Author: Joel Schofer, MD, MBA, CPE
2026 MSC In-Service Procurement Program Selection Board
CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED//
ROUTINE
R 221510Z JAN 25 MID120001696493U
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TO NAVADMIN
INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC
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UNCLAS
NAVADMIN 007/25
PASS TO OFFICE CODES:
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1//
INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1//
MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/JAN//
SUBJ/ACADEMIC YEAR 2026 MEDICAL SERVICE CORPS IN-SERVICE PROCUREMENT PROGRAM
SELECTION BOARD//
REF/A/DOC/OPNAV/14DEC09//
REF/B/DOC/BUPERS/8SEP23//
REF/C/DOC/USC/13AUG18//
NARR/REF A IS OPNAVINST 1420.1B, ENLISTED TO OFFICER COMMISSIONING PROGRAMS
APPLICATION ADMINISTRATIVE MANUAL.
REF B IS PROGRAM AUTHORIZATION 115B, MEDICAL SERVICE CORPS (MSC) IN-SERVICE
PROCUREMENT PROGRAM (IPP).
REF C IS TITLE 10 U.S. CODE SECTION 8323, OFFICERS: 20 YEARS.
RMKS/1. This NAVADMIN solicits applications for the Academic Year
(AY) 2026 Medical Service Corps (MSC) In-Service Procurement Program
(IPP) Selection Board. The MSC IPP provides a pathway to officer commissions
for Active Duty enlisted personnel who meet eligibility criteria for direct
commission or training programs in Health Care Administration (HCA),
physician assistant, radiation health, environmental health, industrial
hygiene, occupational therapy, clinical social work, entomology, medical
laboratory science, pharmacy, clinical psychology, and optometry. The
application deadline is 15 June 2025 and the Selection Board will convene on
or about 17 September 2025.
2. Eligibility criteria. Application procedures and eligibility criteria
are outlined in this NAVADMIN, chapters 1, 2, and 6 of reference (a), and
reference (b), which can be viewed on the MyNavy HR website at
https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Career-Management/Community-
Management/Officer/Program-Authorizations/
3. Applicants must not have reached their 42nd birthday by the time of
initial appointment and commissioning. Age waivers up to age 48 are
available and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
4. In line with references (a) and (c), applicants are reminded that to be
eligible for voluntary retirement, an applicant appointed as an officer is
required to complete 20 years of Active Duty service, with at least 10 years
of service as an active commissioned officer.
5. Applicants must include a conditional release in their application.
a. Applicants assigned to a nuclear training command or who hold a
nuclear Navy Enlisted Classification must submit an Enlisted Personnel Action
Request (NAVPERS 1306/7) form to the Nuclear Propulsion Program Management
Office (OPNAV N133) via their detailer.
b. Applicants not assigned to nuclear programs must submit the NAVPERS
1306/7 to their enlisted community manager to obtain the conditional release.
6. Applicants for training must provide an acceptance letter from an
accredited university in line with reference (b) and submit scholastic
aptitude test, American college testing, graduate record examination,
graduate management admission test, or pharmacy college admission test
scores, as applicable.
7. Amplifying, program-specific guidance for the AY26 MSC IPP Selection
Board is as follows:
a. HCA direct. Must have an accredited master's degree prior to the
application deadline.
b. HCA training. Must include an acceptance letter from either the
Army-Baylor University graduate program in HCA or a master's of HCA and
Policy degree at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
c. Physician Assistant. Official transcripts from all academic
institutions attended must be sent by the institution directly to the
University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) Centralized Application Service
(CAS) no later than 15 June 2025. The UNMC CAS application must be initiated
online, where applicants can also find the instructions and admission
requirements. The UNMC CAS website is https://www.unmc.edu/
No documents need to be uploaded into the UNMC CAS system.
Completion of the online application does not qualify as submission of the
application for IPP.
d. Clinical psychology. Applicants interested in pursuing a qualifying
doctoral in clinical psychology prior to commissioning must possess a
baccalaureate or master's degree from an accredited college or university and
must have attained a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Applicants must also have a letter of acceptance from a doctoral program
(Ph.D. or Psy.D.) in either clinical or counseling psychology. This doctoral
program must be accredited by the American Psychological Association or the
Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System. Applicants must also be
able to complete all pre-internship academic requirements within 48 months,
prior to the start of the required doctoral internship. Applicants must
obtain licensure or certification from the appropriate certifying body,
state, territory, or the District of Columbia within 18 months of completion
of the internship.
e. Optometry. Applicants interested in pursuing a qualifying degree
prior to commissioning must have a letter of acceptance into a doctor of
optometry degree program that is accredited by the Accreditation Council on
Optometric Education and must also be able to complete the requirements for a
doctor of optometry degree within
48 consecutive months. Applicants must have a 3.0 or better GPA on a 4.0
scale. Applicants must obtain licensure or certification from the
appropriate certifying body, state, territory, or the District of Columbia
prior to commissioning or within 1 year after commissioning as dictated by
the standard practices and procedures of the specialty.
8. All completed applications must be received by the Naval Medical Leader
and Professional Development Command (NMLPDC) no later than
15 June 2025 and addressed to:
Commanding Officer
Naval Medical Leader and Professional Development Command
Attn: HMDT, 16th Floor
8955 Wood Road
Bethesda MD 20889-5611
More information about the program as well as application information can be
found on the website noted in paragraph 2 and the NMLPDC website at
https://www.med.navy.mil/Naval-Medical-Leader-and-Professional-Development-
Command/
9. Selection board results will be released on the NLMPDC website once
approved.
10. The point of contact is Beverly D. Kemp, NMLPDC, who can be reached at
(301) 319-4520/DSN 285, or via e-mail at beverly.d.kemp.civ@health.mil.
11. This NAVADMIN will remain in effect until superseded or 30 September
2026, whichever occurs first.
12. Released by Vice Admiral Richard J. Cheeseman, Jr., N1.//
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Defense Secretary Underscores DOD Priorities During Pentagon Town Hall
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth today reiterated his core priorities for the Defense Department during a town hall meeting with service members and DOD civilians at the Pentagon.
As outlined in his Jan. 27, 2025, message to the force, Hegseth said he intends to spend the next four years working with the Defense Department to revive the warrior ethos and restore trust in the military, rebuild it by matching threats to capabilities and reestablish deterrence by defending the homeland.
“I’ve been so incredibly impressed by … the professionalism of the men and women throughout the ranks who recognize who we work for, which is the American people and the defense of our nation,” Hegseth said.
“President Trump asked me to not maintain the status quo, we’re going to take unconventional approaches,” Hegseth said of his working philosophy.
“We’re going to move fast, think outside the box be disruptive — on purpose — to create a sense of urgency that I want to make sure exists inside this department,” he explained.
Speaking on restoring the warrior ethos, Hegseth said that there exists a necessity within DOD to “get back to basics.”
He said DOD’s job is to deter conflict and — if necessary — completely destroy, demoralize and defeat enemies of the United States. “That’s what we do,” Hegseth said.
“We do warfighting here at the Department of Defense,” he continued. “And we want to restore that through a laser focus on readiness, lethality and warfighting across the spectrum.”
Noting a recent uptick in the military’s recruiting numbers, Hegseth said that young men and women are now choosing to serve because they want to embrace such an ethos.
“I think we’ve seen an enthusiasm and excitement from young men and women who want to join the military actively because they are interested in being a part of the finest fighting force the world has to offer,” Hegseth said.
“It’s about readiness; it’s about staying focused,” he added.
Hegseth said DOD gathers its strength from unity.
“Our strength is our shared purpose, regardless of our background, regardless of how we grew up, regardless of our gender regardless of our race,” he said.
“In this department, we will treat everyone equally, we will treat everyone with fairness, we will treat everyone with respect, and we will judge you as an individual by your merit and by your commitment to the team and the mission,” he continued. “That’s how it has been that’s how it will be,” he added.
On the topic of rebuilding the military and the industrial base, Hegseth said he has the advantage of approaching the field as an outsider who has no special or conflicted interests that would relate to the defense industrial base.
“I don’t have a background invested in any systems or services; I’m agnostic to that,” Hegseth said, adding that he’s prepared to “take a lot of arrows” if necessary.
“We need the best systems in the hands of warfighters … to deter send the signal that, when the fight comes, we’re ready to win and win decisively,” Hegseth said.
The secretary also said that rebuilding the military and defense industrial base necessitates an audit of the Pentagon.
“We are going to focus heavily to ensure that — at a bare minimum, by the end of four years — the Pentagon passes a clean audit; the American taxpayers deserve that. They deserve to know where their $850 billion ,” Hegseth said.
“I believe we are accountable for every dollar we spend and every dollar of waste we find … is a dollar we can invest somewhere else,” he added.
On the third priority of establishing deterrence, Hegseth said that securing the country’s borders is a top priority, noting that many of the people seeking to gain entry into the U.S. are genuinely seeking a better life and have no nefarious intent to harm the country.
“We also don’t know who millions of them are, what their intentions are why they’re here. That creates a very real national security threat to the country,” Hegseth said.
“Border security is national security, and … we’re going to get 100% operational control of our southern border, and that needs to be and will be a focus of this department,” he continued.
” charge to me was to return to its warfighting mission at its core: warfighting, lethality, meritocracy, accountability and readiness; the things at the bedrock of what we all understand our basic mission to be,” Hegseth said.
“It’s the honor of a lifetime to come alongside you; no one will work harder,” he told the audience.
“No one’s going to … attempt to be more transparent with the American people and with you. We want to hear your feedback, and we want to hit the ground running.”
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