Enlisted Retention Task Force (ERTF) Conference After Action

1. THE 23RD ENLISTED RETENTION TASK FORCE (ERTF)
CONFERENCE WAS HELD ON 31 JULY 2003. THIS MESSAGE REVIEWS
TOPICS DISCUSSED AND ANNOUNCES THE DATE FOR THE NEXT CONFERENCE.
2. TOPICS DISCUSSED:
A. RETENTION UPDATE: AS OF 31 JULY 2003, 6066 FIRST TERM
MARINES HAVE EXECUTED REENLISTMENT, ACCOUNTING FOR 100.7% OF 
THE REENLISTMENT GOAL. THE FY03 FIRST TERM ALIGNMENT PLAN (FTAP)
GOAL OF 6022 HAS BEEN REACHED. HOWEVER, FY03 WILL REMAIN OPEN UNTIL
ALL REMAINING BOATSPACES ARE FILLED OR UNTIL THE CMC (MMEA-6)
DECLARES FTAP CLOSED. THE SELECTIVE REENLISTMENT BONUS PROGRAM
(SRBP) WILL REMAIN AUTHORIZED FOR QUALIFIED MOS'S UNTIL 31 AUGUST
2003. MARINES WHO DESIRE AN FTAP LATERAL MOVE FROM A CLOSED 03XX
MOS TO AN OPEN 03XX MOS WILL CONTINUE TO RECEIVE THE SELECTIVE 
REENLISTMENT BONUS UNTIL 31 AUGUST 03. THE SUBSEQUENT TERM 
ALIGNMENT PLAN (STAP) HAS 6158 MARINES WHO HAVE EXECUTED 
REENLISTMENT, ACCOUNTING FOR 99.8% OF THE RETENTION GOAL. THE 
FOLLOWING STAP MOS'S ARE CURRENTLY AT 0% AND CAREER MARINES ARE
ENCOURAGED TO REENLIST IN THESE MOS'S: 2831 MICROWAVE EQUIPMENT
REPAIRMAN AND 6466 AIRCRAFT FORWARD LOOKING INFRARED TECH. 
B. FY04 FAST FILLING MOS (FFM) SUBMISSION UPDATE: PER REF A,
THE FFM MARADMIN MESSAGE WAS RELEASED ON 9 JUNE 2003 WHICH CLARIFIED
THE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FOR THOSE MOS'S THAT CLOSE OUT EARLY IN
THE FISCAL YEAR. CURRENTLY, THERE ARE OVER 3,500 FTAP RELMS ON DECK
FOR FY04. OVER 2,000 RELMS SUBMITTED ARE CONSIDERED FFM'S. BECAUSE
THERE WERE MOS'S THAT WERE NOT ON THE ORIGINAL FFM LIST BUT REACHED
100% OF THEIR FTAP GOAL THROUGH REENLISTMENT REQUESTS, A SECOND FFM
BOARD WILL BE CONDUCTED. FURTHER GUIDANCE WILL BE RELEASED VIA
SEPARATE MARADMIN MESSAGE.
C. CRS INFORMATION: CROSS FISCAL YEAR EXTENSIONS OF FIRST TERM
MARINES WHICH ARE GRANTED BY COMMANDS ARE NOT AUTHORIZED. CROSS
FISCAL YEAR EXTENSIONS OF FIRST TERM MARINES WHO NEED ADDITIONAL
TIME TO PCS MUST BE APPROVED BY THE CMC (MMEA-6). 
D. MMEA COMMAND VISIT UPDATE: REFER TO REF B FOR A
COMPLETE LIST OF DATES AND COMMANDS TO BE VISITED BY MMEA DURING
FY04. 
3. THE NEXT ERTF CONFERENCE IS SCHEDULED FOR 25 SEPTEMBER 2003
AT 1530 (EST).
4. A DETAILED AGENDA FOR THE 24TH ERTF CONFERENCE WILL BE
FORWARDED TO CONFERENCE ATTENDEES BY SEPARATE CORRESPONDENCE.
5. INFORMATION CONCERNING ERTF BRIEFS, TIME, AND LOCATION ARE
AVAILABLE ON THE ENLISTED ASSIGNMENT BRANCH'S INTERNET WEB PAGE AT
WWW.USMC.MIL. SELECT "CAREER," "ENLISTED ASSIGNMENTS," "ENLISTED
CAREER COUNSELING AND RETENTION," THEN "ENLISTED RETENTION TASK
FORCE". UNITS ARE ENCOURAGED TO VISIT THE WEB PAGE.
6. POC IS CAPT A. H. SNOWDEN AT DSN 278-9240 OR COMMERCIAL (703)
784-9240.