thedrifter
10-25-05, 02:28 PM
October 31, 2005
Keeping them green
More opportunities for re-enlisting careerists
By Christian Lowe
Times staff writer
The Marine Corps has dramatically increased the number of job opportunities for career Marines who want to re-enlist this year as it tries to stock new units with more seasoned enlisted leathernecks.
Due in large part to a major reorganization of the Corps that was launched in February, officials with Manpower and Reserve Affairs have increased their goal for subsequent term re-enlistments — those signing up for a third term or more in the Corps — by almost 1,200 spots to 6,250 in fiscal 2006.
The Corps exceeded its Subsequent Term Alignment Plan, or STAP, re-enlistment goal of 5,079 by nearly 38 percent in fiscal 2005.
At the same time, manpower planners set the fiscal ’06 re-enlistment goal for first-term Marines at 5,887, dropping 63 boatspaces from its ’05 year-end goal of 5,950. Manpower officials announced Oct. 7 that they had exceeded the 2005 first-term re-enlistment plan goal by more than 3 percent.
This is the 12th consecutive year the Corps reached its First-Term Alignment Plan, or FTAP, goal and its fourth year in a row reaching its STAP benchmark, said Lt. Col. Mark Menotti, head of enlisted retention at Manpower and Reserve Affairs at Quantico, Va.
The goals come at a time when the Corps is trying to increase its end strength by 3,000 and is undergoing a major reorganization prompted by the Force Structure Review Group. That group recommended creating new light armored reconnaissance, explosive ordnance disposal and Force Reconnaissance and Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company units, among others, and reducing or disbanding other units.
“You need guys and gals who can go out there and stand up some of these new units,” Menotti said. “They’ve got to staff the staff and lead those junior Marines underneath them.”
The Corps had re-enlisted 2,113 first-term Marines as of Oct. 14 — just two weeks into fiscal 2006 — and re-enlisted 442 career Marines, nearly double the number it signed at the same time last year.
However, 11 military occupational specialties still have vacancies left over from fiscal 2005, mostly in highly specialized fields.
“Those that remained open are typically difficult-to-fill MOSs with stringent eligibility criteria,” Menotti said.
Emphasis on new units
The Corps also released its fiscal 2006 MOS goals for first-term and career re-enlistment programs on Oct. 14.
The MOS goals for career Marines reflect the Corps’ added emphasis on the creation of new units, showing a need to retain nearly 57 percent of its infantry unit leaders (MOS 0369) and 58 percent of its radio chiefs (MOS 0629), for example.
And once again, the Corps has set internal goals for itself to ensure it re-enlists enough first-termers by Sept. 30, 2006.
According to Corpswide message MarAdmin 476/05, manpower officials hope to reach 64 percent of their FTAP goal by Dec. 31, 87 percent of the goal by the end of March and 97 percent by June 30.
Manpower officials say that despite near-constant combat operations in Iraq and frequent deployments from home, Marines are re-enlisting for a variety of reasons, including patriotism, financial incentives and a positive leadership climate.
The swelling cadre of re-enlistees comes at a time when all the services — the Marine Corps included — are struggling to meet their initial recruiting goals.
“The biggest reasons are the intangibles,” said Maj. Trevor Hall, assistant branch head for enlisted retention at manpower, trying to explain why Marines continue to re-enlist.
“It’s a sense of duty that Marines feel when they’re serving their country during the global war on terror when their country needs them the most.”
The Corps will have help trying to meet this fiscal year’s retention goals because Congress added more than $20 million to the Selective Re-enlistment Bonus Program, boosting to nearly $74 million the amount of money manpower officials could use to entice leathernecks to stay green.
But it takes a lot more than just money to keep Marines in the Corps.
“We work hand in hand with the assignments personnel for offering incentives such as duty station preferences for the first-termers in conjunction with a re-enlistment,” Hall added.
Ellie
Keeping them green
More opportunities for re-enlisting careerists
By Christian Lowe
Times staff writer
The Marine Corps has dramatically increased the number of job opportunities for career Marines who want to re-enlist this year as it tries to stock new units with more seasoned enlisted leathernecks.
Due in large part to a major reorganization of the Corps that was launched in February, officials with Manpower and Reserve Affairs have increased their goal for subsequent term re-enlistments — those signing up for a third term or more in the Corps — by almost 1,200 spots to 6,250 in fiscal 2006.
The Corps exceeded its Subsequent Term Alignment Plan, or STAP, re-enlistment goal of 5,079 by nearly 38 percent in fiscal 2005.
At the same time, manpower planners set the fiscal ’06 re-enlistment goal for first-term Marines at 5,887, dropping 63 boatspaces from its ’05 year-end goal of 5,950. Manpower officials announced Oct. 7 that they had exceeded the 2005 first-term re-enlistment plan goal by more than 3 percent.
This is the 12th consecutive year the Corps reached its First-Term Alignment Plan, or FTAP, goal and its fourth year in a row reaching its STAP benchmark, said Lt. Col. Mark Menotti, head of enlisted retention at Manpower and Reserve Affairs at Quantico, Va.
The goals come at a time when the Corps is trying to increase its end strength by 3,000 and is undergoing a major reorganization prompted by the Force Structure Review Group. That group recommended creating new light armored reconnaissance, explosive ordnance disposal and Force Reconnaissance and Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company units, among others, and reducing or disbanding other units.
“You need guys and gals who can go out there and stand up some of these new units,” Menotti said. “They’ve got to staff the staff and lead those junior Marines underneath them.”
The Corps had re-enlisted 2,113 first-term Marines as of Oct. 14 — just two weeks into fiscal 2006 — and re-enlisted 442 career Marines, nearly double the number it signed at the same time last year.
However, 11 military occupational specialties still have vacancies left over from fiscal 2005, mostly in highly specialized fields.
“Those that remained open are typically difficult-to-fill MOSs with stringent eligibility criteria,” Menotti said.
Emphasis on new units
The Corps also released its fiscal 2006 MOS goals for first-term and career re-enlistment programs on Oct. 14.
The MOS goals for career Marines reflect the Corps’ added emphasis on the creation of new units, showing a need to retain nearly 57 percent of its infantry unit leaders (MOS 0369) and 58 percent of its radio chiefs (MOS 0629), for example.
And once again, the Corps has set internal goals for itself to ensure it re-enlists enough first-termers by Sept. 30, 2006.
According to Corpswide message MarAdmin 476/05, manpower officials hope to reach 64 percent of their FTAP goal by Dec. 31, 87 percent of the goal by the end of March and 97 percent by June 30.
Manpower officials say that despite near-constant combat operations in Iraq and frequent deployments from home, Marines are re-enlisting for a variety of reasons, including patriotism, financial incentives and a positive leadership climate.
The swelling cadre of re-enlistees comes at a time when all the services — the Marine Corps included — are struggling to meet their initial recruiting goals.
“The biggest reasons are the intangibles,” said Maj. Trevor Hall, assistant branch head for enlisted retention at manpower, trying to explain why Marines continue to re-enlist.
“It’s a sense of duty that Marines feel when they’re serving their country during the global war on terror when their country needs them the most.”
The Corps will have help trying to meet this fiscal year’s retention goals because Congress added more than $20 million to the Selective Re-enlistment Bonus Program, boosting to nearly $74 million the amount of money manpower officials could use to entice leathernecks to stay green.
But it takes a lot more than just money to keep Marines in the Corps.
“We work hand in hand with the assignments personnel for offering incentives such as duty station preferences for the first-termers in conjunction with a re-enlistment,” Hall added.
Ellie