Marine Corps sets timelines for responding to missing personnel
When Marines don’t show up for work, their units are now directed to make “reasonable” efforts to contact them. If that doesn’t help, officials should begin checking in with local police, hospitals and mental health clinics, according to new Marine Corps regulations.
This new policy was published in a Marine Corps administrative notice last week. Under this new set of rules, Marine Corps units now have specific actions and timelines they should take when their troops don’t report to duty. The guidance emphasizes that officials should take safety and mental health risks into consideration and move fast to avoid delaying law enforcement.
“An immediate and thorough inquiry is essential. An incorrect determination can delay law enforcement investigations in a missing persons case or cause undue hardship on dependents,” according to the notice.
If a Marine is still missing after 24 hours, commanders should appoint an officer to start gathering the facts on potential safety threats, mental health risks, recent stressors, and “significant deviations from normal behavior.” During this phase, commanders can consult with judge advocates on search authorities, privacy considerations, or potential criminal misconduct.
The interim guidance directly follows recommendations from the Government Accountability Office. In a February report, the GAO reviewed policies across the services and ultimately recommended that commanders should presume missing troops are “potentially in danger.” GAO investigators looked at 10 years’ worth of data and found that over 90% of troops with “involuntary” absences were eventually found dead.
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The GAO report was directed by Congress in 2023 after a “series of high-profile incidents” where service members went missing in “nonhostile” settings and were later found deceased. One of those cases involved Vanessa Guillén, a soldier who went missing at Fort Hood, Texas, and was found murdered off base. In the wake of her death, an independent commission was set up and subsequently found issues with the military’s policy for handling missing troops. The commission’s findings led to a series of reforms for the Army, and in later years, the rest of the services.
When the GAO reviewed policies for the other branches, the Marine Corps “outlined daily steps they take to account for personnel and locate them.” Accountability formations and regular check-ins, whether it be at the small-unit level or larger formations, are a common occurrence in the Corps. However, the GAO noted that the service did not have a “formalized process” for locating Marines or specific procedures for unit commanders.
“Commanders exercised judgment based on existing authorities, available guidance, and the specifics of each situation,” said Maj. Jacoby Getty, a Marine Corps spokesperson. “This new policy codifies and standardizes those practices, ensuring consistency across the force, reducing reliance on institutional knowledge, and providing commanders with a clear, authoritative framework for decision-making.”
Marine Corps officials told the GAO they would issue interim guidance by March and have the policy fully implemented by 2028.
Reporting their status
When Marines don’t show up for duty, units are directed to report their status into the Marine OnLine database, notify their unit chaplains and installation provost marshal.
The different reporting statuses are defined according to Defense Department policies, which classify troop absences as either voluntary or involuntary.
Voluntary absences are reported when a Marine “knowingly and intentionally” does not report for duty or is absent without authorization. This can be further classified as an unauthorized absence, absence without leave, or desertion.
Involuntary absences will be for Marines who don’t report to duty because of “circumstances beyond their control,” whether they are the victim of foul play, an accident, a medical emergency, or “another calamity.” They are either classified as duty status-whereabouts unknown, DUSTWUN, or missing.
There should be enough “credible evidence” that indicates a Marine’s absence is involuntary to report their status as DUSTWUN, according to the policy. However, commanders should also “strongly consider” using this status if a Marine has a history of mental health concerns or any evidence points to a potential risk of self-harm, even if evidence otherwise supports voluntary absence.”
While status determinations can be made at any time, units will have to make a final status call by the 48-hour mark. Commanders are directed to presume that their absence is involuntary “unless a preponderance of available evidence (more likely than not) indicates voluntary absence.”
“Search and investigation efforts will continue until resolution or a status change,” according to the guidance.
The interim policy, which was announced on April 10, goes into effect immediately and serves as formal guidance until a “permanent service policy is established.”