MARADMIN 086/23 - Military Awards Guidance for the 2023 Permanent Change of Station Season

Scope

MARADMIN 086/23 published the Department of the Navy Personal Military Decoration (PMD) processing guidance for the 2023 Marine Corps PCS season from HQMC Manpower Management Military Awards Branch (MMMA). The message covered nominee identification, iAPS origination and format rules, submission timelines, expedite requests, retirement award dating, Certificate of Commendation processing after the January 2022 iAPS update, and the recurring mistakes MMMA saw in PMD packages.

Audience

Unit Award Administrators (UAAs). Award originators. Awarding authorities. S-1 and IPAC personnel processing awards in iAPS. Servicing personnel administration centers reporting Certificates of Commendation on unit diary.

Key clauses

• Identifying nominees. Before PCS season, UAAs download the unit outbound roster from MCTFS and publish it to command leadership. Originators identify high performers deserving of PMDs and submit recommendations in iAPS early enough to finish before the planned presentation date. The message names a best practice: track recommended awards on a spreadsheet and brief pending PMD status to the unit commander on a regular basis until PCS season ends or every pending PMD completes.
• PMD format. Every DoN PMD from a Marine Corps command originates in iAPS with a Summary of Action. SECNAV M-1650.1 limits the SOA to two pages. The iAPS SOA field has no character limit, so originators verify length with the print PDF button. The SOA requirement covers all Marine Corps personnel and other service members assigned to Marine Corps commands.
• Opening sentences. Each DoN PMD has a unique opening sentence and two authorized closing formats. Name the nominee unit only to the point of clear identification. "The Battalion Intelligence Officer of 3d Battalion" is inadequate. "The Battalion Intelligence Officer of 3d Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment" identifies one unit.
• Citations and certificates. Signed certificates and citations match the PMD level approved in iAPS. The certificate and citation attach to the certificate section of the iAPS case so MMMA uploads the award into the recipient OMPF. Meritorious Service Medal and above carry a 1670 character citation limit in standard sentence format. Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and below carry a 1250 character limit in all capital letters, with authorized deviations of 8 to 12 point pitch and 0.5 to 1.0 inch margins.

Timelines

• PMD nominations arrive at the final awarding authority at least 60 days before the desired presentation date.
• CMC-approved awards, for example a Legion of Merit in connection with transfer, reach CMC (MMMA) in iAPS no later than 60 days before the planned presentation.
• SECNAV-approved awards, Distinguished Service Medal and higher, reach CMC (MMMA) in iAPS no later than 90 days before the planned presentation.
• UAAs pull a unit timeliness report from iAPS to calculate the average approval time at their command and advise originators on submission timing.

Expedite requests

MMMA acts on expedite requests for retirement, relief and appointments, or change of command. A General Officer or their Chief of Staff signs the request. MMMA takes no action on requests signed by direction. An expedite reduces the votes required by the HQMC Military Awards Board without guaranteeing completion by the presentation date. The request explains the need. Administrative oversight and operational tempo are not acceptable justifications.

Retirement and separation awards

The end of action date for a separation or retirement award is the presentation date or a date before terminal leave commences, whichever comes first. This window lets MCTFS report the award so the DD-214 records it. An award reported after terminal leave begins normally misses the DD-214 and forces the Marine to request a correction to the DD-214 and service record.

Certificates of Commendation and below

iAPS incorporated Certificate of Commendation processing in January 2022. Commands remain authorized to create Certificates of Commendation and below outside iAPS, and servicing personnel administration centers remain authorized to report them on unit diary. A SOA is not required. Originators type "SOA not required" in the SOA field. A Meritorious Mast created in iAPS forwards to MMMA automatically upon O-3 commander approval, so upload the signed certificate before approval to keep unsigned certificates out of OMPF.

Common mistakes

• Incorrect opening or closing sentences.
• Inconsistent action dates across the NAVMC 11533, SOA, citation, and certificate.
• Incorrect action dates for Marines separating from service.
• Dates on the certificate differing from the iAPS approval date.
• "Great credit" used below the Air Medal.
• A commander approving an award outside their awarding authority.
• A commander directing rescission and origination of a lesser award. Only the official with approval authority downgrades or disapproves.
• The approved iAPS award differing from the citation and certificate presented.
• A Marine commander approving a DoN PMD for a foreign service member. SECNAV is the awarding authority for DoN PMDs to all foreign service members per SECNAVINST 1650.1J.
• Letters of transmittal or the NAVMC 11533 attached to the iAPS certificate field. Attached items land in the recipient OMPF.

References cited inside the message

• SECNAVINST 1650.1J, Department of the Navy Military Awards Policy
• SECNAV M-1650.1, Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual
• MCO 1650.19J w/CH-1, Administrative and Issue Procedures for Decorations, Medals, and Awards

Status

Superseded. MARADMIN 093/25 cancels this message together with MARADMINs 065/20, 080/21, 132/22, and 222/24 and publishes the enduring PCS season guidance. Retained in the registry for citations anchored to the 2023 season. Applicable to the total force at release. POC at release was Maj J. E. James, HQMC MMMA.