Fleet Marine Force Ribbon The Navy Fleet Marine Force Ribbon is a decoration of the United States Navy established in 1984 by Secretary of the Navy John F . Lehman , Jr . It was awarded to eligible Navy personnel serving with the Marines between 1984 and 2006 . The award signified the acquisition of specific professional skills , knowledge and military experience that resulted in qualifications above those normally required of Navy personnel serving with the Marine Corps operating forces . Qualification for the ribbon had to be obtained through a formal qualification program , and successful completion of a subsequent written test . To be eligible , Navy officer and enlisted personnel had to be assigned to a unit of the Marine Corps operating forces . Only those personnel assigned to Type II and Type IV sea duty ( i . e . , deployable units ) were eligible . Additionally , officer and enlisted Sailors had to complete sections of the Marine Battle Skills Training Handbook ( Books 1 , 2 and 4 ) , which covered Military Justice and Law of War ; Marine Corps Organization , History , Customs , and Courtesies ; Marine Corps Uniform , Clothing and Equipment ; Marine Corps General Leadership ; Substance Abuse ; Troop Information / Training Management ; Combat Leadership ; Individual Weapons ( M16A2 Service Rifle , M9 Service Pistol ) ; Tactical Measures ; Hand Grenades , Mines , and Pyrotechnics ; NBC Defense ; First Aid and Field Sanitation ; Land Navigation ; Communication ; and Maintain Physical Fitness . After completion , candidates had to pass a written exam on this material . Enlisted active duty members of the Navy had to serve a minimum of 12 months ( 24 for Naval Reservists ) with Marine Corps operating forces . Hospital corpsmen ( HM ) and dental technicians ( DT ) had to graduate from Field Medical Service School ( FMSS ) . Religious program specialists ( RP ) had to graduate from Chaplain and RP Expeditionary Skills Training ( CREST ) course . Candidates in these three ratings had to obtain the appropriate Navy Enlisted Classification ( NEC ) ( HM 8404 / DT 8707 / RP 2401 ) . Navy personnel assigned to an FMF unit , who have no Navy Enlisted Classification Code ( NEC ) producing pipeline school ( i . e . , yeoman , personnelman , disbursing clerk , etc . ) , were also eligible . Enlisted personnel could have no single performance trait mark below 3 . 0 ( on a 4 . 0 scale ) , and no recommendation lower than promotable for the previous two periodic evaluations . Finally , candidates had to pass the USMC Physical Fitness Test ( PFT ) , which included timed performance of a 3 - mile run , sit - ups , and pull - ups . The awarding authority could waive the above requirements in cases when Navy personnel demonstrate exceptional skill , knowledge , and leadership while providing support to the Marine Corps in a combat environment . In the mid - 1990s , the Chief of Naval Operations , Admiral Mike Boorda , granted the title ( FMF ) to enlisted personnel who had earned the ribbon , e . g . , HM2 ( FMF ) John Smith , USN . This put the Navy FMF Ribbon on par with Navy enlisted warfare qualification breast insignia such as Surface Warfare , Air Warfare , Submarine , etc . The designation also provided the recipient two additional points toward advancement in rate . Effective October 1 , 2006 , the Fleet Marine Force Ribbon became obsolete as a result of the creation of the Fleet Marine Force Qualified Officer Insignia and Fleet Marine Force Enlisted Warfare Specialist Insignia programs .