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For more than a decade augmentation has been the great hurdle facing Reserve officers who would like to remain on active duty in the Corps. In this article, an officer close to the process shares his observations on how it works.
Soon after completion of the Officer Retention Board 93 (ORB), as the retention/release officer in the Officer Assignment Branch, I began to receive numerous calls requesting information on the results of the board. Many lieutenants and captains were notably disappointed as they were informed of their nonselection by a selection process that statistically has been one of the most difficult throughout the entire Marine Corps.
The records for those applicants who were not selected for further service through either augmentation or extension on active duty (EAD) were humbling. Looking at them, one quickly realizes that failure for selection to augmentation is an inappropriate statement for those affected. Simply put, no one failed augmentation; there just were not enough augmentation vacancies available for every highly qualified Marine officer. With the administrative preparations for ORB 94 quickly approaching, I wanted to take this opportunity to give potential applicants some general information about the augmentation board process, comment on last year's board, and put the upcoming board in perspective.
Historically, the augmentation process has been used to maintain the number of regular Marine officers at the authorized level through the promotion flowpoint to major. In earlier years, particularly after the Vietnam War, the augmentation process was conducted twice a year to compensate for the low officer retention rates. In recent years favorable public opinion of the military, coupled with a sluggish economy, have significantly increased the officer retention rate. This led to the use of only one ORB per year to adequately meet regular officer requirements.
An inherent purpose throughout the augmentation process has been the selection of the best qualified Reserve officers. With the high officer retention rates, the number of augmentation/EAD vacancies decreased as fewer regular officers were getting out. The high officer retention rate made the augmentation process what it is today-the most difficult hurdle to overcome in a young Marine officer's career.
Board Composition
The composition of the ORB is covered in Marine Corps Order (MCO) 5320.23H. ORB 93 consisted of fifteen...