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Corps offering cash for new Reserve officers

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — The Corps is looking for newly commissioned Reserve infantry officers — and is willing to pay a $4,000 incentive to get them.

Before attending Officer Candidate School, officer candidates must sign an agreement to accept a commission in the Selective Marine Corps Reserve and serve as an infantry officer with a Marine Forces Reserve Unit, according to Marine administrative message 317/08.

“Historically, we’ve had a shortage in the Selected Marine Corps Reserve of company-grade officers,” said Maj. Henry Parrish, the officer in charge of promotions, incentives and training of the Corps’ Reserve affairs division. “This year is the first year we’ve actually focused on trying to access combat-arms officers, because there’s a shortage within the shortage.”

The SMCR needs 299 company-grade infantry officers, but only 85 with that military occupational specialty are on hand, Parrish said. The 214-officer shortage means lieutenants and captains from other specialties must fill those spots.

Second lieutenants aren’t easy to come by in the SMCR because the force’s company-grade officers typically come from the active component, meaning they’ve had four years to pick up rank. That’s left the SMCR trying to fill entry-level officer billets with fresh OCS graduates.

Getting senior company-grade officers has been challenging as well, as those from the active component are staying active, helping the Corps close in on its end-strength goal of 202,000 Marines.

“When you have a requirement to provide units in support of [the global war on terrorism] and you don’t have the normal flow of seasoned company-grade officers, you have to grow your own,” Parrish said.

The Corps did just that on Oct. 1, 2006, by launching the Officer Candidate Course-Reserve, a program that mirrors the active-duty course. OCC-R candidates sign contracts obligating them to four years of service in an SMCR unit, with the option to go on active duty for one of those years. Candidates also may sign up for a specific unit, based on where they live or plan to live.

“The Officer Candidate Course-Reserve program has reached its goal in producing commissioned company-grade second lieutenants,” Parrish said. “We’re well on our way to reaching that goal this year for our second year in a row.”

Since the program began, 109 new officers have accessed out of OCC-R, including 44 in fiscal 2008. The annual recruiting goal is 50 to 75 candidates.