The MOS Discussion Threads are meant to be enduring threads where individuals with experience or insight in to particular CMFs or MOSes can give advice and tips. If you have any MOS resources, schools, etc, this would be a great place to share them.
The hope is that these individual threads can serve as 'megathreads' on the posts in question, and we can get advice from experienced persons. Each week I will keep the full listing/links to all previous threads in a mega-list below, for ease of reference. At the end of the series I will go back and ensure they all have completely navigable links
If you have specific questions about these MOSes, please feel free to ask here, but know that we are not forcing or re-directing all questions to these threads -- you can, and are encouraged, to still use the WQT.
This is not stricly an 'AMA', although if people would like to offer themselves up to answer questions, that would be great, and I'd ask that you give some reference to your expertise if you do. A big "Thank You" to everyone who is willing to answer questions about the MOSes in question, but the immediate preference would be for informational posts. These are meant to be enduring sources of information.
These only work with your participation and your feedback!
Common questions / information I'd recommend sharing to get started
Day to Day Life
"What's a deployment like?"
Career Advancement/Growth Opportunities
Best Duty Station for your MOS
So, again, willing to answer questions is great, but if there's any information you can impart now, I think that would provide the greatest benefit.
This thread covers the following MOSes:
27A Judge Advocate
27B Military Judge
270A Legal Administrator
27D Paralegal Specialist
#DO NOT:
Ask MOS questions unrelated to those listed. "How did your duties compare to a 19D when deployed?" or "Is it true an MP Company carries more firepower than an IN Company" are fine. "While this is up, what's 92F like?" is not.
Do not ask random joining questions. If your question isn't about the MOSes listed, then it probably belongs in a different Megathread, the Weekly Question Thread, or a new post.
Hey all! Below is all the information you’ll need on the Norwegian Foot March and upcoming events for 2026.
Event Background
In 2020, the Norwegian Defense College’s Military Sports Department temporarily authorized a request from the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, D.C. to offer virtual proctoring of the Marsjmerket (Norwegian Foot March). Traditionally, the event required the physical presence of an officiator from the Norwegian military, but due to training and travel restrictions created by COVID, this was suspended. While the event is comparatively rare due to the limited number of Norwegian officials within the United States, interest exploded from late 2020 to 2021 following the relaxation of officiation requirements. Interest amongst non-Norwegian militaries continued well after training restrictions were relaxed and officials granted permanent virtual endorsement to enable U.S. forces to undertake this century-old traditional training opportunity.
Effective August 1st, 2021 U.S. units worldwide can request to conduct the Norwegian Foot March without an official present. In coordination with the individual who formerly ran these threads, I have recreated the thread series to facilitate new events and help individuals find events in their areas. Please share this opportunity with anyone interested! It's a great event, especially when conducted with your friends and fellow servicemembers. We're incredibly lucky that the Norwegian Army is willing to share this great tradition with us and it reinforces our bond with an important NATO ally and friendly nation.
IMPORTANT: You must receive approval from the embassy before conducting this event! If your unit conducts this event, as a thank you to the embassy, please include four unit coins and four unit patches from any unit that participates. It's a small ask and the Norwegians appreciate the gesture for all the work they put into providing this opportunity for us.
Certificates are currently distributed digitally but please consider sending a token of thanks to the following address:
Royal Norwegian Embassy
ATTN: Defense Attache Office, NFM
2720 34th Street NW
Washington, DC 20008
Upcoming Events - Updated OCT 4th, 2026 - Updates Made Monthly or As New Events Confirmed
The Norwegian Foot March, or Marsjmerket, was introduced in 1915 as a culminating training event for new conscripts and infantry soldiers. Traditionally, the event simulated overnight movement by a dismounted light infantry element. The element would occupy attack positions before daybreak and attack its objective at first light, fighting until it was successfully seized and only resting after consolidating its gains later that evening. The modern version of the march attempts to replicate this experience with the following requirements:
1. Complete the 18.6 mile / 30-kilometer course in the time allocated to their age/gender (see time standards below)
2. Complete the foot march using an issued or military-style ruck weighing a minimum of 11 kilograms / 25 pounds (dry weight). Alternatively, units can also require participants to carry their assigned weapon during the event. If carried, the total weight of the weapon and ruck must equal at least 11 kilograms / 25 pounds. The carrying of assigned weapons plus ruck is the preferred variant of the event.
Participant Time Standards
Participant Time Standards
Age Group
Male Time Standard (hh:mm)
Female Time Standard (hh:mm)
18-20
4:35
5:25
21-34
4:30
5:15
35-42
4:35
5:25
43-49
4:40
5:30
50-54
4:50
5:40
55-59
5:00
5:50
60+
5:15
6:00
Note: The above chart contains the current standards. Ensure you use it and/or the guidelines provided by the embassy. There are many old versions out there on the Internet. Do not use any time standards other than these.
Additional Event Requirements
1. Military participants must wear their duty uniform and boots. The civilian uniform is at the discretion of the organizer, but must be at least 1.5 kilograms / 3.3 pounds in weight.
2. Participants must be weigh their rucks (a standard weight for carried weapons can be established by the unit) prior to and after completing the event to ensure they fulfill the weight requirements
3. An official clock or timer is displayed at the start and finish line or a designated timer calls out the official time for participants and graders
4. Graders record each participant's finish time, starting ruck/weapon weight, and finishing ruck/weapon weight on an official roster
5. Event organizers must establish manned medical and water stations every 3.2 kilometers / 2 miles along the length of the course
6. Organizers create a medical evacuation plan based upon local conditions and potential issues
7. Conducted between -15 to 25 Celsius (5 to 77 Fahrenheit) and under no extreme weather conditions
8. The event occurs on unimproved roads or trails (waivable depending on location)
Scheduling Procedures
In order to conduct an event, units must submit a request prior to execution.
Norwegian Foot March Event Organizer Checklist (Excel) - Use this checklist to create your event CONOP. You must still fill it out and submit it along with your CONOP!
Event Date(s) and Alternative Date(s) - Strongly recommend you request an alternate date as a backup due to weather or random changes in the training schedule
Location
Estimated Number of Participants
Proposed Route
Medical Emergency / Evacuation Route
Weighing / Attire Verification Procedures
Communications Plan
Water Station Plan
Medical Station Plan
Weather Forecast
Event Map / CONOP - Create in Powerpoint, Submit as PDF
Event Endorsement Request Memo - This item tends to get a lot of questions. It's really just a MFR identifying your unit, organizing official, core details of the event, and a request for approval from the embassy to conduct the event.
Once complete all documents must be sent to the email addresses in the Excel spreadsheet.
Event Cost and Results Submission
Conducting the event itself is free, though depending on whether you want to provide participants with drinks, snacks, or other facilitate bulk purchases of badges, you may want to consider charging a fee. This is ultimately at the discretion of the organizer. The embassy and Norwegian military affiliates do not charge for any assistance in scheduling an event or officiating.
Certificates will be delivered digitally by the embassy to the organizer after a closeout report is submitted. Organizers can then print them at their unit using cardstock or use a commercial process such as that listed below.
Post-Event Instructions – Badges and Certificates
Badges
A listing of the available badges can be found in the FAQ section of this post.
Certificates
The embassy will share the certificate with the organizer after receiving the post-event memo (see my dropbox link). The organizing unit is responsible for producing the certificates from the template and distributing them. Instructions on how to prepare the certificates and order them via Staples printing service follow:
Modify the template for your unit's name and event date (use the DD MMM YY format)
Only the organizing unit's name needs to be used. If the organizing unit wants to customize all the certificates for each participating unit, that's permitted.
Fill in the rank, first name, and last name for each participant
Save each file as a PDF (reduces size for digital uploads while preserving high resolution)
Use the simple print option. Do not upload more than 50 files at a time! Staples' interface does not deal well with large amounts of documents.
Select the following options for your certificates
Paper Size - 8.5" x 11" (default)
Paper Type - 110lb White Cardstock
Color Options - Color Ink
Binding Type - No Binding
Sides - Single Sided, Ensure "Scale to Fit" is checked
Frequently Asked Questions
Do some units also hold a food drive with this event?
Yes! Many units encourage participants to carry a partial or full weight load of nonperishable food stuffs and goods that are turned in after the event. In the past several years numerous units have collected between 2,300 - 8,700 lbs of food that was donated to local shelters and food banks, giving back to their local communities and people in need.
What's the Record for Fastest Completion?
According to the Norwegian Defense Academy, Roger Gjøvaag, a former track and field athlete, completed the event in 1h 56m 57s in 1984 at Krigsskolen.
How many successful marches are associated with each badge type?
Current Award Scheme
Bronze - 1 completed foot march
Silver - 2 to 4 completed foot marches
Gold - 5+ completed foot matches
Former Award Scheme - Replaced in 2016
Bronze - 1 to 3 completed foot marches
Silver - 4 to 6 completed foot marches
Gold - 7+ completed foot matches
Where Are Badges Available and What Versions Are There?
Badge Versions
The standard version issued by the Norwegian military is approximately 0.75 inches / 19.05 mm in height. This is the appropriate size for their dress uniform standards. For non-Norwegian military personnel, there is no set size standard at the wearer's discretion and their uniform regulations. In the case of non-Norwegian wearers, the embassy’s position is that there is no specified size and wearers may wear any available version (0.72 inches / 18.29mm to 1.5 inches / 38.1 mm).
Here’s the latest embassy response to an inquiry regarding this: “Currently, there are at least 5 different versions made by U.S. companies, including a 1.5 inches / 38 mm size that is very similar to the older version of the Norwegian Foot March badge. U.S. forces' do not have a policy that requires which version is worn. Typically, it is the version closest to those worn by the issuing country, but it is ultimately at the discretion of the wearer provided the issuing country does not have any objections. The foot march is positive advertising for Norway and the more visible the badge is, the more recognizable the bond between the U.S. and Norwegian forces.”
Badge Vendors Listing
Disclaimer: The following listing of commercial products is solely for informational purposes and does not imply endorsement by me, nor discrimination against similar brands or products not mentioned. The vendors and products listed below are ordered by the date of product discovery via publicly available information.
Please contact [NFMOrganizer@gmail.com](mailto:NFMOrganizer@gmail.com) for any questions, comments, or concerns. Sometimes the information we are given is lacking, but we do our best to provide as many details as possible here.
First I’d like to apologize. It’s been brought to my attention that I used to do that. Like a lot. Like to the point where it was a known thing that after about 2/3 of a bottle of Tito’s I’d just wander into the kitchen and clean out the whole fridge and reorganize it.
If I did this can you let me know? I just can’t figure out exactly what order I want my condiments in and where my dairy needs to be. I have some vague memories of the perfect system but I don’t know if it was just drunken dreams. Like maybe I was just chasing the dragon of a perfect fridge.
many people want to use Linux, but the documentation for CAC reader support is... uhh... yeah... in most places (even on GPT which is shockingly unhelpful on this topic last time I tried).
Navigate to Edit > Settings > Privacy & Security > Certificates > Security Devices and click "Load" to load a module using /usr/lib/opensc-pkcs11.so or /usr/lib/pkcs11/opensc-pkcs11.so
Import DoD Certs:
Install the certificates from the mentioned zip-file in this order, by going to Edit > Settings > Privacy & Security > Certificates > Manage Certificates > Authorities > Import (make sure to at-least check the box for "Trust this CA to identify websites"):
I’m meeting with medical next week, but has anyone had luck getting a profile to authorize full leggings under PT shorts? I lost a lot of weight and have loose skin. This hurts on not only runs but also things like jumping jacks and whatnot. Compression shorts don’t work because they roll and bunch often making the extra skin bunch up and worst.
This was the one question during the morning SMA Panel featuring the G-1 changes.
Good question, and I'm not fully surprised by the answer - I figured the CTC/Corp/Division promotion policy was aimed at enticing individuals to those locations, and that the rest would be SOL.
But I wanted to highlight SMA's commentary at the end, when he adds some commentary, as I think it speaks to a lot of policies we've seen. We've seen, in recent months, policies like the Cyber Pay updates, QTI, Grooming/Uniform Standards or WHtR, roll out with 'gaps' in the policy that leave people confused - and eventually have to be amended.
SMA's piece here felt very indicative of the attitude of the current era - no more long pilots or trial runs. Execute, learn, and then make a decision.
I worry that this is a 'build the airplane while you're flying it' kind of attitude, that serves to...'learn'...at the expense of the enlisted Soldiers who they most impact.
I can certainly understand and appreciate the 'long rollout' and 'pilot to death' that he's talking about - but I worry people will take that as an excuse to 'skip' testing or critical analysis, in favor of Big Ideas that Sound Good.
Either way, I thought it was interesting insight into SMA's view on these policy rollouts.
Reiterating - This was the only question asked at the forum. No one else raised their hand for a question, so we have no further commentary/details until policy roll outs.
I’m an active duty officer, and I’ll be out of my current duty station in about two years. My wife is currently getting her PHD at a university that has a ROTC program. Would the army acknowledge this relationship and allow me to get a job at or around this university? Open to ROTC instructor or any other broadening assignments like recruiter etc. There’s also a large Army base nearby as well, if that makes a difference. Cheers.
I have an Iwol jacket and a sgt told me I cannot wear it because I’m not a mechanic or fuel person, I wore it on deployment for years.
I was wondering is this like a genuine thing set in stone and if I get first Sgt to let me wear it can I?
Yes, I have emailed my installation military processing center but I would like to know other people’s experiences with command sponsorship.
My wife recently applied for a tourist visa to visit me in Korea for the holiday. Her Visa was denied for some reason I won’t get into. Can this affect the chances of CSP getting approved or not?
Edit 1
My wife is a Filipino. She has been to Korea once when the bank she works for a vacation here I was here for that and went with her on her vacation here the embassy declined her visa because they think that she might stay here longer because I live here.
Old Barracks Museum (Trenton, NJ)—served as barracks post for the British Army during the French and Indian War, later became a recruiting post for the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.
PS—Apparently the joes back then still did same dumb shit we do today. Also, it was much easier to go AWOL in those days.
Hey everyone! I’m an infantry SSG. Been in for just over 10 years now and want to stay in the army but I’m tired of the infantry. Just looking to see how life is on the non combat side. My line scores are high enough to do any job and I’d like some insight from other individuals in different MOSs. Recently thinking about the career counselor and am going to talk with mine about it on Monday.
