Marine Corps Recruiting Command Leadership Gather for National Operations and Training Symposium FY27

By Cpl. Brenna Ritchie | Marine Corps Recruiting Command | October 26, 2026

Marine Corps Recruiting Command leaders gathered in Nashville, Oct. 21-22, 2026, for the Fiscal Year 2027 National Operations and Training Symposium, aligning command-wide priorities and preparing subordinate commands for the year ahead.

The symposium brought together leaders from MCRC Headquarters, Eastern Recruiting Region, Western Recruiting Region, recruiting districts and recruiting stations for professional development focused on the FY27 mission, recruiting priorities and strategies for successful recruiting operations.

“We made mission this year. Next year, we’re going to make mission again. Something we will never do is compromise the quality of our Marine Corps,” said Maj. Gen. Walker M. Field, commanding general, MCRC. “I’m incredibly proud of that, and I appreciate all that you all are doing to preserve the health of our force.”

As part of the symposium, Field and other MCRC leadership presented awards for succeeding in the previous fiscal year, one of which was the Superior Achiever Award. Established in 1981 by the 27th Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Robert H. Barrow, the Superior Achiever Award recognizes recruiting stations that exceeded mission requirements and all performance standards during the previous fiscal year.

Twenty-seven of 48 recruiting stations and five prior service recruiting stations achieved Superior Achiever status. Additionally, RS San Diego won the Recruiting Station of the Year award, and Prior Service Recruiting Station.

Gen. Eric M. Smith, 39th Commandant of the Marine Corps, presented the awards to the respective commanding officers during the ceremony.

“They ask me at the Joint Chiefs [of Staff] meetings, ‘Hey how are you guys always making your mission?” said Smith. “Because we put the best and the brightest out on recruiting duty. We hold them accountable for their mission, and we reward them. So, I truly understand how hard you’re working, and I want to congratulate you on keeping our standards high.”

This year’s symposium centered on the theme, “Elevating the Standard: Solidifying Success, Accelerating Momentum,” inspired by 90 Days to Level Up Your Sales Skills, a book by Jeb Blount. Blount attended the symposium as a guest speaker, sharing insights from his book and discussing how its principles apply to the challenges and successes of modern recruiting operations.

“What we do here at MCRC is winning. We’re winning. We have recruiters on production, doing their thing and doing it with excellence.” Sgt. Maj. Jesse J. Dorsey, sergeant major of MCRC

MCRC achieved its FY26 accession mission across components and categories, accessing 31,250 non-prior service enlisted Marines and commissioning 1,672 new officers. The command also maintained the Marine Corps’ quality standards, with 98.6% of enlisted accessions being high school graduates, exceeding the Department of War’s 90% standard. Furthermore, 65.62% of accessions scored in the top three tiers of the Armed Forces Qualification Test, reflecting the recruiting force’s efforts to meet mission requirements while maintaining the standards expected of future Marines. These recruiting results will help support the Marine Corps’ planned 4 percent end-strength growth by 2031, including MCRC’s reinforcement to sustain increased enlisted and officer accessions, with an additional 1 percent increase assessed for the following year to provide greater operational depth across the total force.

As the command moves into FY27, recruiting leaders are focused on sustaining that momentum through disciplined execution, effective resource management and continued professional development. Marine recruiters began the fiscal year with a start pool exceeding 44%, establishing a strong foundation for future success. Officer Selection Officers also met targets across critical fields, including ground, air, law, cyber and reserves, while building the next fiscal year’s candidate pool. These efforts reinforce MCRC’s commitment to finding, attracting and inspiring qualified individuals to serve as the next generation of Marines.

“You and your recruiters are the only Marines that the American public may ever meet,” said Smith as he addressed attendees. “Everybody’s squared away for a reason, and there’s a reason we do everything. It’s because we set the standard. We are the service who holds the standard. We don’t lower it for anybody, for any reason.”