HQMC Awards Processing System (APS) Submission - S-1 Procedural Page

Role and responsibility

Officers and civilians who originate awards must register on the HQMC APS per MCO 1650.19JMCO 1650.19J Enclosure 5 Section 1.c.(1). Enlisted Marines who aid in processing awards must register per Enclosure 5.c.(2). The S-1 chief supervises APS user registration. The S-1 officer signs awards in APS per Enclosure 5 Section 3. The awards clerk creates and processes nominations through the system.

Source documents flow from the awards nomination, the registered user accounts, the chain of command endorsements, and the awarding authority signature. APS actions land in the HQMC APS portal at https://awards.manpower.usmc.mil. Outputs include the certified APS submission, the signed award, the CMC (MMMA) forwarding record, and the unit awards register entry.

Per MCO 1650.19JMCO 1650.19J Enclosure 1 Section 2 paragraph 8, recommendations must be submitted on the HQMC APS 1650 (EF) electronic form unless delegated authority provides otherwise. Per Enclosure 5, the APS process covers user registration, award creation, signing, and forwarding. Per MARADMIN 665/17MARADMIN 665/17 paragraph 2, the current operational system is iAPS (Improved Awards Processing System), an HQMC MMMA enhancement supporting awarding of new V/C/R devices and improvements for originators, endorsers, and awarding authorities. The MCO 1650.19J Enclosure 5 "APS" reference and the current "iAPS" reference describe the same system at different points in its evolution.

Trigger events

• New originator officer or civilian requires APS registration.
• Enlisted Marine joins awards processing role requiring registration.
• Award nomination ready for APS entry.
• Signature action queued for the awarding authority.
• Award ready for forwarding to CMC (MMMA).
• APS account maintenance cycle.
• Administrative action required on existing award entry.

Processing workflow

1. Register on the HQMC APS. Per MCO 1650.19JMCO 1650.19J Enclosure 5 Section 1.a, log on at https://awards.manpower.usmc.mil and select Registration.
2. Validate user category. Per Enclosure 5 Section 1.c, registration is required for all officers/civilians who originate awards and enlisted Marines who aid in processing awards.
3. Create new award entry. Per MCO 1650.19JMCO 1650.19J Enclosure 5 Section 2, build the new award entry in APS.
4. Build the APS 1650 electronic form. Per Enclosure 1 Section 2 paragraph 8, complete the electronic form with citation, summary of action, and routing data.
5. Route through chain for endorsements. The immediate commanding officer endorses per Enclosure 1 Section 2 paragraph 8.a.
6. Sign the award. Per MCO 1650.19JMCO 1650.19J Enclosure 5 Section 3, the awarding authority signs in APS.
7. Forward awards to CMC (MMMA). Per Enclosure 5 paragraph 6, all awards must be forwarded to CMC (MMMA).
8. Track APS submission status. Pull case status on a fixed cycle.
9. Process administrative actions. Per Enclosure 5 paragraph 5, administrative actions handled per the system rules.
10. Document APS activity. Update the unit awards register with APS case number, status, and outcome.

Systems of record and forms

Systems

• HQMC Awards Processing System (APS). https://awards.manpower.usmc.mil
• CMC (MMMA). HQMC Awards Branch receives forwarded submissions.
• MCTFS. Holds award entries on approval.
• OMPF. Final record of approved awards.
• Unit awards register. Local register tracking APS submissions.

Forms

• HQMC APS 1650 (EF) Electronic Form. Standard submission format.
• APS User Registration Form. New user registration per Enclosure 5.
• Citation. Narrative justifying the award (entered in APS).
• Summary of Action. Detailed action narrative (entered in APS).

Common pitfalls

• Originator submits award without APS registration. Per MCO 1650.19JMCO 1650.19J Enclosure 5 Section 1.c, registration is required for originators.
• APS 1650 form completed without all required fields. The submission rejects on review. Validate every field before submission.
• Awarding authority signature step skipped. Per Enclosure 5 Section 3, the signing step is mandatory. The S-1 chief routes for signature.
• Forwarding to CMC (MMMA) skipped. Per Enclosure 5 paragraph 6, all awards forward to CMC (MMMA). The S-1 officer confirms forwarding.
• Administrative action handled outside APS. The audit trail breaks. Process per Enclosure 5 paragraph 5.

Decision points

• Originator versus processor registration. Per MCO 1650.19JMCO 1650.19J Enclosure 5 Section 1.c, both categories require registration with different scope.
• Delegated authority. Per Enclosure 1 Section 2 paragraph 8, recommendations submit on APS unless delegated authority provides otherwise. The S-1 officer validates against delegation memoranda.
• APS administrative action versus correction. Per Enclosure 5 paragraph 5, administrative actions follow the system rules. The S-1 chief routes per the action type.

Authority

This sub-page sits under MCO 1650.19JMCO 1650.19J Enclosure 5 (HQMC APS Process). Section 1 covers registration. Section 2 covers creating awards. Section 3 covers signing awards. Paragraph 5 covers administrative actions. Paragraph 6 covers forwarding to CMC (MMMA). Enclosure 1 Section 2 paragraph 8 establishes APS 1650 submission as the standard. MCO 5239.2BMCO 5239.2B governs APS access provisioning. S-1 responsibilities sit at MCO 5000.14DMCO 5000.14D MCAP enclosure 4. The processing workflow maps to NAVMC 3500.3E T-R event 0102-GENA-1007.

Related references

• MCO 1650.19J Enclosure 5. Authoritative APS process rules.
• MCO 1650.19J Enclosure 1 Section 2 paragraph 8. APS 1650 submission requirement.
• MCO 5000.14D Marine Corps Administrative Procedures. S-1 awards responsibilities.
• MCO 5239.2B Marine Corps Cybersecurity Program. APS access provisioning.
• NAVMC 3500.3E Manpower and Administration T-R Manual. Event 0102-GENA-1007.