FY04 Reserve Promotion Affiliation Program (RPAP)

1. THIS MARADMIN ESTABLISHES POLICY AND PROVIDES 
INSTRUCTION FOR THE CONTINUATION OF THE RESERVE PROMOTION 
AFFILIATION PROGRAM. 
2. THE RPAP IS A RETENTION INCENTIVE DESIGNED FOR MEMBERS OF THE 
MARINE CORPS RESERVE AND FORMER ACTIVE DUTY (REGULAR COMPONENT OR 
ACTIVE RESERVE) MARINES IN THE GRADES OF LANCE CORPORAL AND CORPORAL 
WHO REMAIN AFFILIATED WITH, OR JOIN, AN SMCR UNIT IN ACCORDANCE WITH 
THE POLICY CONTAINED IN THIS MESSAGE. 
3. MARINES MAY BE PROMOTED TO THE NEXT HIGHER GRADE PROVIDED THEY 
MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA: 
A. CURRENT SMCR MARINES: 
(1) MUST HAVE COMPLETED A MINIMUM OF SIX CONSECUTIVE SATISFACTORY 
YEARS OF SMCR PARTICIPATION DURING A CURRENT OR PRIOR ENLISTMENT. 
(2) MUST HAVE SIX CONSECUTIVE MONTHS OF SATISFACTORY PARTICIPATION 
AT REGULARLY SCHEDULED INACTIVE DUTY TRAINING (IDT) DRILL PERIODS 
DURING THE MONTHS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING PROMOTION. 
B. INDIVIDUAL READY RESERVE (IRR) MARINES (NOT CURRENTLY A 
MEMBER OF THE SMCR): 
(1) MUST HAVE COMPLETED A MINIMUM OF SIX CONSECUTIVE SATISFACTORY 
YEARS OF SMCR PARTICIPATION OR MUST HAVE COMPLETED A MINIMUM OF 4 
YEARS OF ACTIVE COMPONENT-ACTIVE RESERVE SERVICE. 
(2) MUST JOIN AN SMCR UNIT WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF THEIR TRANSFER TO THE 
IRR OR RELEASE FROM ACTIVE DUTY. 
(3) MUST SATISFACTORILY COMPLETE SIX CONSECUTIVE MONTHS OF SCHEDULED 
IDT DRILL PERIODS DURING THE MONTHS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING PROMOTION. 
C. THE QUALIFIED APPLICANT MUST: 
(1) EFFECT A SEPARATE WRITTEN AGREEMENT TO TRAIN (SWAT) FOR A 
MINIMUM OF TWO YEARS AND, IF NECESSARY, EXECUTE A REENLISTMENT OR 
EXTENSION OF ENLISTMENT FOR A PERIOD NECESSARY TO FULFILL THE 
REQUIRED MINIMUM TWO YEAR SERVICE OBLIGATION UPON PROMOTION. 
(2) BE CURRENTLY FILLING OR SCHEDULED FOR ASSIGNMENT TO A T/O BILLET 
COMMENSURATE WITH THE RPAP PROMOTION GRADE. 
(3) POSSESS THE PRIMARY MOS FOR THE BILLET ASSIGNMENT. 
(4) MEET REENLISTMENT PREREQUISITES LISTED IN REFERENCE (A). 
(5) NOT HAVE BEEN REDUCED TO THEIR CURRENT GRADE WITHIN THE PAST TWO 
YEARS. 
(6) HAVE NO UNEXCUSED DRILLS OR NJP. 
(7) NOT HAVE PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED AN RPAP PROMOTION. 
4. SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS. 
A. PROMOTION IS NOT POSSIBLE WITHOUT A PROMOTION CONTROL NUMBER 
(PCN). A PCN MUST BE OBTAINED FROM CMC(RAP), AFTER WHICH ANY 
NECESSARY REENL/EXT REQUESTS MAY BE SUBMITTED VIA THE TOTAL FORCE 
RETENTION SYSTEM (TFRS). THE PCN MUST BE ANNOTATED WITHIN THE TFRS 
REQUEST. THE RPAP'S ALLOCATIONS WILL BE BROKEN DOWN IN THE FOLLOWING 
MANNER AND AVAILABLE ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED BASIS: 1ST QTR - 
35; 2ND QTR - 35; 3RD QTR - 75; 4TH QTR - 55. 
B. UNIT COMMANDERS, AS DEFINED IN REF (B), ARE AUTHORIZED TO 
PROMOTE CORPORALS AND LANCE CORPORALS TO SERGEANTS AND CORPORALS 
RESPECTIVELY ONCE ALL RPAP REQUIREMENTS ARE MET AND A "SELECT GRADE" 
INDICATING THE RPAP DATE OF RANK IS POSTED IN MCTFS. 
C. RPAP DATE OF RANK (DOR). 
(1) FOR MARINES MEETING ALL RPAP REQUIREMENTS: RPAP DOR WILL BE THE 
1ST DAY OF THE MONTH FOLLOWING ISSUANCE OF PCN. 
(2) FOR MARINES REQUIRING REENL/EXT: RPAP DOR WILL BE THE 1ST DAY 
OF THE MONTH FOLLOWING REENLISTMENT/SIGNING OF THE EXTENSION. 
(3) FOR AFFILIATING MARINES: RPAP DOR WILL BE THE 1ST DAY OF THE 
MONTH FOLLOWING THE SATISFACTORY COMPLETION OF HIS/HER SIXTH 
CONSECUTIVE MONTH OF SCHEDULED IDT. 
D. PAY AND ALLOWANCES WILL ACCRUE FROM THE FIRST DAY OF THE 
MONTH IN WHICH THE PROMOTION IS EFFECTED. 
E. MARINES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR ONLY ONE PROMOTION UNDER THIS 
PROGRAM. 
F. ALL PROMOTION WARRANTS EFFECTED UNDER THIS PROGRAM WILL BE 
PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH FIGURE 4-6 OF REF (B). THE PROMOTION 
AUTHORITY IS THE PROMOTION CONTROL NUMBER. 
G. RPAP PROMOTIONS ARE CONSIDERED REGULAR PROMOTIONS AND 
PROMOTIONS WILL BE EFFECTED ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH. TIME IN 
GRADE REQUIREMENTS (8 MONTHS/9 MONTHS FOR PROMOTION TO CORPORAL AND 
12 MONTHS FOR PROMOTION TO SERGEANT) REMAIN THE SAME FOR REGULAR 
PROMOTIONS HOWEVER TIME IN SERVICE REQUIREMENTS ARE WAIVED AS IT 
APPLIES TO THIS INCENTIVE PROGRAM. 
H. THE FY-04 RPAP WILL BE EFFECTIVE 1 OCT 03. 
5. THE RPAP BENEFITS THE RESERVE FORCE BY RETAINING QUALITY MARINES 
IN SMCR UNITS. MARINES PROMOTED UNDER THIS PROGRAM WILL HAVE THEIR 
PROMOTIONS REVOKED IF, AFTER PROMOTION, THEY CHOOSE TO TRANSFER TO 
THE IRR, ACTIVE COMPONENT OR ACTIVE RESERVE PROGRAM, OR PERFORM 
ACTIVE DUTY SPECIAL WORK (OTHER THAN AT THE UNIT OR BILLET IN WHICH 
THEY NORMALLY DRILL) FOR A PERIOD GREATER THAN 139 DAYS (CUMULATIVE) 
WITHIN 12 MONTHS OF THEIR RPAP PROMOTIONS. THE REVOCATION RULE DOES 
NOT APPLY TO MARINES WHO ARE MOBILIZED OR PERFORM ACTIVE DUTY 
SPECIAL WORK - CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS (ADSW-CO). 
A. FAILURE TO FULFILL THE RPAP AFFILIATION REQUIREMENTS, FAILURE 
TO SATISFACTORILY PARTICIPIATE IN THE SMCR AS A DRILLING RESERVIST 
FOR A TWO YEAR PERIOD AFTER PROMOTION, AND/OR A MARINE'S WITHDRAWAL 
FROM THIS PROGRAM WILL RESULT IN AN ADMINISTRATIVE REDUCTION TO THE 
GRADE HELD PRIOR TO THE RPAP PROMOTION. 
B. IF REDUCED, THE DATE OF RANK ORIGINALLY POSSESSED IN THE 
PREVIOUS GRADE WILL BE REASSIGNED. THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF REDUCTION 
WILL BE THE DATE THE MARINE IS: 
(1) DECLARED AN UNSATISFACTORY PARTICIPANT; 
(2) TRANSFERRED TO THE IRR/AR/ADSW/AD, PRIOR TO THE MARINES 12 
MONTHS, OR DISCHARGED; OR 
(3) THE MARINE INDICATES IN A PAGE 11 STATEMENT, HIS/HER 
DESIRE TO WITHDRAW FROM THE PROGRAM. 
C. THIS MSG CONSTITUTES THE AUTHORITY FOR A REDUCTION EFFECTED 
AS A RESULT OF NONCOMPLIANCE WITH RPAP CRITERIA. 
6. THIS MARADMIN IS CANCELLED 30 SEP 04.