Academic Year (AY) 17-18 Top Level School (TLS) Selection Board Announcement

1.  Purpose.  To announce the eligibility criteria and publish the available Top Level Schools (TLS) and Fellowships during AY 17-18.  Per the references, the TLS board will meet on or about 6 Dec 16 for approximately three weeks to select officers to attend the schools listed in paragraphs 3 and 4. The board will consist of 3 General Officers and 16 Colonels.  A sufficient number of primaries and alternates will be selected to fill the requirements from the eligible population.<br>
2.  Eligibility.<br>
2.a.  Eligibility Criteria:<br>
2.a.1.  Lieutenant Colonels and Lieutenant Colonels (sel) who have 24 months TOS (CONUS and OCONUS) by 31 Jul 17.  For officers who are selected to attend or are attending the Special Education Program, this TOS requirement applies to their utilization tour.<br>
2.a.2.  Officers selected by the CY16/FY18 Colonel Promotion Board who have not yet attended TLS.  The only TOS requirement for Colonels (sel) are Joint and Acquisition assignment restrictions.<br>
2.a.3.  Officers serving in Joint and Acquisition tours are eligible for selection at 24 months TOS (by 31 Jul 17).  These officers should contact their monitor with questions regarding eligibility.<br>
2.a.4.  Lieutenant Colonels slated to command or currently in command of an organization identified in the Command Screening Program who have completed a command tour by 31 Jul 17.<br>
2.b.  Ineligibility Criteria:<br>
2.b.1.  Colonels (sel) who were selected to Colonel on the FY17 or earlier Colonel selection boards.<br>
2.b.2.  Lieutenant Colonels passed for promotion to Colonel on the FY18 or earlier Colonel Selection Boards.<br>
2.b.3.  Lieutenant Colonels at or having attended TLS.<br>
2.b.4.  Majors in zone for Lieutenant Colonel on the FY18 board.<br>
2.b.5.  Restricted-Limited duty officers.<br>
2.b.6.  Officers attending or selected to attend Intermediate Level School (ILS) or Advanced ILS follow on schools:  School of Advanced Warfighting (SAW), School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS), School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS), or Maritime Advanced Warfighting School (MAWS).<br>
2.b.7.  Officers with approved retirements or resignations.<br>
2.c.  Prior to the board convening, otherwise eligible officers who wish not to be screened for TLS are required to indicate this on the online questionnaire and send an email to their PMOS monitor requesting to be Removed by Request (RBR).  Once the board is in session, officers who desire not to be screened must request in writing to the board president not to be considered for TLS and indicate the reason in their letter.  Officers will be removed from TLS consideration without prejudice.  This correspondence will not be placed in an officers OMPF.<br>
3.  Department of Defense (DOD) schools to which selections will be made on the AY 17-18 TLS board are listed below.  Schools, quotas, and convening dates are subject to change.  Officers who complete one of the following DOD schools will obtain JPME Phase II credit.<br>
COURSE TITLE                                QUOTA  CONVENES  GRAD<br>
Adv. Strategic Leadership Study Program     1      Jun 17    Jun 18<br>
(Note 1)<br>
Air War College                             8      Jul 17    Jun 18<br>
Army War College                            14     Jul 17    Jun 18<br>
College of Naval Warfare                    16     Jul 17    Jun 18<br>
College of International Security Affairs   1      Jul 17    Jun 18<br>
Eisenhower School (Note 2)                  14     Jul 17    Jun 18<br>
Information Resource Management College     1      Jul 17    Jun 18<br>
Joint Advanced Warfighting School           2      Jul 17    Jun 18<br>
Marine Corps War College                    11     Jul 17    Jun 18<br>
National War College                        14     Jul 17    Jun 18<br>
(Note 1) Followed by 1 year assignment at Ft Leavenworth as a seminar leader.<br>
(Note 2) Two students with an acquisition background (PMOS 8059/61) will be identified to participate in the acquisition curriculum.<br>
4.  Foreign senior service colleges and fellowships to which selections will be made are listed below.  Officers interested in a foreign, non-English speaking service school must take the Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB) and have it included in their record or have an established DLPT score on record for the target language.  Minimum DLAB score to attend language training is 100.  Officers completing a foreign PME assignment receive service TLS credit and JPME Phase I credit except as noted.  Fellowships grant service TLS PME credit only.<br>
COURSE TITLE                                QUOTA  CONVENES  GRAD<br>
Inter-American Defense College (Ft McNair)  1      Jul 18    Jun 19<br>
(Note 3)<br>
Israeli National Defense College (Note 4)   1      Jun 17    Jul 18<br>
NATO Defense College (Rome, Italy)<br>
    1st Session                             1      Sep 17    Feb 18<br>
    2nd Session                             1      Feb 18    Jul 18<br>
Dept of Homeland Security (Wash DC)         1      Jul 17    Jun 18<br>
Dept of Justice (Wash DC, Note 5)           1      Jul 17    Jun 18<br>
U.S. Institute of Peace (Wash DC)           1      Jul 17    Jul 18<br>
Dept of State, Diplomatic Security          1      Jul 17    Jun 18<br>
Services (Wash DC) <br>
Hoover Institution (Stanford)               1      Jul 17    Jun 18<br>
International Security Studies              1      Jul 17    Jun 18<br>
Program (Yale)<br>
JFK School of Government (Harvard)          1      Jul 17    Jun 18<br>
Penn State Logistics Fellowship             1      Jul 17    Jun 18<br>
(Note 6)<br>
School of Advanced International            1      Jul 17    Jun 18<br>
Studies (Johns Hopkins)<br>
SECDEF Corporate Fellowship (Note 7)        2      Jun 17    Jun 18<br>
Security Studies Program (MIT)              1      Jul 17    Jun 18<br>
United States Agency for                    1      Jul 17    Jun 18<br>
International Development (Wash DC)<br>
 (Note 3) Language training if required (Jan-Jun 18, Wash DC) <br>
JPME II credit upon completion.<br>
 (Note 4) No language training required.<br>
 (Note 5) Only open to PMOS 4402.<br>
 (Note 6) Only open to PMOS 0402 and 3002.<br>
 (Note 7) Corporation/company/location determined following selection.<br>
5.  Senior CMC Fellows to attend the Brookings Institution, Atlantic Council, Center for a New American Security, and Center for Strategic and International Studies (Wash DC, JUL 17-JUN 18) will be selected from those officers who are TLS graduates.<br>
6.  Board Communication and Update Material<br>
6.a.  Online Questionnaire<br>
6.a.1.  The online questionnaire is the primary mechanism for Officers to communicate with the board.  Such communication may call attention to any matter the officer considers important, including preferences for school.  Officers electing to remove their name from consideration shall complete the applicable portions of the online questionnaire and notify their PMOS monitor via email.<br>
6.a.2.  The TLS questionnaire is accessed through the Manpower and Reserve Affairs Homepage (www.manpower.usmc.mil).  From the homepage select "M(and)RA Applications" and then "Boards (and) Surveys" under the heading "Top Applications."  CAC certification is not required to access the site.  Additionally, officers are highly encouraged to submit all additional material electronically through the questionnaire.  Instructions on how to upload material are given at the bottom of the questionnaire.<br>
6.a.3.  The questionnaire will open upon release of this message and will close at 2359 EST on 22 Nov 16 to ensure all material is submitted to the board in a timely manner.  For questions concerning questionnaire eligibility, contact MMOA-3.  For questions concerning the functionality of the questionnaire, contact the Manpower and Reserve Affairs help desk at (703)784-9030 (DSN 278-9030) or email smb.m(and)ra.webmaster(at)usmc.mil.<br>
6.b.  Update material.  If unable to upload additional material through the questionnaire, all correspondence to the board must originate from or be endorsed by the eligible officer.  All correspondence addressed to the board including enclosures is destroyed upon completion of the board.  All correspondence must be received before 22 Nov 16 and sent to:<br>
      Headquarters U.S. Marine Corps<br>
      Manpower and Reserve Affairs (MMOA-3)<br>
      Attn: AY 17-18 TLS Board<br>
      3280 Russell Road<br>
      Quantico, VA 22134-5103<br>
smb email address:  smbmanpowerofficerpr(at)usmc.mil.<br>
6.c.  Photographs.  Officers have a personal responsibility to ensure their photograph is submitted and received by the board.  To parallel officer promotion board and command screening board requirements, an official photograph is required to be submitted for the TLS board.  Digital photographs are to be electronically filed in the OMPF per references (D) and (E).  Officers who submit digital photographs to the OMPF may confirm receipt of the digital photograph by contacting MMRP-60 and by verifying OMPF inclusion in Marine OnLine under the "My OMPF" tab.  All photographs must be dated within one year of the convening date of the board.  If electronic transmission of digital photographs is not possible, officers must submit a hard-copy photograph to the board.<br>
6.d.  Fitness reports.  Completed fitness reports must be submitted to MMRP-32 for inclusion into the OMPF via A-PES.  Incomplete fitness reports will not be accepted if forwarded to the board.<br>
6.e.  Deferrals.  Historically, the TLS board has selected a small number of officers who have subsequently been unable to attend school due to operational commitments.  On rare occasions, some officers may be slated to off-cycle TLS slots.  However, off-cycle TLS opportunities are extremely limited.  If a known operational commitment will preclude an officer from beginning the academic year (Jul 17), that information should be identified on the questionnaire.  Additionally, those officers should strongly consider requesting not to screen by removing their name by request (RBR).<br>
6.f.  Declinations.  Officers selected for TLS by the board who subsequently decline the opportunity to attend are required to submit their declination in writing wisth chain of command endorsement to include the first General Officer to CMC via MMOA-3.  The declination letter will become part of the officers OMPF.  Alternates fleeted up to fill vacated TLS quotas are also required to formally decline via the procedure described above if they decline the opportunity to attend school.<br>
7.  Points of Contact<br>
Col B. M. Wilson, MMOA Branch Head<br>
  DSN:  278-9300, COMM:  (703)784-9300<br>
  email:  blake.m.wilson(at)usmc.mil<br>
Col S. J. Lightfoot, Aviation Col Monitor<br>
   DSN:  278-9300 COMM:  (703)784-9300<br>
   email:  stephen.lightfoot(at)usmc.mil<br>
Col B. W. Neil, Ground Col Monitor<br>
   DSN:  278-9300, COMM:  (703)784-9300<br>
   email:  brian.neil(at)usmc.mil<br>
LtCol D. S. DeWolfe, Aviation LtCol Monitor<br>
  DSN:  278-9267 COMM:  (703)784-9267<br>
  email:  douglas.dewolfe(at)usmc.mil<br>
Maj H. Reifschneider, Aviation LtCol Assistant Monitor<br>
  DSN:  278-9267 COMM:  (703)784-9267<br>
  email:  harry.reifschneider(at)usmc.mil<br>
LtCol D. R. Everly, Ground LtCol Monitor<br>
  DSN:  278-9279 COMM:  (703)784-9279<br>
  email:  david.r.everly(at)usmc.mil<br>
Maj B. W. Faulk, Ground LtCol Assistant Monitor<br>
   DSN:  278-9279 Comm:  (703)784-9279<br>
   email:  blair.faulk(at)usmc.mil<br>
LtCol S. O. Meredith, Head, MMOA-3 Plans and Programs<br>
  DSN:  278-9284, COMM:  (703)784-9284<br>
  email:  scott.meredith(at)usmc.mil<br>
Maj M. D. Nicholson, Plans Officer, MMOA-3<br>
  DSN:  278-9284, COMM:  (703)784-9284<br>
  email:  mark.nicholson(at)usmc.mil<br>
Mr. M. G. Cooper, CMC Fellowships/Foreign PME MCU<br>
  DSN:  378-0696, COMM:  (703)432-0696<br>
  email:  michael.g.cooper2(at)usmc.mil<br>
Maj Rob Arant, PME Plans and Policy MCU<br>
  DSN:  378-4837<br>
  email:  robin.arant(at)usmcu.edu<br>
8.  This MARADMIN is not applicable to the Marine Corps Reserve.<br>
9.  Release authorized by MajGen Craig Q. Timberlake, Director, Manpower Management Division.