As the Marine Corps pushes to add 22,000 Marines by 2012, the Marine Corps Times is reporting one result of the drive may be an influx of unseasoned non-commissioned officers (NCO's).  At issue is the dropping of promotion "cutting scores."  These numbers represent the minimum amount of points a Marine needs to received a promotion in his occupational specialty.  Marines make these scores by completing prescribed courses, performing on physical fitness tests, and receiving good marks from his/her superior, among other factors.

As the Marine Corps increases its enlisted end strength, some general officers have expressed concern that the time to promotion has shortened,” reads an October memo from the Center for Naval Analyses, sent to Lt. Gen. Ronald Coleman, deputy commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs in Quantico, Va. “If Marines are being promoted faster than normal, it would mean that the typical Marine in a particular grade (a sergeant, for example) now has less experience, than a typical sergeant in the past.”

Still, one former Marine working for a think tank employed by the Department of the Navy disagrees:

There are no trends there...Promotion flow points — the years of service at which a Marine is promoted into the next rank — “are no faster and no slower” for most military occupational specialties, with a few exceptions.

The paper goes on to report how a shortage of infantry sergeants is becoming an apparent side-effect of operating in war time, and a number of junior Marines are now called upon to pick serve in senior roles.

“They have to grow up a lot faster than what we had to do,” [a 21-year veteran of the Corps] said of junior Marines today. “Is that hurting the Marine Corps? I think it’s a different leadership challenge. The Marine Corps has to face that challenge. The supervision definitely is a concern.”

The Marines are hoping to retain more senior NCO's with re-enlistment bonuses and meritorious promotions.