Announcement of Professional Military Education (PME) Policy Changes

1. THE FOLLOWING PME POLICY ISSUES HAVE BEEN
ANALYZED BY EDUCATION COMMAND (EDCOM)/MARINE CORPS UNIVERSITY (MCU):
CAREER LEVEL SCHOOL (CLS) EQUIVALENCY, COMMAND AND STAFF COLLEGE
DISTANCE EDUCATION PROGRAM (CSCDEP) 8845 DISCONTINUANCE, RETURN TO
AN INTERMEDIATE LEVEL PME BOARD SELECTION PROCESS, WARFIGHTING
SKILLS PROGRAM 7400 DISCONTINUANCE, AND THE WAIVER PROCESS FOR
ENLISTED MARINE ENROLLMENT IN OFFICER PME. AFTER THOROUGH
EXAMINATION AND COLLABORATION WITH THE COLLEGE OF CONTINUING
EDUCATION (CCE) AND MANPOWER & RESERVE AFFAIRS (M&RA) EDCOM/MCU HAS
RESOLVED THESE ISSUES AND DEVELOPED THE FOLLOWING POLICIES:
A. CLS TYPE II SCHOOLS ARE NOW REFERRED TO AS ARMY CAPTAINS CAREER
COURSES [ACCC(S)]. THE FOLLOWING ARE THE ACCC(S):
 1) AIR DEFENSE ARTILLERY OFFICER ADVANCED COURSE

 2) ARMOR CAPTAINS CAREER COURSE (ACCC)
 
 3) AVIATION CAPTAIN CAREER COURSE

 4) CHEMICAL CAPTAIN CAREER COURSE (CCCC)

 5) COMBINED LOGISTICS CAPTAIN CAREER COURSE (CLCCC)

 6) ENGINEER CAPTAIN CAREER COURSE (ECCC)

 7) FIELD ARTILLERY CAPTAIN CAREER COURSE (FACCC)

 8) INFANTRY CAPTAIN CAREER COURSE (ICCC)

 9) MILITARY POLICE CAPTAIN CAREER COURSE (MPCCC)

PER REF B, MCU CONDUCTED A REVIEW OF THE CURRICULA OF THE ACCC(S)
AND DETERMINED THAT A SUPPLEMENTAL COURSE FOR MARINE OFFICERS
ATTENDING ACCC(S) WILL BE DEVELOPED. UNTIL SUCH A TIME AS AN ACCC
SUPPLEMENT IS DEVELOPED, ALL OFFICERS WHO COMPLETE AN ACCC ARE
CONSIDERED PME COMPLETE WITH NO ADDITIONAL PME REQUIREMENT. THE
PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED REQUIREMENTS OF AMPHIBIOUS WARFARE SCHOOL
DISTANCE EDUCATION PROGRAM (AWSDEP) PHASE I/EXPEDITIONARY WARFARE
SCHOOL DISTANCE EDUCATION PROGRAM (EWSDEP) 8650 ARE NO LONGER
APPLICABLE FOR ANY GRADUATES OF ACCC(S). CAREER LEVEL PME POLICY
WILL BE UPDATED AT SUCH A TIME WHEN AN ACCC SUPPLEMENT HAS BEEN
DEVELOPED. MARINE CAPTAINS WHO COMPLETE ACCC MAY CHOOSE TO
DISENROLL FROM AWSDEP PHASE I OR EWSDEP 8650 WITHOUT PREJUDICE.
B. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY CSCDEP 8845 COURSE IS NO LONGER A PME
REQUIREMENT FOR MARINE MAJORS PARTICIPATING IN OTHER SERVICE/FOREIGN
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL PME. MARINES CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN CSCDEP 8845
MAY CHOOSE TO COMPLETE THE COURSE OR DISENROLL WITHOUT PREJUDICE. 
MARINE MAJORS WHO COMPLETE OTHER SERVICE/FOREIGN INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
PME HAVE NO ADDITIONAL PME REQUIREMENT IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED PME
COMPLETE FOR THE GRADE OF MAJOR.
C. PER REF C INTERMEDIATE LEVEL PME RESIDENT ATTENDANCE WILL BE
DETERMINED BY A BOARD SELECTION PROCESS. PME POLICY IS THAT FOR
PURPOSES OF "PME COMPLETE" THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PME
ATTAINED THROUGH THE RESIDENT PROGRAM AND PME ATTAINED THROUGH THE
DISTANCE EDUCATION PROGRAM. ENROLLMENT IN CSCDEP IS ENCOURAGED AS
IT DOES NOT IMPACT THE OFFICER'S ELIGIBILITY FOR SELECTION TO ATTEND
THE RESIDENT PROGRAM. FURTHER INFORMATION CONCERNING THE
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL PME BOARD SELECTION PROCESS WILL BE PROMULGATED
WITH THE M&RA MARADMIN ANNOUNCING THE CONVENING OF THE INTERMEDIATE
LEVEL PME SELECTION BOARD THIS FALL FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2007-2008.
D. THE WARFIGHTING SKILLS PROGRAM 7400 HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED AND IS
NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR ENROLLMENT. THE OUTDATED WARFIGHTING SKILLS
PROGRAM 7400 HAS BEEN INCORPORATED INTO OTHER PROGRAMS AND COURSES
THROUGHOUT THE PME CONTINUUM AND IS NO LONGER A PME REQUIREMENT FOR
ANY GRADE THROUGHOUT THE TOTAL FORCE. MARINES CURRENTLY ENROLLED
MAY CHOOSE TO COMPLETE THE COURSE OR DISENROLL WITHOUT PREJUDICE.
E. REF B REQUIRED A WAIVER FOR STAFF NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICERS
DESIRING TO ENROLL IN OFFICER DISTANCE EDUCATION PROGRAMS. THIS
POLICY WILL AVAIL OFFICER DISTANCE EDUCATION PROGRAMS TO GUNNERY
SERGEANTS THROUGH SERGEANTS MAJOR/MASTER GUNNERY SERGEANTS. 
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY GUNNERY SERGEANTS THROUGH SERGEANTS
MAJOR/MASTER GUNNERY SERGEANTS WHO DESIRE TO ENROLL IN EWSDEP 8650
MUST SUBMIT A COMMANDING OFFICER'S ENDORSEMENT, VERIFYING THE MARINE
IS PME COMPLETE IN-GRADE, TO CCE PRIOR TO BEING ENROLLED. FIRST
SERGEANTS/MASTER SERGEANTS THROUGH SERGEANTS MAJOR/MASTER GUNNERY
SERGEANTS WHO DESIRE TO ENROLL IN CSCDEP MUST SUBMIT A COMMANDING
OFFICER'S ENDORSEMENT, VERIFYING THE MARINE IS PME COMPLETE
IN-GRADE, TO CCE PRIOR TO BEING ENROLLED.
3. MCU WILL COORDINATE WITH MMSB AND MMPR TO ENSURE PME CRITERIA FOR
PROMOTION CONSIDERATIONS ARE UPDATED. PME POLICY & OPERATIONS
DIVISION OF MCU IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PME ORDERS AND POLICY TO INCLUDE
MANAGEMENT AND INTEGRATION OF JOINT PME. ALL PME RELATED MARADMINS,
MESSAGES, AND OTHER TRAFFIC WILL BE COORDINATED THROUGH PME POLICY &
OPERATIONS DIV, MCU.
4. MCU PRESIDENT IS THE PME ADVOCATE FOR THE MARINE CORPS.