Volunteer or Voluntold: Marines Announce Special Duty Assignment Campaign for Active Reserves

The Marine Corps announced a campaign Wednesday to draw certain Marines into special duty assignments, an annual push to fill some of its most critical jobs.

The campaign is aimed at Active Reserve Marines, a small component within the Corps that serves full-time in the reserves and provides support for reserve units. According to the service, those troops also help integrate the reserve component into the rest of the Marine Corps.

The service will use the campaign, which was announced via an administrative message last week, to fill recruiter, drill instructor and combat instructor roles with volunteers from the Active Reserve component. If not enough volunteers apply for the positions by the end of February, the service will begin assigning Active Reserve Marines to them.

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Special duty assignments, or SDAs, are jobs that fall outside of a Marine's primary duty. As all the services face recruiting woes, recruiter duty has proven to be a critical job for the Corps, one that it has commonly found difficult to fill.

"Historically, recruiting duty has been the most challenging special duty assignment (SDA) billet to fill -- with drill instructor duty being the least difficult," 1st Lt. Ryan Tobin, a spokesperson for the Corps' Manpower and Reserve Affairs, told Military.com on Thursday. "As SDA assignments are critical to recruiting, training, or developing future and present Marines, it is vital to ensure we have the best Marines for these unique opportunities."

Over the last two years, nearly 70% of the SDA billets have been filled by volunteers, according to Tobin. He said that there is no limit for SDA volunteers, adding that the service is encouraging Marines to take advantage of benefits associated with the campaign before spots fill up.

Certain volunteers can receive a "voluntary supplemental incentive" of up to $10,000, paid either in monthly installments or a lump sum. Once those volunteers complete their special duty tour, they can choose a specific geographic location for their next assignment, offering what Tobin called "more certainty" over their future assignment.

Those volunteering for the all-important recruiting billet are offered a "recruiter station incentive," Tobin said.

Currently, there are 2,379 Marines in the Active Reserve program, and they are eligible for all SDA positions, except Marine Security Guard duty.

"It is a leadership imperative to care about Marines' futures, including proper career counseling and mentorship on SDA opportunities and associated timelines," Tobin said.

The annual announcement comes as each branch of the service is struggling to bring in recruits. The Marine Corps, unlike most of the other branches, has continued to meet its recruiting goals in recent years, though sometimes only by a hair. That said, The Associated Press reported last summer that the service had a "surge" in recruiting and expected to achieve its recruiting goal of roughly 33,000 in 2024.

Special duty assignments have been found to produce adverse results for those assigned or volunteering for them. In 2019, the Marine Corps released a study that found some special duty assignments, such as recruiting and drill instructor duty, can result in higher rates of suicidal behaviors, marital issues, and substance misuse.

Still, they are some of the most important jobs in the Corps and are often seen as a potential career boost.

"SDAs are career-enhancing billets and often produce more well-rounded Marines who can return to the Fleet Marine Force with specialized skills and talents," Tobin said.

Related: Marine Corps Combat Instructor Role Once Again a Special Duty Assignment