MARADMIN 534/23 - Command Climate Assessment Policy Updates and Guidance to the Fleet

Scope

MARADMIN 534/23 publishes policy updates and guidance to the Marine Corps Total Force on part one of the Command Climate Assessment (CCA) lifecycle, the annual Defense Organizational Climate Survey (DEOCS) and the change of command CCA. Part two, the Comprehensive Integrated Primary Prevention (CIPP) plan, ships separately through Marine and Family Programs. The message reissues the content of MARADMIN 468/23, whose source page reads CANCELLED. The governing policy is DoDI 6400.11.

Audience

• O-5 and O-6 slated commanders, commanding generals, deputy commandants, and senior executive service members. Required to complete the annual and change of command CCA.
• Reporting officials. Conducted CCAs must be annotated in the commander's annual fitness report per the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013.
• Service members and DoD civilians in the command. Participation is voluntary and open to all. Contractor personnel are excluded.
• Prevention staff. Support CCA augmentation as defined in DoDI 6400.11.

Key provisions

• Change of command CCA. Conducted within 90 days after assumption of command. During status of command briefs, commanders review the most recent annual CCA and assess corrective action plan progress. A change of command CCA falling inside the annual window fulfills both requirements with a single CCA.
• Annual CCA. Beginning calendar year 2024, all commands conduct an annual CCA per MCO 5354.1F Chapter 2 between 1 August and 30 November, beginning no later than 31 October.
• Pulse Survey. The Defense Organizational Climate Pulse Survey runs during the change of command CCA or between the change of command and annual CCA, at most once a year, and never within 90 days before or after a DEOCS.
• Small units. Commands with fewer than 50 survey participants combine the DEOCS portion with another unit so respondents stay anonymous.
• Deployed units. A unit deployed without connectivity documents the gap with a signed Memorandum for the Record and completes a CCA within 90 days of return.
• Augmentation. Commanders augment DEOCS results with focus groups, surveys, and other data.

Connection to higher policy

• DoDI 6400.11, DoD Integrated Primary Prevention Policy for Prevention Workforce and Leaders, 2022-12-20. The governing CCA policy.
• National Defense Authorization Act of 2013. Drives the fitness report annotation requirement.
• Secretary of Defense memorandum of 2021-09-22, Independent Review Commission Recommendation-Implementation Roadmap.

Connection to Marine Corps doctrine

• MCO 5354.1F. The Marine Corps order referenced by this message for the annual CCA framework. MCO 5354.1G with Admin CH 1 has since replaced it as the Prohibited Activities and Conduct order, per MARADMIN 306/25.
• MARADMIN 306/25. The calendar year 2025 annual DEOCS administration message.
• MARADMIN 468/23. The September 2023 release of this guidance, now marked cancelled at the source.

Status

Active. Signed 2023-10-20, DTG R 201535Z OCT 23, verified against the message text on 2026-07-15. Originator CMC Washington DC MRA. Release authorized by Lieutenant General James F. Glynn, Deputy Commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. Applicability is the Marine Corps Total Force.