Strategic Location Incentive Program (SLIP)
Volunteer for a hard-to-fill duty station and earn the right to choose your next assignment. SLIP rewards Marines willing to serve in remote, overseas, or critical billets.
What Is SLIP?
SLIP (Strategic Location Incentive Program) is a deal: you volunteer for a tour at a tough-to-fill duty station—overseas, remote, or requiring special skills—and in return, when that tour ends, you get to choose where you go next.
It's a way the Marine Corps fills critical billets while giving career Marines control over their next move.
Why SLIP Matters to You
You get agency. Most assignments come down from your PMOS monitor based on Marine Corps needs. SLIP flips that: you volunteer, and your preferred follow-on duty station is locked in your orders before you leave.
It's a retention tool. If you're thinking about staying in, SLIP gives you a concrete incentive: harder tour now, better choice later.
It applies to your whole second tour. The incentive doesn't expire. Your follow-on assignment sticks with you for the full tour.
Am I Eligible?
You rate SLIP if you meet ALL of these:
- Reenlistment Zone B, C, or D. You've completed your first enlistment and are eligible to sign another contract.
- No RE3O code. Your reenlistment code must be good. If you have RE3O (disqualifying), you're out.
- Not slated for HSST or special duty. You can't be identified for Headquarters screening (HSST) or already selected for a special duty assignment at the time you get SLIP orders.
- Time-on-station requirement met. You've been at your current duty station long enough per MCO 1300.8.
- Enough service obligation remaining. You have to commit to enough time to complete the SLIP assignment and your follow-on tour.
Check with your PMOS monitor to confirm you rate it.
Which Billets Qualify?
Your MOS determines what counts as "hard to fill." Monitor discretion varies by community, but generally SLIP covers:
- Overseas postings (Okinawa, Guam, Bahrain)
- Remote CONUS locations (29 Palms, Bridgeport, Camp Lejeune certain units)
- Billets requiring special training (Intelligence, Cyber, Recon, Communications schoolhouse)
Current eligible locations by MOS are listed in the companion reference page.
The list is guidance only. Your monitor makes the final call on what's available and what counts as difficult to fill for your specialty.
How the Program Works
Step 1: Volunteer. You express interest in a SLIP-eligible billet.
Step 2: Get orders with a follow-on agreement. Your orders include SLIP language that locks in your preferred follow-on duty station before you deploy or move.
Step 3: Serve the tour. Complete the assignment as ordered.
Step 4: Get your follow-on assignment. When the tour ends, you move to the duty station you requested, with no re-screening needed.
Your DCC code. Once you accept a SLIP assignment, you'll be assigned a Draw Case Code (DCC) of "DS" in the Marine Corps Total Force System (MCTFS). This code does two things: it locks you in place for your current tour and follow-on, and it prevents you from being offered other special programs until both tours are complete.
Next Steps
Talk to your PMOS monitor. They maintain the list of current SLIP billets for your MOS and know which ones are actually open. The locations listed in this policy are representative, not exhaustive. Availability changes.
Confirm your eligibility. Walk through the five checks above with your monitor or your first sergeant to make sure you rate SLIP before your next reenlistment window.
Ask about follow-on preferences. If a SLIP billet interests you, your monitor can walk you through what follow-on assignments are available under SLIP for your community.
References
MARADMIN 470/24: Strategic Location Incentive Program (SLIP) Overview and Details (effective 1 Oct 2024)
MCO 1300.8: Marine Corps Personnel Assignment Policy
Joint Travel Regulations: Service obligation and order execution standards