ACADEMIC YEAR 2025-2026 ADVANCED INTERMEDIATE LEVEL SCHOOL APPLICATION MESSAGE

MARADMINS : 343/24

R 291919Z JUL 24
MARADMIN 343/24
MSGID/GENADMIN/CG EDCOM QUANTICO VA//
SUBJ/ACADEMIC YEAR 2025-2026 ADVANCED INTERMEDIATE LEVEL SCHOOL
APPLICATION MESSAGE//
POC/MS. MELISSA CALLOWAY/PROGRAM MANAGER/SAW/MCU/TEL:
(703) 784-6800/DSN 278 EMAIL: [email protected]//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. Situation. Advanced Intermediate Level Schools
(A-ILS) produce officers qualified to fill high-impact service and
joint planning billets. These programs enhance an officer's ability
to derive critical insights from large quantities of information,
make timely and effective decisions, communicate succinctly verbally,
visually, and in writing; and collaborate to design cogent orders and
plans. The curricula of each A-ILE program: School of Advanced
Warfighting (SAW), School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS), School
of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS), and the Maritime Advanced
Warfighting School (MAWS) feature rigorous case studies, exercises,
staff rides, and a consideration of future war. Marine graduates
earn the secondary Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 0505
Operational Planner and an accredited master's degree. A-ILS
graduates also have a strong record of selection for promotion and
command based on their well-developed capability as leaders who
reason critically, solve complex problems, and apply operational art.
2. Mission. From August to November 2024, A-ILS selection boards
will convene to select the best qualified applicants for Academic
Year 2025-2026 (AY 25-26) in order to ensure the Marine Corps is
supported with highly capable and effective operational planners.
3. Execution.
3.A. Commanders Intent. SAMS, SAASS, MAWS, and SAW offer
exceptional opportunities for officers to advance their problem
solving and leadership skills through advanced intermediate level
education programs. The Marine Corps seeks to maximize the number
of high-caliber officers applying for and being selected into these
programs. Each school has overlapping selection timelines and
unique submission requirements that interested officers must meet.
The end state is an A-ILS AY 25-26 student body composed of officers
who demonstrate the character, competence, and creativity to excel as
planners, staff officers, and future commanders.
3.B. Concept of Operations. This concept of operations is separated
into four parts to represent the different Advanced Intermediate
Level Education application and selection processes. Marine officers
interested in pursuing a path to the Operational Planner MOS are
highly encouraged to apply to multiple schools. Because each program
has its own requirements, applicants should check the respective \
websites and contact representatives at each school, as required.
Applicants are also encouraged to begin preparations early to better
meet the application requirements.
3.B.1. SAW
3.B.1.A. Officers meeting the admissions criteria will, in
accordance with this Marine Administrative Message (MARADMIN),
accomplish the following: (1) submit a non-binding email stating
intent to apply, (2) submit all application materials, and (3) if
invited, participate in a SAW selection panel interview. Selected
applicants and alternates will be screened for eligibility, notified
by MARADMIN or service communication channels, and issued orders to
attend SAW.
3.B.1.B. General Eligibility Guidelines
3.B.1.B.1. Unrestricted officers from all MOS fields who are majors,
major-selects at the time of application, and those in zone for the
Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Lieutenant Colonel Promotion Selection Board.
3.B.1.B.2. Security Clearance: U.S. Marine Corps officers are
required to have, or have initiated, a Top Secret-Sensitive
Compartmented Information (TS-SCI) clearance before AY 25-26 school
year begins. For all other United States (U.S.) officers, a SECRET
clearance that will not expire during the AY, and must be TS-SCI
eligible.
3.B.1.B.3. All applicants from all U.S. Department of Defense
service branches and the U.S. Coast Guard must be Intermediate Level
School (ILS) or Intermediate Developmental Education (IDE) complete
or currently enrolled in good standing; and projected to complete
resident/non-resident ILS/IDE requirements no later than (NLT) June
2025. Failure to complete ILS (resident or non-resident) will
terminate eligibility.
3.B.1.B.4. International officers from non-English speaking
countries must have graduate-level capability to comprehend, read,
speak and write English (Test of English as a Foreign Language
(TOEFL): 83 on the internet based test or 560 on the paper based
test). The TOEFL score must be included on the application under the
civilian education section.
3.B.1.B.5. International officers must hold a qualifying
undergraduate degree (U.S. regionally or nationally accredited
bachelor's degree or equivalent). U.S. Officers with international
degrees should contact Marine Corps University (MCU) Registrar
office for special instructions. Registrar point of contact (POC)
is [email protected], (703) 432-5503, and DSN 278-5503.
3.B.1.C. The following are not eligible for consideration.
3.B.1.C.1. Marine officers who have not satisfied time on station
requirements and are not eligible to execute Permanent Change of
Station (PCS) orders during the summer of 2025. Marine officers who
are not summer of 2025 movers should contact their primary MOS
monitor to determine eligibility for PCS orders and submit an
Administrative Action (AA) form to request a tour length waiver.
Officers should not delay completion or submission of their
application while awaiting AA decision.
3.B.1.C.2. Officers who have not fulfilled an obligated payback
tour for a previously attended program.
3.B.1.C.3. Captains who are in zone for the FY 2026 Promotion
Selection Board for Major.
3.B.1.C.4. Officers may not be a Lieutenant Colonel at the time of
application. If an officer is in zone for Lieutenant Colonel on the
(FY) 2026 Lieutenant Colonel Promotion Selection Board and they fail
promotion selection, their eligibility to attend A-ILE is terminated.
3.B.1.C.5. Selected Marine Corps Reserve (SMCR), Individual Ready
Reserve (IRR), and Active Reserve (AR), are eligible to apply. SMCR,
IMA, and IRR officer applicants must be willing to accept orders for
a 12 to 24 month utilization tour at Headquarters, Marine Corps
Forces Reserve (MARFORRES) in New Orleans, LA, or Reserve Affairs
Division in Quantico, VA, immediately following graduation from SAW.
AR officer selectees will be assigned to a 36-month tour as an
Operational Planner at either MARFORRES or Reserve Affairs Division
following graduation from SAW.
3.B.1.C.5.A. SMCR, IMA, and IRR officers who complete SAW will be
required to conduct a minimum 12 month full-time payback tour after
SAW graduation. This tour may be extended up to 24 months on a
voluntary basis.
3.B.1.C.5.B. SMCR, IMA, and IRR applicants must submit a signed
Separate Written Agreement to Train (SWAT) at the time of application
to acknowledge and accept post-graduation utilization tour orders in
order to be eligible.
3.B.1.C.6. Joint Service Reserve and National Guard officers are not
eligible to apply.
3.B.1.C.7. Officers selected to assume command of a recruiting
station during FY 2025 are not eligible to apply.
3.B.1.D. Application and Selection Process
3.B.1.D.1. NLT 16 August 2024, applicants will send their "intent
to apply" via email to: the SAW organizational mailbox,
[email protected], SAW Program Manager,
[email protected]. Subject line should read,
"LAST NAME, F. M. - INTENT TO APPLY".
3.B.1.D.2. In the body of the email, provide first name, middle
initial, last name, rank, branch of service, military email,
personal email, and personal and work contact phone numbers.
Applicants will be sent a reply email with a link to application
instructions, forms, and the essay prompt. This information must be
completed NLT 30 August 2024. If the reply email is not received
within 48 hours, contact the SAW POC via phone or email.
3.B.1.D.3. For SAW, competitive applicants will be contacted to
schedule an individual panel interview between 1 September 2024 and
1 November 2024. In-person interviews for out-of-area applicants
are not required. Applicants outside the National Capital Region
who cannot make an in-person interview will be scheduled to conduct
a video teleconference (VTC) or phone interview. Out-of-area
applicants who choose to execute a face-to-face interview in
Quantico, VA will be responsible for travel, lodging, and incidental
costs. Contact information for the all A-ILE schools is included
below so that all interested officers have access.
3.B.1.D.4. Interview dates for SAW selection: 1 September 2024 -
1 November 2024.
3.B.1.D.5. Interview location: Warner Center, Bldg. 2044, Suite
2122, South Street, Quantico, VA, 22134. SAW will not conduct on-
site interviews at the United States Army Command and General Staff
College, Naval War College, or Air Command and Staff College. Joint
service SAW applicants from these sites will conduct VTC or phone
interviews. Marine POCs at the above locations, listed in paragraph
five, will assist in the scheduling of VTC interviews.
3.B.1.D.6. Between 1 November 2024 and the end of December 2024, SAW
will ensure selected students for all A-ILE programs are approved
for attendance by their respective service or nation. Nominated
international officers are invited through the International
Military Training office, which in turn coordinates with the officers
military assignment staff. Once approved, selection results will be
announced via separate MARADMIN with a goal for release of the
selection message in early December 2024.
3.B.1.D.7. Questions about the application or website problems
should be directed to SAW POC, Ms. Melissa Calloway.
3.B.2. SAMS
3.B.2.A. The Advanced Military Studies Program (AMSP) is a one year
graduate-level education program of SAMS. The vision for AMSP is to
develop effective planners who help senior leaders understand the
operational environment and then visualize and describe viable
solutions to operational problems. Graduates of the AMSP are
critical and creative thinkers grounded in operational theory,
doctrine, and history; can identify problems and propose viable
solutions; can clearly communicate to various audiences orally,
graphically, and in writing; are good leaders and great teammates
who collaborate effectively to get the job done; have the courage to
lead from above, beside, and below; are physically and mentally
tough; and are humble professionals who are more than they seem.
3.B.2.B. The AMSP is for majors and junior lieutenant colonels who
have completed their Intermediate Level Education requirement or
equivalent, with the majority coming to AMSP from Command and
General Staff School.
3.B.2.C. If interested in applying to the United States Army AMSP,
contact Ms. Ashley Caudle, (comm) (913) 758-3300/DSN 585 or
[email protected].
3.B.3. SAASS
3.B.3.A. SAASS is the U.S. Air Force and Space Force graduate
school for strategists. A highly qualified and motivated faculty, a
small and carefully selected student body, a coherent and
challenging curriculum, outstanding educational and research
resources, and a well-designed facility combine to produce
tomorrow's senior military leaders who are experts in the role of
military force in the art of statecraft. At the core of the program
is a one-year in-residence Master of Philosophy degree in Military
Strategy. For a select cadre of top graduates, SAASS also offers a
Doctorate of Philosophy in Military Strategy. The emphasis is not
on military operations; but, rather on the strategic nexus where
military and security professionals interact with decision makers on
policy, diplomacy, international relations, geopolitics, and matters
of military and political theory. In short, SAASS takes air, space,
and cyber-minded officers and educates them to become strategists at
the national level where the military tool (airpower in particular)
is contemplated as one of several instruments of power that may
(or may not) be appropriate for achieving national objectives.
3.B.3.B. SAASS is tailored for majors and junior Lieutenant
Colonels that have completed Intermediate Level Education.
3.B.3.C. If interested in applying to the U.S. Air Force SAASS,
information can be found at https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/SAASS/
and inquiries can be submitted to the SAASS organizational email
address at; [email protected].
3.B.4. MAWS
3.B.4.A. MAWS is the U.S. Navy's resident A-ILE program, completed
in Conjunction with the College of Naval Command and Staff
curriculum. This course will develop strategic and operational
leaders with the skills required to plan, execute, and assess
combined, joint, and naval operations.
3.B.4.B. U. S. Marine Officers are selected to MAWS by interviewing
with the SAW faculty and staff. They are not required to apply
directly to MAWS. This coordination with the MAWS staff allows for
maximum flexibility to seat students at either A-ILE school. U.S.
Marine Officers interested in attending MAWS should apply to SAW
directly, and are encouraged to list Naval Command & Staff College
high on their preference choices for the Commandant's Professional
Intermediate-level Education Board (CPIB) questionnaire.
4. Administration and logistics
4.A. Follow-on assignments. 0505 Operational planners are a low
density, high-demand MOS in critical billets. 0505 assignments are
normally 36 months. Lieutenant Colonels and Lieutenant
Colonel-selects with the 0505 MOS will be eligible to screen for
command after their first 12 months of their 36 month utilization
tour.
5. Command and Signal
5.A. POC at SAW:
5.A.1. SAW Deputy Director: Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Secor,
USMC, comm (703) 784-6890/DSN 278 or [email protected].
5.A.2. SAW Program Manager: Ms. Melissa Calloway,
comm (703) 784-6800/DSN 278 or [email protected].
6. Release authorized by Brigadier General M. W. Tracy,
Commanding General, Education Command.//