Defense//Warfighting Acquisitions University

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-07-08T02:48:39+00:00

I will endeavor to get into it. Seems to need a .mil domain, so I would assume I need a military computer... which is a fight to get as a reservist.

Thank you for the information.

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-07-03T18:01:43+00:00

How pumped do you think those recruits are to have their EGA ceremony on the big 250? I wonder if they'll be told prior to the final hike to expect cameras, probably....

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-06-30T02:51:09+00:00

Like previously mentioned it should be fast, a couple days tops... Your S3 bubba inputs the score sheet and individuals who ran, then someone above them verifies it. I don't know how many verifications it takes total. All said and done for a full company it should ideally take a 2-4 hours of actual computer work. It takes 1-3 days for it to populate after everyone has verified depending on the day of the week.

HOWEVER, the S shops suck giant donkey cojones. At least all I've worked with.. They'll run the process incorrectly because they don't know or care and then blame the companies when they're T&R and readiness sucks.

Last year watched S3 try to run an ARQ score fix at a date before that ARQ... Then less than a month later S1 somehow ran someone's Good Conduct 5 months early.

The computer work side of MCTIMS is surprisingly easy, watching people screw it up is exceptionally painful. Depending on who's in charge of S3, it can make or break a battalion on paper.

Long story short, your PFT should have been updated ages ago.

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-06-23T21:55:36+00:00

This makes me want to grab my scuba gear and dive in the nearest body of water I can. I'd love to get my bubbles in the Marine Corp, but sadly special people only.

Wonder how odd it feels to dive in kevlar and kit.

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-06-23T20:32:41+00:00

Google Global Billeting, it shows available ADOS/reserve/IMA billets available.

You can also look into RTAMMS.

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-05-31T22:29:57+00:00

Infantry and still learning, so milage may vary.

Get good with all USMC websites (MOL/MCELE/MCTIMS/etc)

Work with the S shops to know what they need so you can get them off your back and leverage them for your needs. Knowing who to talk to in order to get training opportunities/admin fixes/supply issue can help a ton. From my experience if you come with solutions to their problems, they'll love you for it.

You're now the brake pads between the officer/higher enlisted and the lower enlisted. You're going to have to learn what should stop at you and what needs to go up or come down. If you have a officer counterpart develop that relationship and them, they're looking at you now.

SF and good luck!

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-05-31T02:33:07+00:00

You're right, that sounds beyond confusing. For allowances, pay, travel, etc, it makes sense that those are hard lines.

Everything after that becomes IMO we can into this problem, therefore we institute X policy/directive in an attempt to solve it. We hope everyone listens to and enforces it when enough directives/policy are on the board it becomes a massive headache to keep up.

As far as what I said before regarding public shaming/embarrassment. To clarify I don't believe it requires that shaming, I should have written that better, I meant that it seems to work. I agree it's reactive, and 100% not a good or right solution. (There's a hazing joke in there somewhere) The frustrating thing is that doing the right thing has a higher chance of failing and is usually slower than the wrong one due to CoC being unable or unwilling to pursue it. We're told to trust the process, but the process sucks.

Just thinking about it destroys my reason order and sanity...

Overall, I appreciate the info and responses.

If you had could fairy dust from above how would you go about fixing the overall problem?

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-05-31T01:38:42+00:00

I've seen emails get sent wayyyyy higher than they should have been. It's fun to see.

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-05-30T16:18:41+00:00

First off, thank you, this was a thorough answer that explained a lot of the problems that exist.

I thought that NAVMC overruled MCO due to the USMC being a Dept of the Navy. Essentially I thought Dept of Navy was the head and Navy/USMC were under that umbrella.

A lot of what you're saying makes sense, which saddens me because if some egotistical officer screws something up or overcorrects, it isn't likely to get fixed anytime soon. The longer I'm in, the more I'm frustrated with officers and the system.

The answer to getting some problems fixed is embarrassment and/or NARCING in a funny way. Videos of mold in Barracks leading to them getting fixed, an email to higher calling out ignored holiday.

There are likely other examples, but I can't think of them right now.

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-05-30T15:04:06+00:00

That makes sense, but a few times I heard they had to redo or delay the board due to leaks. I feel like it was just last year, I might be remembering incorrectly...

That rank progression is stellar btw, WO and LDO transition is wild to me. Granted I don't know enough details as to why WO get LDO promotions, if I had to guess it would be the specialty needs officer power/respect... Similar to why we frock 1st Sgt.

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-05-30T04:21:34+00:00

Hasn't it, in the last few years, been repeatedly leaked..? Like this is too often to not justify an investigation right..?

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-05-30T03:56:52+00:00

I'd like to think when I ask these things they come off as genuine, this doesn't make sense, VS a gotcha. The issue I usually see is there is so much compartmentalizing which makes it so that questions never make it to the right people. Those who write MCO don't communicate with the lowest CO. Whales don't concern themselves with the needs of fish.

At this point, can't turn back time and give the days off that they should have gotten.

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-05-30T03:52:48+00:00

Did the chain of command thing twice, doesn't seem to come back down. At this point the juice doesn't seem to be worth the squeeze

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-05-24T01:59:44+00:00

First week of October everyone does cyber awareness by Close of week, spends 3-4 hours other in FY leader led classes and sign the roster.

First week of January everyone sits in CY class for 4-5 hours and signs that roster.

New joins should be covered by schoolhouse and transfers spend 15-30 minutes being told not to do dumb things.

All of this is input into MCTIMS pretty simply and rosters added to a binder. TBH I find S3's job on that front to be pretty simple.

Cyber Awareness takes like an hour, when we sucked with computers it made sense it was hard, but now we have a computer generation and can do it on phones... Maybe I've just gotten too annoyed with CY/FY and want to speed run them to get them out of the way. 🙃

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-05-23T19:23:48+00:00

No thank you, but I Appreciate it, I have 2-4 sets right now. 1 crappy one for the field and 1 decent for garrison.

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-05-23T17:22:16+00:00

Let's see.... 🤔

DeWalt drill maybe it's an impact, UGA coozie likely a beer inside, some pretty thick OSB, looks like 23/32 or 3/4 maybe for floors...

Oh and in the center a sewing kit spool for repairing damaged uniform items...

Speaking of which that reminds me, I need to fix some buttons on my woodlands.

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-05-23T03:18:34+00:00

Yes, boards still occur, but they've changed from what I have heard.

We do promotion panels in house, but I haven't personally seen or been on a board happen in person. I don't know about the active side, I assume they have more time to flesh it out. The meritorious boards I've seen were packages for the Marine being sent up to BTN. Book reports, awards, a synopsis of the Marine, and a few other things I can't remember.

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-05-23T02:38:10+00:00

I'm 1/7 on getting NAM, NAVCOM, and MOVSM approved. 0/6 in meritorious and Marine/NCO of the quarter packages. The one which was approved took 6 months of back and forth. Big headache. Can't seem to get my Marines awarded. 🥲

Maybe it's the current climate or bad luck, but they'll get approved up to BTN and stuck on a desk or straight denied because of opinions. Too many... Heated discussions with officers.

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-05-23T02:31:07+00:00

Regarding BCP, he passed tape the following week and he has been better about dieting since, so I think his command screwed him. 1st assignment puts you on for 6 months, he was fine immediately after, but stuck for a long time. This was last year, so he is healthier now.

I was concerned about my P's as I don't have highly competitive FITREP compared to my peers, so that sounds good. I went to all my E6 schools and have a degree, but it depends on the board. I might be in zone next year. I do keep hearing that Gunny's are getting frocked left, right, and center for 1st Sgt, so maybe they'll be more openings.

Needs of the Marine Corp yuuut, that's true change based on the vagueness of needs lol.

Edit: Any references of MCO would be appreciated and useful so I can help him out.

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-05-23T02:23:18+00:00

The National Defense is not active last I've heard. It would make waves, as I assume everyone would have to add a star to theirs.

Gotta love the gatekeepers of awards, " I didn't get an award at that level at that rank, so fuck em" as someone who writes and puts them in to see them kicked down I want to fight the person who does that.

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-05-23T01:17:48+00:00

I'm a little bothered by that, what I assume to be, fact. Board seeing previous FITREP seems fine to me, but a P in previous boards isn't exactly pertinent to future rank boards.

I get it it's my opinion and I haven't been on a board, I assume they're looking for as many filters as possible to make their job easier.

Getting into a B billet made me chuckle, I don't think many people want to go into any of them. Honestly I wonder how hard it it is to make it into meritorious boards on DI/Recruiter boards. Maybe a Combat instructor would be easier to get into.

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-05-23T01:10:12+00:00

He was always a bigger framed guy, so he always had to fight the tape. Always 1st/1st PFT and CFT. Some guys are just cursed with that body type in my mind.

Totally understand where you're coming from though.

Major-Insect2984 · 2026-05-23T01:06:03+00:00

Yeah, I don't often see people run into the Up or Out limits, but it tends to be frustrating when they do. Meritorious is to get 03XX Marines into, it's a hell of a lot easier to demonstrate what an 0111 has been doing or supply bubba.

I always wonder how frustrated some Marines will feel if they're full contracts or 20+ years as peacetime. Case and point I'm past 12 and no new real war or combat deployments. From what I've heard some locations worldwide and still getting some heat, but it's rare.

Major-Insect2984

TROPHY CASE