Pressing: Manufacturing may be one of your biggest expenses. There are a few different ways this can go down: If you have a distribution deal, your distributor may pay for manufacturing up front and then recoup the costs from sales.
When a opening takes place (someone retires) then the Marine Corps promotion board looks at the available candidates and their fitness report scores to fill the vacancy. So make sure you have excellent scores and reports. I picked up SSgt (E6) in 10 years. Gunnery Sergeant (E7) may take up to 14 to 16 years.
Training Plan. The master gunner and the gunnery officer-in-charge (OIC) should create a gunnery training plan 6 months before execution, if possible. The training plan will allow the unit to maintain a consistent mission focus, coordinate with task-organized supporting organizations, and focus on the correct timeline.