Experience-Based Joint Duty Assignment Review Boards for Calendar Year 2026

1.  Purpose.  This message announces the schedule,
guidance, policy, and eligibility for the Calendar Year 2026
Experience-based Joint Duty Assignment (E-JDA) Review Board.
Manpower Management Officer Assignments, Joint Officer Matters
Office (JOMO) will function as the service lead in order to process
all E-JDA self-nominated submissions to the Joint Staff prior to
each board and in accordance with policy.
2.  Major Timeline Milestones:
2.a.  Board #1 January 2026
Date                    Milestone
28 November 2025        Self-nominated submissions due to HQMC
13-14 January 2026      O-5 and below E-JDA Board
15 January 2026         O-6 and above E-JDA Board
2.b.  Board #2 May 2026
Date                    Milestone
10 April 2026           Self-nominated submissions due to HQMC
19-20 May 2026          O-5 and below E-JDA Board
21 May 2026             O-6 and above E-JDA Board
2.c.  Board #3 September 2026
Date                    Milestone
7 August 2026           Self-nominated submissions due to HQMC
15-16 September 2026    O-5 and below E-JDA Board
17 September 2026       O-6 and above E-JDA Board
3. Background.  E-JDA Review Boards convene to assess whether the
submissions should be recognized as joint credit for the time
served, owing to substantial experience in joint matters.  Some
experiences outside the billets on the Joint Duty Assignment List
(JDAL) develop a cadre of officers with the skills to provide
strategic-level advice for the achievement of national, strategic,
and military objectives.  An E-JDA is a non-JDAL assignment or
experience that demonstrates an officer's mastery of knowledge,
skills, and abilities in joint matters.  All joint experience must
be focused at the strategic level, and not 'service centric'.
E-JDAs may be shorter in duration; therefore, they may be
aggregated to achieve the equivalent of a full joint tour of duty in
a standard JDA.  The E-JDA process will enable a point system to
recognize officers for their joint experiences in a systematic,
progressive manner.  Joint experiences will accrue points toward
three successive levels of joint qualifications and provide
commanders a greater degree of consistency in assessing the
capabilities of each officer.  This will enhance the DoD's ability
to ensure the appropriate mix of joint experienced officers in each
organization.  The E-JDA board will identify joint matters
experience by assessing the documented experiences as defined by
reference (c) and further explained in references (a) and (b).
Eligible Officers may submit their request for experience points
through the self-nomination process listed below.
4.  Eligibility
4.a.  Eligibility Criteria
4.a.1.  Officers must be at a minimum in the paygrade of O-3 or
above to be eligible for E-JDA.  Please note that any experience
obtained as an O-3 will max out at 12 points for Joint Qualification
(JQ) Level II (Joint MOS 9701).  In order for the experience to
count towards JQ Level III (Joint MOST 9702 / Joint Qualified
Officer), a 365 day recency requirement must be met (minimum of 12
points) as an O-4.  More details can be found in reference (a),
enclosure I, paragraph 3.
4.a.2.  Officers shall not self-nominate experiences for
consideration until "tour complete" or "experience complete."
Any experience submitted must be completed, and the billet
vacated prior to submission.
4.a.3.  Officers must submit their self-nomination experience
through the joint qualification system to the Marine Corps JOMO no
later than 12 months from the completion of their joint experience.
Late submissions will not be accepted without a waiver request
from the officer's first General Officer/Flag Officer in their chain
of command.
4.a.4.  The officer's self-nomination experience must cover a time
period of 30 days or more to be considered valid.
4.a.5.  The inclusive dates of experience include only arrival and
departure dates to the location of the actual experience.  Departure
date from home base and subsequent return date, travel, or training
dates must be excluded.
4.a.6. The assignment and the preponderance of duties must have
direct relevance to the statutory definition of joint matters.
4.b.  Ineligibility Criteria.
4.b.1.  Officers cannot nominate for student, fellowship, or intern
experiences that are affiliated with an educational, degree
granting, or research program.
4.b.2.  Officers cannot nominate for experience while serving in a
S-JDA position (these positions are already approved for joint
credit).
4.b.3.  Officers in the paygrade of O-1 or O-2.
5.  Submission Requirements.  The Services and Joint Staff will
return any submission that does not comply with stated policy.
5.a.  Joint Experience Summary (JES).  Complete the JES to the
fullest extent possible in accordance with references (a) through
(d).  Officers will ensure each self-nomination submission is
complete and accurate.  The E-JDA board will review the JES to
determine whether the experience demonstrates significant experience
in joint matters.  Be advised that this is the only portion of the
E-JDA submission that the E-JDA Board members will review.
5.b.  Validating and Supporting Documents.  The officer must include
the below list of validating documents when completing their
self-nomination within the Joint Qualification System to validate
the billet and time in the billet, as well as the qualifying
Intensity Factor (IF) levels (IF 1 denotes time served in a
non-combat zone, while IF 2 denotes time served in a combat zone
that rated Hazardous Duty Pay/Imminent Danger Pay (IDP).
5.b.1.  Fitness reports for the requested period.
5.b.2.  Any award citation, summary of action, and narrative for the
period being nominated.
5.b.3.  Official orders reporting and detaching endorsements to the
area(s) of experience requested.
5.b.4.  Chronological Record.
5.b.5.  Statement of Wartime Service for the period being nominated.
5.b.6.  DD214, if applicable.
5.b.7.  Defense Financial Accounting System (DFAS) adjudicated
Travel Voucher with Per Diem Breakdown (for any OCONUS travel).
5.b.8.  Leave and Earning Statements (LES).  For experiences that
were performed in a Combat Zone that would rate IDP.  IDP is
considered for an increase in the intensity factor multiplier.
Officers must submit a DFAS adjudicated travel voucher and a LES
showing the receipt of IDP for each month of the nominated
experience.  This documentation will validate actual
"boots-on-ground" (BOG) dates at the location where the duty
was performed.  BOG dates for approved submissions that cannot be
verified against supporting documentation post-board will reflect as
approved, but with no intensity factor multiplier.
5.b.9.  Statement of Service/Duties signed letter (Must be from an
O-6 or above in the event that Travel Vouchers cannot be acquired
for OCONUS Travel).  Additionally, in the event that a Fitness
Report is not published upon the completion of an experience
period, a Statement of Service/Duties from the Reporting Senior of
the experience period will need to be submitted.
5.b.10.  Acquisition Matters.  Per reference (a), if the submission
is for an experience within the "acquisition matters" portion of the
Joint Matters definition, provide documentation that the position
filled during the experience was a designated Defense Acquisition
Workforce position covered under Chapter 87 of Title 10.  Example
documentation includes proof of tour or training. The experience is
not board eligible without this documentation.
5.b.11.  Reserve Component.  Marine Reserve Orders Writing System
documents will be included when capturing periods of annual training
and active duty operational support.
5.b.12.  Part-time Reserve Component.  Include Reserve Point
Summary.
6.  The self-nomination web-based application can be found at:
https:(slash)(slash)dhramission.servicenowservices.mil.  Utilize the
JDAMIS E-JDA Officers User Manual.
7.  For further information on Joint Officer Matters or to submit
your E-JDA package please contact smb_jointmatters_active@usmc.mil
for Active Component Marines or smb_jointmatters_reserves@usmc.mil
for Reserve Component Marines.  Refer to the Joint Officer Matters
website at https:(slash)(slash)www.manpower.marines.mil/Divisions/
Manpower-Management/Officer-Assignments/Plans-and-Programs-MMOA-3/
#tab/joint-officer-matters or reach out directly to the JOMO
for questions.
8.  For all O-7 and above submissions, contact Manpower Management
Senior Leaders Management Branch (MMSL).
9.  This MARADMIN is applicable to the Total Force.
10.  Release authorized by BGen Fridrik Fridriksson, Director,
Manpower Management Division.