MARADMIN 270/05 - Aviation Commanders Preparation Program

Scope

MARADMIN 270/05 announced the Aviation Commanders Preparation Program. The program prepares aviation officers for command of aviation units and establishes the 6-month arrival rule. The incoming aviation commander arrives at the gaining command no later than 6 months before the scheduled change of command. Applicability is the Marine Corps Total Force.

Audience

• Incoming aviation commanders. Arrive 6 months before the change of command and complete pre-assumption training.
• Aviation Wing scheduling staff. Coordinate slating around the MAWTS-1 course schedule.
• Manpower and Reserve Affairs (M&RA). Adjudicates waivers to the arrival window.
• HQMC Aviation. Owns the program.

The 6-month arrival window

• The incoming aviation commander arrives at the gaining command at least 6 months before the scheduled change of command.
• The window provides time for flight refresher training in the unit's type-model-series, MAWTS-1 Aviation Commander's Course attendance, squadron observation in steady operations, Wing or Group integration, and the outgoing commander's context brief.
• Any deviation requires an M&RA waiver. The request routes through the chain of command with documented reasons.
• The window is the floor, not the operational ideal. A commander arriving inside 6 months compresses every preparation block.

Connection to higher policy

• MCO P3500.72. Aviation Training and Readiness Program. Parent training framework.

Connection to Marine Corps doctrine

• MCO 3500.27C. Paired with this message as authority for the arrival window in the portal's commander turnover checklists.
• MCO 5100.29C Enclosure 1 Chapter 3 paragraph 2.b and NAVMC 3500.109A Chapter 2 paragraph 1. Require flight refresher training and the MAWTS-1 Aviation Commander's Course before assumption.
• Cornerstone, the Commandant's Combined Commandership Course. General command preparation. The MAWTS-1 course is the aviation-specific pair. Both are required.

Status

Signed 2005-06-20 per the HQMC message index. Originator CMC Washington DC Aviation. The portal's commander turnover pages apply the 6-month arrival rule as current. Date settled from the message header, released 2005-06-20, confirmed against the archived message on 2026-07-16. One caution stands. Verify against current Aviation Commanders Preparation Program guidance before applying a 2005-era message.