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Sergeant

Marine Corps Staff Sergeant

E-6 Staff Noncommissioned Officer, U.S. Marine Corps
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Marine Corps Ranks » Staff Sergeant RankSSgt PaySSgt Rank HistoryPromotion Information

How to get promoted to Staff Sergeant Marine Corps Promotion to E-6 Staff Sergeant

A Staff Sergeant is a Staff Noncommissioned Officer in the United States Marine Corps at DoD paygrade E-6. This page describes how the Marine Corps determines who is eligible for the promotion list to Staff Sergeant.

To promote to E-6, a Marine must have spent a minimum of 24 months as an E-5 and 4 years overall in the Corps, and have completed a certain level of Enlisted Professional Military Education. Once a year, eligible Marines must submit a package to a review board for promotion. Marines are ranked using a system similar to their earlier composite scores, but duties, awards, and evaluations are weighed much more previously than before. Special preference is given to Drill Instructors, Recruiters, and Embassy Security Guards.

There is a fixed number of slots for each rank of each MOS. Promotion depends on availability of these slots. Technical MOSs sometimes promote slightly faster than non-technical MOSs. If a Marine repeatedly fails to promote, they are presented with the options of separation or switching MOSs.

Truly exceptional Marines have an opportunity to be meritoriously promoted by their Commanding Officer, if there is a vacancy within the unit.

Want to learn more? Read about the Marine Corps' Staff Sergeant rank on Military-Ranks.org.