MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Marine officers graduating U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command's individual training course will be assigned a new primary military occupational specialty, clearing the way for retention and promotion in a professional career path.
Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James F. Amos approved development of the new PMOS 0370 and Major Gen. Mark A. Clark, the MARSOC commander, made the announcement to members of the unit July 25 during an officer's call at the Paradise Point Officer's Club here.
Previously, only enlisted Marines designated as critical skills operators were awarded a PMOS of 0372, while specialty operations officers were awarded an additional MOS of 0370.
The decision now allows Marine Special Operations officers (SOOs) to hold 0370 as a PMOS and be managed with a development strategy that facilitates talent management of Special Operations Forces skills, standardized training, retention, promotions, command, professional military education and career progression, Clark said.
"Approval of the PMOS allows the Marine Corps the ability to develop Marine Special Operations officers (SOOs), over a course of a career, as both fully proficient special operations professionals and well-rounded Marine Corps Air-Ground Task Force officers," Clark said.
Implementation of the billet will end the five-year rotation limit for SOOs assigned to MARSOC. Once designated with the PMOS, SOOs predominantly will fill billets within MARSOC, but they also will serve in billets throughout the Marine Corps and across the Special Operations enterprise.
"By developing a defined career path, the Marine Corps will be better able to retain and sustain the operational experience and capability necessary to meet operational requirements and reinvest special operations talent and experience where it is needed most," Clark said.
The decision is a welcome one for most SOOs who otherwise might have pursued lucrative civilian-equivalent jobs or faced returning to a MOS with less career-building potential for SOOs.
"To be honest, I was considering transitioning out of the Marine Corps," said one SOO assigned to MARSOC. "The decision to establish 0370 as a primary MOS provides my family and I the stability we needed to plan out our family's growth and future, knowing there is now a clear and long-term career path for me as a [SOO] within the Marine Corps. Ultimately, this decision allows me to keep doing what I love, and that is leading Marines as a SOO."
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