions come up constantly, and knowing how to submit a proper ETP can be the difference between a Marine getting promoted or getting stuck.
Reference: MARADMIN 263/26, signed 5 June 2026. Governs exception to policy requests against MCO P1400.32D w/ CH 2, the Enlisted Promotion Manual (ENLPROMMAN). Cancels MARADMIN 520/15.
(Note: A direct link to MCO P1400.32D is not publicly available at a stable URL. Ask your S-1 for the current copy.)
The old problem
Before this, exception to policy requests for enlisted promotions had no single standardized submission process.
Different commands routed requests differently.
MARADMIN 520/15 covered a narrow slice of this, specifically PME exemptions for Corporal and Sergeant, but left everything else in a gray zone.
The result was inconsistency. Some requests made it to HQMC in good shape. Others were missing required endorsements or never made it at all.
The new rule in one line
Every ETP request touching the Enlisted Promotion Manual now follows the same standardized process, full stop.
How the process works
There are four things you need to understand.
1. It goes up the chain to a General Officer. In person. By name.
The request must travel through your chain of command all the way to the first General Officer in your chain.
That General Officer must personally endorse it.
"By direction" signatures are not accepted. It has to be the actual General Officer.
If the General Officer does not endorse the request favorably, it stops there. It does not go to HQMC.
2. The request has to name the specific rule you are asking to waive.
You cannot submit a vague request.
The paperwork must clearly identify which provision of the ENLPROMMAN you need the exception for, and it must include a detailed written justification explaining why.
3. If it is approved, it gets documented in the Marine's record.
Approval comes back in writing.
The command then records it with a NAVMC 118 (Page 11) entry in the Marine's Official Military Personnel File.
MMPB-11 updates MCTFS on the backend.
4. Only Marine Corps commands can submit these.
If a command outside the Marine Corps, like MEPS, has a reason to request an ETP for a Marine, they cannot do it directly.
They have to route it through the Marine's administrative chain of command.
Why this is a big deal
For Reserve Marines, promotion eligibility questions do not always have clean answers.
Reserve service patterns, deployment gaps, and split training schedules can create situations where a Marine meets the spirit of a promotion requirement but not the letter of it.
ETPs exist for exactly those situations.
But they only work if they are submitted correctly.
Before this MARADMIN, "correctly" was loosely defined. Now it is not.
The cancellation of MARADMIN 520/15 also matters. That old message covered PME exemptions for Corporal and Sergeant promotions specifically. If your unit was using it as a standalone reference, it is gone. This new process replaces it for everything.
A smaller note for active-duty Marines
This applies to the total force, so active-duty units are equally bound by this process.
If you were submitting ETP requests through a less formal channel, that path is now closed. Same rules, same routing, same General Officer endorsement requirement.
The bottom line
There is now one way to request an exception to the enlisted promotion rules.
It requires a General Officer endorsement, specific identification of the policy you need waived, a solid justification, and proper documentation if approved.
Shortcuts are not an option.
What to do with this
If you are a Reserve Marine with a potential promotion eligibility issue:
✦ Talk to your unit S-1 now, not when the board is close. ✦ Ask whether your situation may require an ETP against the ENLPROMMAN. ✦ Understand that the process takes time. A General Officer endorsement is not fast.
If you are an S-1, admin chief, or unit leader:
✦ Review any pending or anticipated ETP requests against this new standard. ✦ Confirm your chain of command knows who the first General Officer in your chain is and how to route to them. ✦ Make sure your command is not relying on MARADMIN 520/15 for anything. It is cancelled. ✦ Route favorably endorsed requests to CMC (MMPB-11) at: smb_manpower_enlisted_promotions@usmc.mil
If you are an IMA or IRR Marine:
✦ Your situation may be more complex if there is no active unit chain of command managing your record. ✦ Contact your IMA detachment or the MMSR mailbox to clarify how an ETP would route in your specific case. ✦ Do not assume a sponsoring command outside the Marine Corps can submit this on your behalf. They cannot.
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 this shorter? The one-paragraph version: MARADMIN 263/26 standardizes how to request a promotion policy exception. It requires a General Officer endorsement, specific justification, and proper documentation. MARADMIN 520/15 is cancelled. Submit approved requests to MMPB-11 by email. Want a deeper breakdown of how this interacts with specific ENLPROMMAN provisions? That is a longer conversation worth having with your S-1.