Precedence Levels for Manning and Staffing

Role and responsibility

The 0170 Manpower Officer applies MCO 5320.12H precedence rules at the unit level. The G-1 manpower officer at MEF level coordinates command precedence category designations with HQMC M&RA. The S-1 chief reads the semi-annual Authorized Strength Report (ASR) and maps the unit precedence category against the manning gap report. The S-1 officer briefs the commander on the unit precedence posture against the Commandant's Planning Guidance.

Source documents flow from the semi-annual ASR publication (current year, execution year, and the following nineteen out-years), MCO 5320.12H Enclosures 1 through 4 (Excepted Commands, Operating Forces Commands, Priority Commands, Proportionate Share Commands), the Commandant's Planning Guidance when issued, the TFSMS T/O baseline, and the MMEA inventory projection. Outputs include the unit precedence category designation, the precedence posture brief, the manning gap report annotated by precedence priority, and the Commandant's Planning Guidance impact assessment.

MCO 5320.12H is a manning prioritization framework. It is not the master Total Force Structure Process policy. The master policy sits at MCO 5311.1E. Read MCO 5320.12H to understand which commands fill first when MMEA holds limited inventory against T/O demand.

Trigger events

• Semi-annual ASR publication for current year, execution year, and out-years.
• Annual or out-year manning brief with the commander.
• Commandant's Planning Guidance issuance for a wartime contingency.
• Unit command type designation change (Excepted, Operating Forces, Priority, Proportionate Share).
• HQMC M&RA distribution decision impacting the unit inventory.
• MMEA monitor projection runs against the precedence framework.

The four precedence categories

MCO 5320.12H groups commands into four precedence categories. The categories drive the order in which MMEA fills T/O requirements when inventory is limited.

• Excepted Commands. Commands manned at higher precedence levels per Enclosure 1 of MCO 5320.12H. These commands fill to T/O regardless of broader inventory constraints.
• Operating Forces Commands. Operating forces precedence rules per Enclosure 2. Operating forces fill before non-operational requirements within the precedence cycle.
• Priority Commands. Priority command precedence rules per Enclosure 3. These commands rank above proportionate share commands.
• Proportionate Share Commands. Proportionate share manning rules per Enclosure 4. These commands receive a proportionate share of remaining inventory after Excepted, Operating Forces, and Priority Commands fill.

Within each category, MCO 5320.12H further prioritizes by mission essentiality, deployment cycle position, and other factors per the Commandant's Planning Guidance.

Processing workflow

1. Pull the current semi-annual ASR. The S-1 chief pulls the ASR from HQMC M&RA for the current year, the execution year, and the out-years.
2. Identify the unit precedence category. Match the unit to Excepted, Operating Forces, Priority, or Proportionate Share Commands using MCO 5320.12HMCO 5320.12H Enclosures 1 through 4.
3. Map the manning gap report against precedence. The S-1 chief annotates the gap report with the precedence category and the expected fill priority.
4. Pull the Commandant's Planning Guidance when applicable. For wartime contingency periods, the Commandant's Planning Guidance further prioritizes the distribution per MCO 5320.12HMCO 5320.12H.
5. Coordinate with the manpower monitor. The 0170 officer engages MMEA on the unit precedence category and the projected fill cycle.
6. Brief the commander. The S-1 officer briefs the commander on the unit precedence category, the projected fill against the gap, and the impact of any current Commandant's Planning Guidance.
7. Track precedence category changes. Unit type designation changes (e.g., a unit reassigned from Proportionate Share to Operating Forces) shift the fill priority. The G-1 manpower officer surfaces the change to the commander.
8. Reconcile ASR projection against actual inventory. The semi-annual ASR is an ideal solution. The actual inventory tracks against MMEA distribution per MCO 5320.12HMCO 5320.12H.

Systems of record and forms

Systems

• Authorized Strength Report (ASR). Semi-annual HQMC M&RA publication.
• TFSMS. Total Force Structure Management System holding the T/O baseline.
• MMEA monitor brief system. Internal HQMC system feeding monitor projections.
• HQMC M&RA portal. Holds MCO 5320.12H Enclosures and current Commandant's Planning Guidance.

Forms

• ASR publication. The semi-annual authorized strength report.
• Unit Precedence Category Designation. The unit command type designation under MCO 5320.12H.
• Precedence Posture Brief. Local brief framing the unit fill priority.
• Manning Gap Report (precedence-annotated). The gap report annotated with the precedence category.

Common pitfalls

• Precedence category misread from the ASR. The unit reads a higher category than its actual designation. Verify the unit category against MCO 5320.12HMCO 5320.12H Enclosures 1 through 4 at each ASR cycle.
• Commandant's Planning Guidance ignored. The commander runs without visibility on the wartime contingency precedence shift. Pull the current Commandant's Planning Guidance at each manning brief cycle.
• ASR projection treated as actual inventory. The ASR is an ideal solution. The MMEA monitor projection reflects the actual fill plan. Reconcile both at each manning brief.
• Precedence category change unreported. Unit type designation changes are surfaced on a delayed basis. The G-1 manpower officer surfaces the change at the moment of designation.
• Operating Forces over-prioritization in peacetime. Operating Forces hold precedence in operational tempo, but not necessarily at the absolute peak in peacetime. Read the Commandant's Planning Guidance for the active precedence framing.

Decision points

• Manning gap escalation by precedence. The gap in an Excepted or Priority Command BIC escalates ahead of a Proportionate Share Command gap of the same magnitude. The 0170 officer routes the escalation per MCO 5320.12HMCO 5320.12H framework.
• ASR baseline versus MMEA distribution. The ASR is the semi-annual baseline. MMEA distribution decisions adjust to actual inventory. The S-1 chief tracks both for the commander.
• Wartime contingency precedence. The Commandant's Planning Guidance shifts the precedence priorities during a wartime contingency per MCO 5320.12HMCO 5320.12H. The G-1 manpower officer briefs the commander on the wartime contingency impact.

Authority

This sub-page maps to NAVMC 3500.3E T-R event 0102-MPMN-2202 Manage the Manning and Staffing Process. The precedence framework sits under MCO 5320.12HMCO 5320.12H Precedence Levels for Manning and Staffing Administrative Change 2. The master T/O and TFSMS policy sits at MCO 5311.1EMCO 5311.1E Total Force Structure Process. The Commandant's Planning Guidance further prioritizes distribution during wartime contingencies. MCO 5320.12H Enclosures 1 through 4 group commands by precedence category.

Related references

• MCO 5320.12H Precedence Levels for Manning and Staffing. Primary precedence framework.
• MCO 5311.1E Total Force Structure Process. Master T/O and TFSMS policy.
• MCO 1300.8 Marine Corps Personnel Assignment Policy. Assignment rules anchoring the BIC fill.
• MCTP 3-30G Marine Corps Manpower and Personnel Administration. Manpower administration doctrine.
• Commandant's Planning Guidance. Wartime contingency precedence framing.