Data Systems Administrator

You are the junior data systems tech. The battalion's servers are up, the user accounts are clean, and the GCSS-MC data is posting correctly because someone checked the logs and fixed the replication error at 0300 — and right now that someone is you.

You arrive at your communications unit from MCCES Twentynine Palms with classroom knowledge of Windows Server, Active Directory, and the GCSS-MC application stack that the section chief will either confirm or correct inside the first week. In garrison you assist the senior admins with server patching, user account management, Active Directory group policy, SharePoint site administration, and the trouble-ticket queue that the section monitors daily. You run the preventive maintenance cycle on server hardware — checking event logs, disk health, backup job completion, and UPS status — and you document everything in the maintenance log before the section chief asks. You will pull working parties — armory guard, barracks duty, motor-T — the same as every junior Marine, because the data center does not excuse you from being a Marine. In the field the footprint shrinks, the tempo increases, and your value is the ability to keep systems running in an environment that was not designed for them.

• 01Create, modify, and disable Active Directory user accounts and group memberships following the unit's access-control SOP — no orphaned accounts, no accounts left active after PCS or EAS.
• 02Apply Windows Server patches through the unit-approved patch management process, verify successful installation, and document completion in the patch log.
• 03Check SQL Server database job status, review the error log for failed jobs, and escalate failed replication or backup jobs to the section chief before the 24-hour window closes.
• 04Administer a SharePoint site collection — permissions, site creation, document library management — to the standard the S-6 uses for command information portals.
• 05Run a server hardware health check — event viewer, disk SMART status, RAID controller logs, backup job history, UPS runtime — and document the results in the maintenance log.
• 06Perform operator-level preventive maintenance on servers, storage arrays, and UPS units and complete the maintenance log before returning gear to the server room.

• —NAVMC 3500.44 — Communications Training and Readiness Manual (the individual and collective tasks for 06-series data systems admins you are evaluated against).
• —DISA STIGs — the mandatory configuration baseline for every server, database, and application on the MCEN; your builds are audited against these.
• —DoDD 8500.01 — Cybersecurity (the DoD-level policy that defines the ISSM's authority over your server environment and why patch compliance is not optional).
• —MCO P2000.11 — Marine Corps COMSEC policy (system-level cryptographic material and PKI certificates on the server infrastructure are part of the COMSEC posture).
• —MCO 6100.13 — Marine Corps Physical Fitness, Body Composition, and Military Appearance (your PFT/CFT standard — every 0671 is still a Marine).

• —1st-Class PFT and CFT — the server room does not excuse you from the fitness standard; the platoon runs the same schedule you do.
• —Annual Rifle Qualification: Expert is the floor. Every 0671 is a Marine first.
• —Zero open CAT I STIG findings on any server build you are responsible for at inspection time — one Critical finding delays mission authorization.
• —MCMAP Gray Belt before LCpl; Green Belt before you sit a Corporals Course board.
• —Pass the NAVMC 3500.44 individual data systems tasks at the company-level evaluation — account management, server health check, patch application — without re-runs.

• —Disabling an Active Directory account without checking group memberships and shared mailboxes first. A service account powering the battalion's SharePoint portal disabled because someone left and you did not check the dependencies brings the portal down in a way the section chief finds out about from the CO.
• —Applying a Windows patch to a production server during business hours without a change-management approval and a tested rollback plan. A reboot that takes a file server offline during the workday is a memorable introduction to the battalion S6.
• —Leaving the default SQL Server sa account enabled with a weak password after a new instance build. The ACAS scan finds it the night of the build; the ISSM reads the output the next morning.
• —Closing a trouble ticket as "resolved" before verifying the fix with the user. A ticket marked closed that the user reopens two hours later makes the section look incompetent and the trouble-ticket metrics look clean when they are not.
• —Posting any information about server hostnames, IP addresses, application versions, or system architecture on social media or personal devices. The S2 runs sweeps; the ISSM is cc'd on the incident report.

The good junior data systems tech is the Marine the section chief sends to build and patch a server rack in the forward command post and trusts to come back with a documented build checklist, zero CAT I STIG findings on the ACAS scan, and every service running before the first staff brief. By month nine he is managing user accounts without supervision; by the LCpl-to-Cpl evaluation cycle the section knows who is going to the Corporals Course slate and who is becoming the SQL Server SME.

You are the data systems NCO. The junior techs manage the accounts and run the patch logs; you are the one who ensures the GCSS-MC replication is posting, the SQL jobs ran clean, and the SharePoint farm does not surprise the S4 on logistics review day.

You supervise two to four junior data systems techs and own the server environment from the build through the patch cycle — Windows Server administration, Active Directory management, SQL Server database health, SharePoint administration, and the GCSS-MC server-side configuration that the battalion S4 depends on for logistics data integrity. You run PCC/PCIs before field operations, brief the team on system priorities, and write proficiency and conduct marks that feed your Marines' composite scores. You are also the first NCO the section chief calls when the ACAS scan returns a new Critical finding on a production server or the GCSS-MC replication job shows a failure — and you are expected to have a remediation plan before you report back. In garrison you mentor junior techs through NAVMC 3500.44 individual tasks, sign their CARPs, and track the Corporals Course slot that is always closer than they think.

• 01Brief a server build or maintenance tasking to a two-to-four person team — hardware specs, OS build procedure, patch baseline, STIG checklist, account provisioning plan — from the communications plan without the section chief in the room.
• 02Run a PCC/PCI for a field server deployment kit — server hardware, cables, power conditioning, UPS, storage array, backup media — as a real inspection with consequences.
• 03Manage an Active Directory domain — group policy objects, organizational unit structure, group membership audits, privileged account inventory — and produce the access-control report the ISSM requests on the quarterly audit cycle.
• 04Monitor SQL Server database health — job history, replication latency, blocking queries, disk space — and build the maintenance plan the GCSS-MC application requires for data integrity.
• 05Analyze an ACAS vulnerability scan on the server inventory, triage findings by STIG severity category, and build a remediation priority list the section chief can brief to the S6.
• 06Train junior techs on NAVMC 3500.44 individual data systems tasks, evaluate them against the task standard, and sign the CARP.

• —NAVMC 3500.44 — Communications T&R Manual (collective and individual tasks for data systems section NCOs; you run training against this and sign your team's CARPs).
• —DISA STIGs — you own the remediation cycle on the ACAS findings your team generates; the scan report lands on your section chief's desk with your name on the open findings.
• —DoDD 8500.01 — Cybersecurity; the ISSM cites this when the S6 asks why a server exception to policy requires command-level signature.
• —MCO 1610.7 — Performance Evaluation System (you write proficiency and conduct marks now; the FitRep is coming).
• —MCO 1400.32 — Marine Corps Promotion Manual (composite scores and cutting scores for 0671 to Sgt).

• —Corporals Course graduate — required and gated; the Sgt board does not wait for your schedule.
• —Green Belt MCMAP minimum; Brown Belt is what the section chief notes on the FitRep going to the Sgt board.
• —1st-Class PFT and CFT — your team runs the same PT schedule you do.
• —Composite score tracked monthly in TFRS; pull the current cutting score for 0671 to Sgt before asking the section chief where you stand.
• —Zero open CAT I STIG findings on any server in your section's inventory through the full patch and ACAS cycle.

• —Promoting a service account to Domain Admin because it was the easy fix. Every privileged account is documented, justified, and audited on the quarterly ISSM review — an undocumented DA account on the ACAS scan is a CAT I finding with your name on it.
• —Skipping the GCSS-MC replication status check because the system "was fine yesterday." A replication failure that posts stale logistics data to the S4's review is a supply chain problem that starts with a DBA who did not check the job history.
• —Building a SQL Server instance without running the DISA STIG checklist before connecting it to the MCEN. The ACAS scan runs automatically on new hosts; a 40-finding report on a new server on day one is a section-chief conversation you do not want.
• —Restoring from a backup you have never tested. A backup that fails during a production restore at 0300 — because nobody ever ran a test restore from the backup set — is a data-loss event, not a backup event.
• —Approving an Active Directory account change verbally without a written change request. The ISSM change-management process exists because an undocumented group membership change that escalates a user's privileges has no audit trail.

The good Cpl 0671 is the data systems NCO the section chief sends to build and patch the battalion's forward server environment with a team of two junior techs and trusts to return with a documented build checklist, zero CAT I findings, and GCSS-MC replication verified before the first S4 review. His junior techs are training on Active Directory and SQL monitoring tasks during garrison weeks, and the platoon sergeant has already passed his name to the company gunny for the Sgt board.

You are the data systems section chief. The battalion's server infrastructure, Active Directory domain, SQL databases, and GCSS-MC data integrity run on the architecture your section built and the standards your Marines hold — and the S6 holds you personally accountable for both.

You run the data systems section — five to fifteen Marines across multiple teams, the full inventory of servers, storage arrays, backup infrastructure, and enterprise applications the battalion operates on the MCEN. You translate the battalion communications plan into a data systems support order, manage the ACAS compliance cycle for every server and database your section owns, write FitReps on your Cpls under MCO 1610.7, and brief the battalion S6 on server readiness and GCSS-MC data health at every BUB. You are the first call when the GCSS-MC replication fails the night before the S4 review — and you are expected to have a restore procedure underway before the section chief of the adjacent unit knows there was a problem. In garrison you build the section training schedule against NAVMC 3500.44 collective tasks, manage the TMDE calibration cycle for server hardware, and mentor your Cpls through Sergeants Course prep and the SSgt board pipeline.

• 01Translate a battalion communications plan into a data systems support order — server deployment architecture, Active Directory replication plan, GCSS-MC server configuration, SQL Server maintenance windows, ACAS scan schedule, backup retention policy — that the Cpls can execute without a follow-up brief.
• 02Manage the ACAS compliance cycle for the section's server and database inventory — vulnerability remediation, CAT I POA&M tracking, STIG baseline documentation — and brief status to the ISSM weekly.
• 03Administer the battalion's Active Directory domain at the section-chief level — group policy design, privileged account management, OU structure, quarterly access-control audit — and pass the ISSM quarterly review clean.
• 04Write FitReps on two to three Cpls per cycle under MCO 1610.7 — observed behavior, action-result-impact, defensible relative value — that the reporting senior can defend at the battalion FitRep review.
• 05Coordinate with the regiment or communications battalion S6 for MCEN domain integration, Active Directory trust relationships, and SQL Server licensing for every major exercise or deployment.
• 06Mentor two Cpls through Sergeants Course prep and the SSgt board pipeline — composite score management, FitRep literacy, section-chief technical depth.

• —NAVMC 3500.44 — Communications T&R Manual (section-chief level data systems collective tasks; the S6 evaluates your section against this).
• —DISA STIGs — you own the remediation program for the section's server inventory; every open CAT I finding is a signed POA&M with your name on it.
• —DoDD 8500.01 — Cybersecurity; the policy framework that defines the ISSM's authority over your server environment and the Authorizing Official chain.
• —MCO P2000.11 — COMSEC; PKI certificates and cryptographic material on the server infrastructure are part of the COMSEC posture your section manages.
• —MCO 1610.7 — Performance Evaluation System (you write FitReps for your Cpls now).
• —MCO 1400.32 — Marine Corps Promotion Manual (SSgt board mechanics, composite scores, 0671 MOS roadmap).

• —Sergeants Course graduate — required and gated.
• —Brown Belt MCMAP minimum; Black Belt is what the company gunny notes going to the SSgt board.
• —ACAS compliance for the section's server inventory at or above the ISSM-set threshold for CAT I closure — open Critical findings on your section's servers at inspection time end the conversation fast.
• —All servers operational or formally deadlined with a documented parts-on-order report delivered to the S6 before the exercise start line.
• —Composite score tracked monthly; pull the current MARADMIN cutting score for 0671 to SSgt before asking the section chief where you stand.

• —Running a database production cutover without a tested rollback procedure and a defined go/no-go decision point. A failed GCSS-MC migration at 0200 with no rollback path is a supply chain incident that the MEF G4 hears about before sunrise.
• —Allowing the Active Directory privileged account list to go un-audited past the ISSM's quarterly window. An orphaned Domain Admin account that shows up on the audit is a CAT I finding; the explanation "we forgot" is not a POA&M.
• —Letting a server patch cycle slip past its IAVA window. An IAVA past due on a production server is a reportable compliance failure that goes up to the regiment S6 automatically.
• —Verbal change-management approvals for database or Active Directory changes. One undocumented schema change that breaks GCSS-MC data integrity has no rollback — the DBA who "approved it verbally" owns the restore.
• —Hiding a server outage from the S6 to avoid the conversation. The S6 finds out from the battalion S3, who found out from the S4 when his logistics review data stopped posting — and that is the last data systems section the S6 discusses with this section chief.

The good Sgt 0671 is the section chief the S6 can hand a battalion communications order on Monday and trust that the servers are up, GCSS-MC replication is healthy, the ACAS compliance dashboard is briefable, and every Active Directory account has a documented owner before the regimental BUB on Friday. His Cpls are Sergeants Course-ready, the server inventory is accounted for, and the S4's logistics review has never failed on his section's data.

You are the senior data systems SNCO. The MAGTF's enterprise server infrastructure, Active Directory architecture, and GCSS-MC data health runs through your planning, your section chiefs report to you, and the general officer's command post depends on the data environment you specified.

You run the data systems platoon or serve as the senior data systems SNCO in a communications company — 15 to 30 Marines across multiple sections, the full range of server, database, and enterprise application infrastructure the unit operates on the MCEN. You build the data systems support plan for major exercises and deployments, write three to four FitReps per cycle on your section chiefs and senior Cpls, brief the regimental S6 and the communications officer on server readiness and GCSS-MC data integrity at the combined-arms rehearsal, and manage the ISSM relationship for the platoon's server inventory. You mentor two to three Sgts toward Career Course graduation and GySgt-board readiness, coordinate Active Directory domain architecture and MCEN access with the communications battalion, and run the ACAS compliance program at the platoon level. The SSgt-to-GySgt board is FitRep-driven — one weak cycle changes the timeline more than most SSgts realize.

• 01Build a data systems support plan for a battalion-level or MEU exercise or deployment — server deployment architecture, Active Directory replication design, GCSS-MC server configuration, SQL Server maintenance plan, ACAS scan schedule, backup and recovery architecture — that the regimental S6 can brief without rewrites.
• 02Write three to four FitReps per cycle under MCO 1610.7 that the reporting senior can defend at the battalion FitRep review.
• 03Coordinate Active Directory domain integration, MCEN access authorization, and SQL Server licensing with the communications battalion and the regimental ISSM for every major operation.
• 04Run the ACAS compliance program at the platoon level — console health, CAT I POA&M timelines, policy exception documentation — and brief status to the regimental ISSM.
• 05Mentor two to three Sgts into Career Course graduates and SSgt-board-ready candidates — FitRep literacy, composite score management, section-chief technical depth.
• 06Run a platoon equipment inspection and TMDE calibration cycle for the full server and storage inventory and deliver the deadline report to the S6 before the window closes.

• —NAVMC 3500.44 — Communications T&R Manual (platoon-level data systems collective standards you build training against).
• —DISA STIGs — you own the compliance program for the platoon's server inventory and the POA&M tracking that goes up to the regimental ISSM.
• —DoDD 8500.01 — Cybersecurity; the policy basis the ISSM cites in every exception to policy request you sign at the platoon level.
• —MCO 1610.7 — Performance Evaluation System (FitRep policy for the Sgts and Cpls you rate).
• —MCO 1400.32 — Marine Corps Promotion Manual (SSgt-to-GySgt board mechanics, FitRep relative value impact).
• —MCO P2000.11 — COMSEC; PKI certificate infrastructure and cryptographic material on the server backbone remains your section's responsibility at the platoon level.

• —Career Course (resident or distance) completed; SNCO Academy resident slot slated when the GySgt board approaches.
• —Black Belt MCMAP — the platoon expects the senior SNCO to be a senior instructor in the company.
• —ACAS compliance above the regimental ISSM-set threshold across the full platoon server inventory.
• —Zero open CAT I STIG findings on any server segment owned by the platoon at inspection time.
• —FitRep relative value above battalion average — one weak cycle on the SSgt-to-GySgt board moves the timeline by years.

• —Delegating the ACAS scan review to a section chief without a back-brief and a compliance report. The regimental ISSM does not accept "my section chief said it was clean" — the signed compliance dashboard is the answer.
• —Writing a FitRep as a wish list instead of an evaluation. The reporting senior who defends an inflated Sgt at the battalion FitRep board remembers the SSgt who wrote it.
• —Allowing a section chief to manage the server inventory and configuration documentation by memory. The Marine who inherits the data center after a PCS needs the documentation, not the tribal knowledge.
• —Skipping the pre-exercise GCSS-MC replication baseline. When logistics data posts incorrectly during the exercise and the S4 is calling the S6 at 0200, the replication log from setup is the only diagnostic tool — a blank baseline means starting from zero.
• —Hiding persistent STIG findings from the regimental ISSM to avoid the conversation. The ISSM finds out at the inspection from the automated scan, not from you — and that is the last conversation you have as this platoon sergeant.

The good SSgt 0671 is the platoon sergeant the S6 can walk out of a pre-deployment brief and trust that the servers are up, the ACAS compliance dashboard will pass the ISSM review, GCSS-MC is replicating clean, and the section chiefs can brief their server assignments without him in the room. His Sgts are Career Course-ready, and the regimental S6 knows his name before the battalion does.

You are the data systems chief or the S-6 operations chief. The regimental or MEF enterprise server architecture runs through your planning, your section chiefs report to you, and the GCSS-MC data that drives logistics decisions corps-wide is only as good as the data environment your section maintains.

You run the data systems section at the regimental or MEF support group level — 25 to 50 Marines across multiple sections, the full range of server, database, SharePoint, and GCSS-MC infrastructure in the unit inventory, and the ACAS compliance program that the regimental ISSM validates every quarter. You write three to five SSgt FitReps per cycle that feed the GySgt board, brief the regimental S6 and the MEF G6 on data systems readiness at the combined-arms rehearsal, manage the ISSM relationship for the full section, and coordinate Active Directory architecture and MCEN access authorization with the communications battalion and HQMC enterprise systems for every major operation. You mentor two or three SSgts toward Career Course graduation and GySgt-board readiness, and you are the SNCO the communications officer calls when the MEF GCSS-MC instance is posting bad data and the MEF G4 wants answers before the commander's brief.

• 01Build and defend the data systems support plan for a regimental or MEF operation — server deployment architecture, Active Directory replication design, GCSS-MC instance configuration, SQL Server HA/DR plan, ACAS compliance schedule, backup and recovery architecture — in a format the communications officer can brief at the combined-arms rehearsal.
• 02Write three to five SSgt FitReps per cycle under MCO 1610.7 that the reporting senior can defend at the regimental FitRep board.
• 03Coordinate Active Directory domain architecture, MCEN access authorization, and GCSS-MC instance configuration with the communications battalion, the regimental ISSM, and HQMC enterprise systems for every major operation, with a coordination record the communications officer can show the MEF G6.
• 04Run the ACAS compliance program for the full section — console health, CAT I POA&M timelines, policy exception documentation — and brief status to the regimental ISSM and the MEF G6 on the cycle the ISSM sets.
• 05Mentor two to three SSgts into Career Course graduates and GySgt-board-ready candidates — honest reads on who is troop-leadership track and who is the enterprise systems SME the MMPB needs on the HQMC C4/cyber staff.
• 06Brief the regimental SgtMaj and the communications officer honestly on section morale, gear readiness, retention trends, and the second-order effects of GCSS-MC upgrade cycles or enterprise system changes on the data systems Marines.

• —NAVMC 3500.44 — Communications T&R (regimental / MEF collective data systems standards; the communications officer evaluates your section against this).
• —DISA STIGs — you own the section-level compliance program; every open CAT I finding on a server in your section is a signed POA&M with your name on it.
• —DoDD 8500.01 — Cybersecurity; the ISSM cites the Authorizing Official chain under this directive when a server exception to policy requires general officer signature.
• —MCO 1610.7 — Performance Evaluation System (FitRep mechanics you now teach to your SSgts).
• —MCO 1400.32 — Marine Corps Promotion Manual (GySgt-to-MSgt / 1stSgt board mechanics and MOS roadmap).
• —MCO 5354.1 / MCO 1000.9 — SAPR and Equal Opportunity policy (you enforce these, the IG validates them).

• —SNCO Academy Advanced Course (Career Course) graduate; SNCO Academy Senior Course slated as the MSgt board approaches.
• —Black Belt Instructor (MCMAP) — you are a senior instructor at the regimental or MEF level.
• —ACAS compliance above the regimental ISSM-set threshold and zero open CAT I findings on any server segment during every inspection cycle.
• —FitRep profile that the senior reporting official can defend at the MSgt / 1stSgt board — relative value, attribute rationale, all aligned.
• —1st-Class PFT and CFT; the formation watches the GySgt's scores more carefully than anyone's except the 1stSgt's.

• —Allowing an SSgt to coordinate GCSS-MC configuration changes independently without a back-brief and a documented change request. An unauthorized schema change on a production GCSS-MC instance can corrupt logistics data for an entire MEF; the GySgt who delegated without documentation absorbs it.
• —Confusing being tight with the S6 with being aligned with the S6. The MEF needs you to push back on a server architecture you know is under-resourced — in his office, with the door closed — not to agree with a plan you know will fail.
• —Carrying a peer-SNCO feud into the regimental data systems section. The BSgtMaj notices, the FitRep board notices, and the MSgt slate writes itself without your name.
• —Allowing a section chief to manage the server configuration and Active Directory documentation by memory. The Marine who takes the section after a PCS has the documentation or starts from scratch — and the S6 finds out which one it is at the next regimental BUB.
• —Stopping personal PT because you are too senior. Marines stop respecting the chevrons when the body stops carrying them, and the 1st-Class PFT is still the bar.

The good GySgt 0671 is the data systems chief the MEF G6 can brief a full deployment communications plan to on Monday and trust that the servers are up, GCSS-MC is replicating clean, the ACAS compliance dashboard is green, and the SSgts can brief their server assignments without him in the room. His section chiefs are getting GySgt-board-ready, his Marines re-enlist because of the school slots and the technical credibility of the section, and the regimental SgtMaj is already mentioning his name for the MSgt or 1stSgt slate before the board convenes.

You are the standard-bearer for the data systems formation. The split between the 1stSgt / SgtMaj troop-leadership track and the MSgt / MGySgt occupational-SME track is the career decision that defines your final decade — and the 0671 community is small enough that both paths are visible to everyone in it.

As 1stSgt you run the communications company or detachment — 100 to 180 Marines, the company office, the section chiefs, and the boundary between what the commanding officer needs and what the company can actually deliver on the data systems front. As MSgt you are the senior data systems SME — regimental data systems chief, MEF G6 section SNCO, MOS roadmap owner, or the HQMC C4/cyber staff SNCO who shapes the next generation of 0671 GySgts. As SgtMaj you advise the battalion, regimental, or MEF commander on every enlisted decision in the communications community and you set the standard for how data systems Marines are developed across an entire echelon. As MGySgt you are the occupational pinnacle of the field, the Marine HQMC calls when the 06-series T&R program or the 0671 MOS roadmap needs rewriting. You write fewer FitReps but the ones you write determine the next GySgt, 1stSgt, and MSgt slates.

• 01Run a 1stSgt's call that handles accountability, sick call, discipline, family readiness, training calendar, and ACAS/HBSS compliance status in 30 minutes flat — without the GySgts running to fill silence.
• 02Build a communications company quarterly training schedule with the CO and the operations chief that survives the battalion BUB without losing the data systems sections.
• 03Mentor four GySgts and the senior SSgts as the next 1stSgt / MSgt cohort — honest reads on who is troop-leadership track and who is the enterprise systems SME the MMPB needs on the MEF G6 or HQMC C4 staff.
• 04Walk the data systems sections during a battalion or regimental MCCRE or ITX and identify the STIG compliance gaps and GCSS-MC data integrity risks before the evaluators do.
• 05Brief the battalion or regimental commander and the BSgtMaj on communications section morale, retention, gear readiness, and the second-order effects of policy decisions they cannot see from the conference room.
• 06Run a Red Cross or casualty notification with the dignity the family and the formation require — you are the face they remember.

• —MCDP 1 — Warfighting; MCDP 1-3 — Tactics (you teach these to the next generation of data systems Marines; you do not consume them).
• —MCO 1610.7 — Performance Evaluation System (you are the rater or reviewing officer on the FitReps that determine the next data systems GySgt and 1stSgt slates).
• —MCO 1400.32 — Marine Corps Promotion Manual (1stSgt / SgtMaj / MSgt / MGySgt board mechanics).
• —MCO 1900.16 — Marine Corps Retirement / Separation (you are the resource the formation comes to for transition questions).
• —DoDD 8500.01 — Cybersecurity; DISA STIGs (you hold the account that every IG and ISSM inspection validates against).
• —The Commandant's Reading List and current Planning Guidance — you are expected to consume strategic doctrine and translate it down to the data systems technicians.

• —SNCO Academy Senior Course graduate; Sergeants Major Course (Marine Corps University, Camp Geiger NC) before competing for command SgtMaj slate.
• —Company UCMJ rate, retention rate, and SAPR/EO climate index in the top tier of the battalion — the BSgtMaj reports up against every peer 1stSgt.
• —ACAS and STIG compliance for the company at the ISSM-set threshold through every inspection during your tenure.
• —Zero senior-enlisted-level integrity incidents — financial, fraternization, OPSEC, cyber. One ends the career permanently at this rank and the Corps does not relitigate.
• —Post-service transition plan running 24 to 36 months out — VA disability claim filed pre-EAS, SkillBridge slot identified, retirement not walked into cold.

• —Going public with disagreement with the CO. You take the disagreement in his office with the door closed; you walk out aligned, every time.
• —Confusing seniority with leverage. The Corps keeps senior enlisted who serve the formation — not the ones who run their own program off the company commander's back.
• —Stopping personal PT because you are too senior. Marines stop respecting the chevrons when the body stops carrying them, and the 1st-Class PFT is still the bar.
• —Letting a GySgt run a bad ACAS compliance posture because he is your guy. The ISSM finds it, the regimental SgtMaj finds it, and the next slate is read without your name on it.
• —Confusing the warm-up to retirement with the job. Until you walk out of the formation for the last time, the formation is your job — the data systems Marines are still watching how you carry it.

The good 1stSgt / SgtMaj 0671 is the senior Marine every data systems Marine in the formation knows by face and reputation. He is the reason the re-enlistment line forms after a hard deployment with GCSS-MC upgrades mid-rotation and a MARFORCYBER inspection the week after. The CO trusts him with the worst news at 0200; the Marines trust him to fight for the school slots, the gear upgrades, and the career decisions before walking away from what he cannot win. The good MGySgt is the Marine HQMC calls when the 0671 T&R program needs rewriting — and the GySgts in the regiment quote him at section training without realizing they are doing it.