FY18 MMEA Retention Roadshow on Okinawa Aug. 14-17

Photo By Sgt. Jessica Collins | The Manpower Management Enlisted Assignment Retention Roadshow is coming to Okinawa Aug. 14-17. All Marines eligible for reenlistment are encouraged to attend the roadshow and take advantage of the opportunity to speak one-on-one with their monitors about their career and opportunities in the future. First timers will have the opportunity to receive on the spot reenlistments.  

CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, JAPAN

08.11.2017

Story by Lance Cpl. Danielle Prentice 

Marine Corps Installations Pacific

The Manpower Management Enlisted Assignment Retention Roadshow is coming to Okinawa Aug. 14-17.

Monitors, career counselors and career planners will be hard at work getting this show on the road, preparing all Marines eligible for reenlistment fiscal year 2018.

All Marines eligible for reenlistment are encouraged to attend the roadshow and take advantage of the opportunity to speak one-on-one with their monitors about their career and opportunities in the future. First timers will have the opportunity to receive on the spot reenlistments.

“On the spot reenlistments are something we used to do a long time ago,” said Staff Sgt. Edward Nieves, a career planner, staff noncommissioned officer in charge with Combat Element, Marine Headquarters Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. “Once we started the drawn down process, the Marine Corps did away with it. We’re trying to get back into it now that we leveled the playing field with our retention goals.”

Retention is the way the Marine Corps ensures its force, or cohort as career planners say, remains combat ready and billets are filled. Monitors deal with manpower and assign Marines to fill vacant billets across the Corps.

According to Master Sgt. David J. Doten, the Marine Corps Installations Pacific career planner, staff noncommissioned officer in charge with Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Installations Pacific-Marine Corps Base Camp Butler, Japan, recruiters enlisted less Marines during the draw down in 2014. As a result, retention and the ability to fill vacant billets became more difficult.

“This year’s cohort is smaller than past years, because this is the first year since the draw down,” said Doten. “The reenlistment population is smaller, but we must maintain the same amount of Marines each year to sustain the force.”

If Marines have questions they are encouraged to reach out to their career planners. They can also refer to the Marine administrative message 350-17 MARADMIN 331-17 and the Marine Corps Installations Pacific’s Facebook page for future dates and schedules.

• Date Taken: 08.11.2017
• Date Posted: 08.11.2017 01:19
• Story ID: 244531
• Location: CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, JP