Marines hit retention goal ‘earlier than ever before,’ top Marine says

The U.S. Marine Corps hit its fiscal 2026 retention goals just weeks after the target window opened, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith announced in a recent video.

While the Corps’ retention goals were quickly achieved in FY2024 and FY2025, this year’s numbers were met “earlier than ever before,” Smith said in the video, which was produced in October but released later due to the U.S. government shutdown.

Smith noted that, despite the success, a handful of military occupational specialties remain open for interested Marines.

Alongside Smith in the video, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Carlos A. Ruiz encouraged “qualified Marines who still have the desire to serve … to pursue lateral move opportunities into our critical need MOSs.”

A MARADMIN released earlier this month rattled off a number of MOSs as options for such moves, with the message noting that “lat move” requests will be ”processed on a case-by-case basis and … subject to school seat availability.”

That list included MOSs such as Counterintelligence/Human Intelligence Specialist (0211), Reconnaissance Marine (0321), Critical Skills Operator (MARSOC) (0372), Influence Operations Specialist (1751) and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician (2336), among others.

“There are also outstanding opportunities in the reserve component through the Direct Affiliation Program and the active reserve,” Ruiz added in the video.

Smith and Ruiz capped the message by urging leaders to prepare Marines for reenlistment with an eye toward fiscal 2027.

Additional retention efforts targeting other Marine Corps components were unveiled last week, meanwhile, when officials announced that Selected Marine Corps Reserve personnel in ranks E-4 to E-6 were being made eligible for one-time pay bumps for remaining in specific job specialties.

As part of the Selected Marine Corps Reserve Retention and Affiliation Bonus Program, corporals, sergeants and staff sergeants with select MOSs are eligible for up to $20,000 lump-sum bonuses upon extending service in the SMCR for 36 months, according to a Nov. 19 memo.

Marines in those ranks are also eligible to serve terms of 12 and 24 months, with corresponding bonus payments of $5,000 and $10,000, respectively.

In addition to retention goals, data released by the Marine Corps in September showed that the service had exceeded its most recent active-duty and reserve enlisted recruiting goal by a single person, bringing in 30,536 Marines across those components.

Marine Corps officials at the time noted the close-call total was a credit to the service being more selective of who it recruits.