4 Tips to Survive Marine Corps Layoffs

Competition to keep the title of Marine will increase as the Corps reduces its manpower from 202,000 to 182,100 by 2016, a planner from the Pentagon told Marines on base Tuesday.

Officials contend that cuts will be made in a way that benefits the service.

“We’re going to take a scalpel, not a chainsaw,” said Lt. Col. Kevin Williams of the Manpower Plans, Programs and Budget Branch of the Marine Corps.

Lower-performing Marines will likely leave the service, and unnecessary job specialties will be cut, officials emphasized. The result will be fewer but more effective Marines, his colleague Lt. Col. Douglas Feiring added.

“We want to make sure the Marine Corps has the right flavor of Marine,” he said.

Camp Pendleton itself will be reduced by 2,300 Marines by 2016, the North County Times reports.

Col. Bill Tosick, also of the Programs and Budget Branch of the Marine Corps, briefed Marines about the troop reduction.

“Attrition is an essential element of our manpower,” he said. “We’re an up or out society, so some people are going to leave when they don’t want to leave. That’s just the way it is.”

If too many Marines remain, some will have to be evaluated by separation boards, but officials will try to maximize voluntary separations with various programs for enlisted Marines and officers, Tosick said.

Patch prepared tips based on Tosick’s presentation:

• Verify your records at Marine Online. “I will guarantee you that there is something wrong with your records,” Tosick said.  “We can blame a lot of stuff on Headquarters Marine Corps, but this isn’t one of them.”

• Have an official picture taken for your records. It used to be that Marines could be promoted without an official portrait in their records, but not anymore. “Not during the drawdown—no way,” Tosick said. The photos can be taken even on deployment, his colleagues added.

• Explore other jobs in the Marine Corps. If you’re in an oversaturated Military Occupation Specialty, look at other options for switching to ones that have more demand. Tosick delivered good news for those already in needed job fields. “If you’re in one of those MOSs that’s been hard keeping filled, you’re probably getting a bonus,” he said.

• Be the best Marine you can be. “Bring your A-game each and every day,” he said.

Staff Sgt. Ryan Mallon, a finance technician with a decade of service, said he will emphasize the importance of checking records to his subordinates.

His goal is also to make sure his Marines aren’t separated from the Marine Corps involuntarily, for their sake and for his own. Having Marines kicked out will make their superiors look bad for their commanders and any boards, he said.

“You’ve got to stay on top of your game,” he said.  “You can’t slack off.”

Patch has been covering the drawdown and will continue to do so. You can track stories on the Marine Corps Drawdown topic page.

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