Glossary
Plain-English definitions for the acronyms and terms you'll see in MARADMINs and across Reservable. Tapping a term to see every bulletin that mentions it is coming with search.
- MARADMIN
- Marine Administrative Message — the Corps' official channel for announcing policy changes, opportunities, and deadlines.
- MCRAMM
- Marine Corps Reserve Administrative Management Manual (MCO 1001R.1L) — the rulebook for your reserve career: points, good years, orders, promotions, mobilization, benefits. Now in plain English. See the MCRAMM glossary for every acronym in the manual.
- SELRES
- Selected Marine Corps Reserve. Drilling reservists in paid billets — the part of the Reserve you most often hear about.
- SMCR
- Selected Marine Corps Reserve units. Drill one weekend a month and do annual training as a unit.
- IMA
- Individual Mobilization Augmentee. A reservist assigned to an active-component command, drilling individually rather than with a unit.
- IRR
- Individual Ready Reserve. Reservists not currently drilling but still in the Reserve and subject to recall.
- RC
- Reserve Component — the Reserve side of the force, as opposed to the active component.
- AR
- Active Reserve. Full-time Marines who support and administer the Reserve program.
- AT
- Annual Training. The yearly active-duty training period, often about two weeks.
- IDT
- Inactive Duty Training. The monthly drill periods (the "drill weekend").
- PME
- Professional Military Education. Career schools and courses, resident or by distance, tied to promotion and development.
- MOS
- Military Occupational Specialty. Your job or career field.
- NCO / SNCO
- Non-Commissioned Officer / Staff NCO. Enlisted leaders — Corporals and Sergeants, and Staff Sergeants and above.
- FITREP
- Fitness Report. The periodic performance evaluation for Sergeants and above, and for officers.
- FY
- Fiscal Year. The government's budget year (October 1 to September 30). Promotion and pay cycles run on it.
- BAH
- Basic Allowance for Housing. A pay allowance for housing costs, which can apply during certain orders.
- TFRS
- Total Force Retention System. The system used to manage Reserve personnel actions and retention.
- SDA
- Special Duty Assignment. A billet outside your normal MOS, such as recruiting or drill instructor duty.
- HQMC
- Headquarters Marine Corps — the Corps' top headquarters in Washington, D.C.
- MARFORRES
- Marine Forces Reserve. The command that oversees the Marine Corps Reserve.
Looking for a manual acronym? The MCRAMM glossary has every acronym from the manual, and the plain-English MCRAMM translates the rulebook section by section.
Missing a term you keep running into? It'll grow over time.