MCO P1400.31C - Headquarters Marine Corps

1019 MARCORPROMMAN, VOL 1, OFFPROM
officer is considered to be in the same competitive category as
that officer on the ADL.
1. Unrestricted Officers. An Unrestricted Officer is an
individual in the Marine Corps in the grade of second lieutenant
or above, who is not designated as an LDO. All Unrestricted
Officers compete among all other Unrestricted Officers of the
same grade for promotion to captain through major general via
selection boards. Second lieutenants are promoted to first
lieutenant based on time-in-grade requirements found in section
619 of Title 10, U.S. Code and as determined by the Secretary of
the Navy under SECNAVINST 1412.6L.
2. Restricted Officer (LDO). All Limited Duty Officers (LDOs)
secure appointments as a regular officer in the Marine Corps for
the performance of duty in the technical field in which they are
proficient. These officers are technically oriented, perform
duties that are limited to specific occupational fields, and do
not have the normal career pattern of unrestricted officers.
Per SECNAVINST 1412.9B, LDOs compete within their military
occupational specialty (MOS) among other LDOs of the same grade
for promotions to major and lieutenant colonel via selection
boards. There are no LDOs in the Marine Corps Reserve.
3. Warrant Officers/Chief Warrant Officers. WOs are promoted
to CWO2 based on time-in-grade requirements found in section 573
of Title 10, U.S. Code and as determined by the Secretary of the
Navy under SECNAVINST 1412.9B. CWOs compete within their MOS
among other CWOs of the same grade for promotion to CWO3 through
CWO5 via selection boards. CWOs in the Reserve component compete
within their grade, but not within their MOS.
4. Active Reserve (AR) Officers. Resident on the Reserve
Active-Status List, AR officers compete with fellow officers of
the same grade in the AR population within a separate category
for promotion to captain through colonel. AR warrant officers
compete within their same grade and MOS for promotion to CWO3
through CWO5.
5. Specialist Officers. The paramount prerequisite of this
category is that the individual possesses unusual talent that
would not be available within the Regular Marine Corps in the
event of national mobilization. Specialist Officers are
appointed to meet mobilization needs and are not required to
1-14