Who We Are
The MARFORRES Sourcing Cell, a critical component of the Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES) G-1 Operations Section, acts as the central hub for Reserve Component Marines to find active-duty opportunities.
The Cell manages two categories of Active-Duty Operation Support (ADOS) orders, advertising vital staffing requirements to attract qualified candidates, enhancing unit readiness and operational effectiveness across the force structure.
Individual Augments (IA) and Joint Individual Augments (JIA):
The team is responsible for the meticulous administration and sourcing of personnel to meet diverse operational requirements and fulfill critical joint service mandates. These roles are dynamic and support a wide spectrum of military activities, including designated exercises, emergent contingencies, and sustained global operations.
Active-Duty Operation Support Orders (ADOS):
The cell oversees the advertising and placement of personnel for a broad range of standard ADOS positions. These roles provide crucial operational and administrative support to both Active Component (AC) and Reserve Component (RC) units across Continental United States (CONUS) and Outside the Continental United States (OCONUS) locations.
General Information and How to Engage:
This platform serves as the nexus for Reserve Component Marines to access a comprehensive list of available active-duty opportunities throughout the Total Force structure.
The page facilitates direct and secure communication channels, allowing service members to engage directly with the MARFORRES Sourcing Cell. This interaction point is designed to efficiently address and resolve any inquiries or concerns regarding the application process, eligibility requirements, or specific duty opportunities, ensuring clarity and support for all interested personnel.
Individual and Joint Individual Augments (IA/JIA orders)
The Marine Corps utilizes Individual Augmentation (IA) to provide specialized personnel and fill manpower gaps outside of standard unit deployments. These requirements are categorized into three distinct types: Joint, Service, and Command. Joint Individual Augments (JIAs) support Combatant Commands (CCMD) or Joint Task Forces (JTF) and are based on Joint Manning Document (JMD) requirements. These are tasked to the Marine Corps by the Secretary of Defense under the Total Force Mobilization and Deployment Plan (TFMDP) Volume 3. They represent a service member working in a multi-service or international environment to support major theater operations.
Service Augments (SAs) focus on needs internal to the Marine Corps. These are unstructured requirements at various Marine organizations designed to meet heightened mission demands. Unlike Joint roles, Service Augments specifically support internal Marine Corps contingency or non-contingency operations where existing staff numbers are insufficient to meet current mission spikes.
Command IAs are requirements identified directly by local commanders as being mission-essential or mission-critical to support contingency operations. These must be part of an approved Table of Organization (T/O) or validated by the Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies, and Operations (DC PP&O). Because the Marine Corps is not formally directed to source these, they must meet strict direct-support criteria to qualify for contingency funding and activation.
The management and sourcing of these roles are centralized through the Marine Corps Force Augmentation Portal (MCFAP) and validated by HQMC (MMIB-2, Force Augmentation Branch). Sourcing depends on a Marine’s status: the IRR is managed by MMIB-2, the SMCR is handled by Marine Forces Reserve (MFR) G-1, and IMA members are coordinated via Reserve Liaison Officers. Once a member is nominated and approved by an ASN board for voluntary mobilization, they are assigned to a Deployment Processing Command (DPC) at Camp Lejeune or Camp Pendleton to complete pre-deployment training and individual requirements before deploying to support the gaining commander.
Active-Duty Operation Support Orders (ADOS orders)
ADOS stands for Active Duty for Operational Support, a program providing temporary active-duty opportunities for Reserve Component (RC) personnel to augment both Active and Reserve components. This program addresses short-term administrative, operational, exercise support, and special project requirements that active-duty forces may not be able to meet.
The ADOS program provides Marine Corps Reserve personnel to meet existing and emerging requirements across the total force. It is not intended to be a permanent solution for existing or recurring staffing shortfalls. Personnel serve voluntarily and may terminate their orders with two weeks' notice, just as commanders can terminate a Marine's orders with the same notice. Orders are typically one year or less for conventional ADOS, or three years or less for contingency operations ADOS.
Funding for ADOS is a discretionary budget item derived from different appropriations depending on the primary beneficiary of the work. There are three categories:
*ADOS-AC (Active Component): Funded by Military Personnel, Marine Corps (MPMC) appropriations when the work primarily benefits the active component.
*ADOS-RC (Reserve Component): Funded by Reserve Personnel, Marine Corps (RPMC) appropriations when the work benefits the reserves.
*ADOS-CO (Contingency Operations): A subset of ADOS-AC, typically funded by Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) sources, based on duty in support of a contingency.
Active and Reserve component units can request ADOS billets if they have appropriate funding. Individual Marines request orders via their parent command, gaining force commander (GFC), or operational sponsor, who determines the appropriate order type. While on ADOS, Marines receive full active duty pay and benefits. ADOS flow chart below can show the process:
