EducationRoutine update
AY2027–2028 Top Level School Selection Board Results
The name list of Marine officers selected as primaries for senior service colleges, foreign senior service colleges, and CMC fellowships beginning in Academic Year 2027–2028. Alternates are not listed here; they will be posted separately on the MMOA-3 webpage.
This is a routine update — a name list, a set of results, or a recurring notice. There is nothing here to translate into plain English, so the official text is reproduced in full below. Read it on marines.mil
Official text
R 141652Z AUG 26 MARADMIN 370/26 MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC MRA MM// SUBJ/ACADEMIC YEAR 2027-2028 TOP LEVEL SCHOOL SELECTION BOARD RESULTS// REF/A/MSGID: MSG/CMC/271356ZJUN26// REF/B/MSGID: MCO/CMC/20190530// REF/C/MSGID: MCO/CMC/20080125// REF/D/MSGID: MCO/CMC/20210510// REF/E/MSGID: MCO/CMC/20190215// NARR/REF A IS MARADMIN 239/26, ACADEMIC YEAR 2027-2028 TOP LEVEL SCHOOL SELECTION BOARD ANNOUNCEMENT. REF B IS MCO 1524.1, MARINE CORPS GRADUATE EDUCATION PROGRAM. REF C IS MCO 1553.4B, PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION. REF D IS MCO 1300.8 W/CH-1, MARINE CORPS PERSONNEL ASSIGNMENT POLICY. REF E IS MCO 1900.16 W/CH 2, THE MARINE CORPS SEPARATION AND RETIREMENT MANUAL.// POC/J. SCHULZE/MAJ/MMOA-3/(703) 784-9983/ EMAIL: JOSEPH.SCHULZE1@USMC.MIL// GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. Purpose. This message announces the results of the Academic Year 2027-2028 (AY27-28) Top Level Schools (TLS) Selection Board, which convened on 3 August 2026. Reporting instructions, security clearance information, and passport requirements for each school and fellowship will be included in follow-on orders. 2. The board, composed of two general officers and 16 colonels, screened the records of the eligible population and selected the officers listed below. The small number of TLS assignments available relative to the number of eligible officers makes selection a highly competitive process. 3. Primary selectees 3.a. Department of War (DoW) schools. The board selected the following officers to attend the DoW schools listed below. Name MOS School Berkman, Brett M. 3002 Air War College Bishop III, Lanier A. 7518 Air War College Cullen, Kyleigh M. 7566 Air War College Holderbaum, James B. 7202 Air War College Kneemiller, Brandon L. 6002 Air War College Lefever, Knathan T. 7202 Air War College Whitaker Jr., Terry L. 0402 Air War College Billings, Michael P. 8061 Army War College Columbus, Douglas A. 7202 Army War College Connor, Shawn P. 0302 Army War College Heeter, Brian E. 7532 Army War College Jacobs, Makoto C. 7532 Army War College Jankowski, Robert J. 1302 Army War College Katzman, Daniel B. 0402 Army War College Kraft, Shane F. 7315 Army War College Psyhogis, James P. 6602 Army War College Stokes, Nathan B. 1706 Army War College Unkle, Adam S. 0302 Army War College Wells, Robert A. 0802 Army War College Whitlow, James D. 7532 Army War College Greenberg, Stephen J. 0302 Army War College (Blended) Larson, Lynn M. 7565 Army War College (Blended) Barrett, Sean F. 0202 College Of Info And Cyber Stud Cody, Andrew F. 7518 College Of Info And Cyber Stud Russell, Joseph M. 0602 College Of Info And Cyber Stud Fairfield, Evan J. 0370 College of Intl Security Affairs Aronson, Richard E. 0370 College of Naval Warfare Callanan, Audrey F. 1702 College of Naval Warfare Chirhart, Keenan J. 7318 College of Naval Warfare Devuono, Anthony J. 0202 College of Naval Warfare Dicks, Jarod W. 7518 College of Naval Warfare Eavers II, Ronald J. 7532 College of Naval Warfare Gangemella Jr., Michael E. 0402 College of Naval Warfare Harris Jr., Paul G. 0402 College of Naval Warfare Howe, Benjamin R. 0202 College of Naval Warfare Jauregui III, Salvador 7566 College of Naval Warfare Miller, Jordan D. 0802 College of Naval Warfare Nelson, Andrew E. 1302 College of Naval Warfare Reule, Kristi D. 7565 College of Naval Warfare Sawyer III, Joseph E. 0802 College of Naval Warfare Uziel, Steven J. 0302 College of Naval Warfare Couto, Jorge C. 7518 Joint Adv Warfighting School Eppes, John R. 0202 Joint Adv Warfighting School Perry, Matthew T. 0302 Joint Adv Warfighting School Bunce, Jamie W. 7532 Marine Corps War College Burns, Catherine J. 8059 Marine Corps War College Collins, Gregory L. 4402 Marine Corps War College Jeffcoat, Nathan L. 0302 Marine Corps War College Littlejohn, Dwane M. 0802 Marine Corps War College Martin, Ryan O. 6002 Marine Corps War College Murray II, Robert M. 0302 Marine Corps War College O'Donnell, Benjamin J. 0302 Marine Corps War College Thomas III, Reginald E. 0402 Marine Corps War College Wright, Andrew D. 0302 Marine Corps War College Bradford, Chase A. 0302 National War College Chiriboga, Daniel S. 7563 National War College Jones, Michael B. 7518 National War College Lamb, Natalie M. 0602 National War College Luedtke, Alexander T. 0302 National War College Magee, Stephen M. 0602 National War College Mozzi, Joseph R. 0802 National War College Noone, Justin M. 0802 National War College Rea, Joel N. 7202 National War College Sanchez, Gabriel D. 0402 National War College Saville, Mark 0302 National War College Smith, Clark K. 0302 National War College Stuart, John P. 7518 National War College Wallace, Jonathan B. 0802 National War College Burton, Daniel J. 5803 The Eisenhower School Butta, Alex M. 1302 The Eisenhower School Cardona, Edgardo B. 7318 The Eisenhower School Chamberlin, Travis K. 0402 The Eisenhower School Docherty, Sean F. 8061 The Eisenhower School Harvey Jr., James M. 0802 The Eisenhower School Jedlicka Jr., Charles A. 0302 The Eisenhower School Lewis, Joshua M. 0402 The Eisenhower School Ludlow, Matthew C. 1803 The Eisenhower School Luedtke, Gloria C. 0402 The Eisenhower School Moynihan, Gregory T. 0102 The Eisenhower School Taylor, Joseph E. 8059 The Eisenhower School 3.b. School specific requirements. These schools will generally convene in July 2027 and graduate in May or June 2028. PMOS monitors and senior service school points of contact will provide more information following acceptance. 3.c. Foreign senior service colleges. The board selected the following officers to attend a foreign senior service college. Name MOS School Kendrick, Matthew S. 0402 Inter-American Defense College Carey, Seamus B. 6002 NATO Defense College Kelling, Chad S. 7532 NATO Defense College McCarley, Kyle P. 1302 NATO Defense College Nicholson, Kevin C. 0302 NATO Defense College Given the diversity of requirements for these schools, selectees should contact the MCU POC listed in paragraph (9) below with questions about report dates and requirements. 3.d. Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) fellowships. The board selected the following officers for assignment to CMC fellowships. Name MOS Fellowship/Program Arriaga, Marco A. 7202 Advanced Strat Leadership Studies Skogman, John P. 7532 Arizona State University (Tempe) Pagan, Zachary J. 3002 Department of Homeland Security Little, Jeffrey E. 4402 Department of State (DOS) Waters, Spencer S. 7518 Hoover Institution (Stanford) Valenti, Steven A. 0402 Logistics Fellowship (Penn State) Lynch, Gregory E. 0402 SECWAR Strategic Thinkers Program Nilan, James A. 0802 SECWAR Strategic Thinkers Program Takor, Raymond N. 0602 SECWAR Strategic Thinkers Program Edick, Denver M. 5803 Stockdale Ctr for Ethical Leadshp Moberg, David K. 3404 Virginia Tech (Blacksburg) CMC fellows will report to their respective ADCON commands NLT July 2027 and complete the fellowship June 2028. Orders from PMOS monitors will include information on ADCON commands. Selectees should contact the MCU POC listed in paragraph (9) with questions about fellowships. 4. MMOA-3 will place a letter annotating selection in the official military personnel files of all officers selected as primaries or alternates. 5. MMOA will publish the list of officers selected as alternates on the MMOA-3 Top Level Schools and Programs tab in the Top Level Schools Historical Data sub-tab webpage located at https:// www.manpower.marines.mil/Divisions/Manpower-Management/Officer -Assignments/Plans-and-Programs-MMOA-3/#tab/top-level-schools-and- programs. MMOA will list alternates alphabetically by full name and MOS. 6. Coordinating instructions 6.a. Primary selectees. Primary selectees are to accept or decline via email to their monitor listed in paragraph (9) NLT 10 days after the release of this message. 6.b. Alternate selectees. No action is required by officers on the alternate list. If an assignment becomes vacant due to a declination or other circumstances, Manpower Management will fleet-up an officer from the alternate list. 6.c. Declinations. Officers who decline TLS must submit a declination in writing (AA Form) to HQMC via MMOA-3 NLT 10 calendar days after the release of this message. No endorsement is necessary. Officers who decline TLS are ineligible for future TLS assignments, unless otherwise approved by the Deputy Commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. A letter will be placed in an officer's official military record annotating declination. 6.d. Deferrals. Officers selected for TLS who are unable to execute orders due to extraordinary circumstances may request a deferral. If approved, the Director, Manpower Management will defer the officer to a future TLS selection board. Primary selectees may submit a deferral request in writing (AA Form) to HQMC (MMOA-3) via the first general officer in their chain of command. 6.e. Once an officer accepts their selection and receives orders they are subject to references (d) and (e). 7. Registration. Officers selected to attend service colleges or National Defense University colleges and schools are directed to orient themselves to, and if required initiate registration for, their respective school as outlined in the below links. Contact Senior Service School Representatives listed below with questions. 7.a. Air War College (AWC) Website: https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/AWC/Inbound-Students/ POC: Col Gary Thompson Comm: (334) 953-4970 Email: gary.d.thompson@au.af.edu 7.b. US Army War College (USAWC) Website: https://www.army.edu/USAWC/ POC: Col Christopher P. O'Connor Comm: (717)245-3491 Email: christopher.p.oconnor8.mil@army.mil 7.c. College of Naval Warfare (CNW) Website: https://usnwc.edu/college-of-naval-warfare/ POC: Col Timothy J. Scott Comm: (401) 856-5137 Email: timothy.scott1@usnwc.edu 7.d. Marine Corps War College (MCWAR) Website: https://www.usmcu.edu/MCWAR/ POC: Mr. Jake Bilyew Comm: (703) 432-5503 Email: mcu_registrar@usmcu.edu 7.e. Joint Advanced Warfighting School (JAWS) Website: https://jfsc.ndu.edu/Registrar/ POC: Col Zebulon C. Philpott Comm: (757) 443-6276 Email: zebulon.c.philpott.mil@ndu.edu 7.f. National War College (NWC) Website: https://nwc.ndu.edu/ POC: Col Dan J. Wittnam Comm: (202) 685-3644 Email: daniel.j.wittnam.mil@ndu.edu 7.g. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy Website: https://es.ndu.edu/Incoming-Students/ POC: Col Ian D. Stevens Comm: (202) 685-1786 Email: ian.d.stevens.mil@ndu.edu 7.h. College of International Security Affairs (CISA) Website: https://cisa.ndu.edu/ POC: Col Kevin H. Hutchison Comm: (202) 685-3713 Email: kevin.h.hutchison.mil@ndu.edu 7.i. College of Information and Cyberspace (CIC) Website: https://cic.ndu.edu/ POC: Col Danielle E. Thomas Comm: (202) 685-8634 Email: danielle.e.thomas.mil@ndu.edu 7.j. Officers selected to attend a fellowship or foreign PME are directed to contact the MCU POC listed in paragraph (9) for applicable registration, indoctrination, and language training. 8. Security Clearance. Officers selected as a primary should immediately consult their local security manager- special security office (SSO) to confirm their eligibility for those programs requiring TS/SCI access. Failure to coordinate clearance-access requirements may negate eligibility to attend TLS. 9. Points of contact are: Col E. J. Smith Branch Head DSN: 278-9300, COMM: (703) 784-9300 Email: erik.smith@usmc.mil Col E. F. Bradley Ground Colonel Monitor DSN: 278-9300, COMM: (703) 784-9300 Email: evan.bradley@usmc.mil Col J. C. Davis Aviation Colonel Monitor DSN: 278-9300, COMM: (703) 784-9300 Email: jeffrey.c.davis1@usmc.mil LtCol B. D. Kelly Aviation Lieutenant Colonel Monitor DSN: 278-9485, COMM: (703) 432-9485 Email: brandon.d.kelly@usmc.mil LtCol B. A. Salter Combat Arms Lieutenant Colonel Monitor DSN: 278-9275, COMM: (703) 784-9275 Email: brandon.salter@usmc.mil LtCol D. C. Walker Combat Service Support Lieutenant Colonel Monitor DSN: 278-9433, COMM: (703) 784-9433 Email: daniel.c.walker.mil@usmc.mil LtCol C. T. Thompson Information Lieutenant Colonel Monitor DSN: 278-9274, COMM: (703) 784-9274 Email: clinton.t.thompson@usmc.mil LtCol J. D. Pineiro Director CMC Fellowships/Foreign PME, MCU COMM: (703) 432-4837 Email: james.pineiro@usmcu.edu 10. This message is not applicable to the Marine Corps Reserve. 11. Release authorized by MajGen Fridrik Fridriksson, Director, Manpower Management Division.//
Resources & references
The documents this bulletin points to, with a plain-English note on why each matters. Links marked CAC required need a government login.
This is the original announcement that opened the AY27-28 TLS board process. It would contain eligibility criteria, application guidance, and board details relevant to understanding how selections were made.
- Marine Corps Graduate Education Program (MCO 1524.1)Reference
This order governs the Marine Corps Graduate Education Program, which provides the policy framework under which Top Level School assignments are managed.
- Professional Military Education order (MCO 1553.4B)Reference
This order establishes Marine Corps PME policy, including senior service school requirements that govern TLS participation and obligations.
- Marine Corps Personnel Assignment Policy (MCO 1300.8 w/Ch-1)Reference
This order covers how Marines are assigned to billets, including the assignment rules that apply once an officer is selected for a TLS program.
- Marine Corps Separation and Retirement Manual (MCO 1900.16 w/Ch 2)Reference
This manual governs separation and retirement policy, which is relevant for TLS selectees who may have service obligations tied to their school assignment.
educationleadership