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From: Air Force Times
One year after the Air Force separated about 19,800 airmen in a vast and painful round of voluntary and involuntary cuts, the service has good news: Expect more promotions in 2015.
"Across the board, on the enlisted side, we'll see higher promotion rates in [fiscal 2015] than we saw in [fiscal 2014]," Brig. Gen. Brian Kelly, director of military force management policy, said in a May 13 interview in his Pentagon office. "We're going to grow a little bit, and so there's opportunity for more promotions."
Selections rates are going to be higher than they've been since at least 2013, Kelly said. By Air Force Times' estimate, that means that at least 29,000 enlisted airmen between E-5 and E-8 are likely to be promoted this year, at least a 37 percent increase from 21,159 in 2014. And 128,503 airmen are eligible for promotion to one of those four ranks this year, compared with 112,579 in 2014 a 14 percent increase.
This March's selection rate for senior master sergeant — the only one released so far this calendar year — is foreshadowing promotion opportunities for the rest of the enlisted ranks, Kelly said. The Air Force selected 8.75 percent of master sergeants to be promoted to E-8 this year. That's up from 6.74 percent in 2014, which itself was the lowest since 1995.
"You saw it in the senior master sergeants a little bit," Kelly said. "When we announce in the next couple of weeks the rest of them [technical sergeants, staff sergeants and master sergeants], you'll see upticks all across the board."
When enlisted selection rates started trending downward at the beginning of the decade, the Air Force said high retention rates were largely to blame. When airmen at higher ranks didn't leave, that meant fewer slots were open for junior airmen to move up. And that low rate of promotions into senior ranks had a cascading effect down the ranks.
With the force management programs ended in 2014 and the plan to add 4,000 new airmen in fiscal 2016, to bring end strength up to 317,000, the Air Force will be able to promote more airmen.
"Had we continued to drive down, we may not have as much availability" for promotions, Kelly said. "Now that we're leveling off and going up a little bit, and the force management programs are done, now there's opportunity to have the promotion rates return more back to the higher levels, certainly higher than they were in FY 14."
Here's the rank-by-rank outlook for enlisted promotions in 2015:
Staff sergeant: In 2015, 48,783 senior airmen will be up for promotion to E-5, the Air Force said — a 33 percent increase of the eligible pool since last year. And since Kelly said selection rates will be higher than in the past two years, that will mean that at least 16,000 airmen — probably more — will be chosen for staff sergeant.
Last year, 9,403 senior airmen out of 36,739 eligible were selected for promotion to staff sergeant, resulting in the 25.59 percent selection rate. In 2013, one-third of senior airmen were selected for E-5.
Staff sergeant selections are typically announced each July.
Technical sergeant: The number of airmen eligible for promotion to tech sergeant is increasing slightly, from 38,344 last year to 40,133 in 2015. That means at least 7,000 airmen are likely to get tapped for E-6 this year, up from the 6,684 selectees chosen at a 17.4 percent selection rate last year. The 2013 selection rate was 15 percent.
The list of staff sergeants who were selected for promotion to technical sergeant was supposed to be released May 28, but has been delayed. The Air Force said in a May 21 release that it needs more time to review the promotion results because this is the first tech sergeant promotion cycle to include revisions to the enlisted promotion system.
The Air Force is testing "every aspect of the system to ensure accuracy," Lt. Gen. Sam Cox, Air Force deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services, said in the May 21 release. Cox said the sew-on dates — the day on which selectees actually become their new, higher rank — will still begin in August and will not be delayed.
Master sergeant: At least 4,700 tech sergeants could become senior noncommissioned officers based upon projections that this year's selection rate is greater than 2013's 18.71 percent.
For the first time, the Air Force is holding a promotion board to choose E-7s that will be very similar to the boards that decide senior and chief master sergeant promotions. The board convened May 27 and will last until July 2.
But not all of the 25,225 tech sergeants who are eligible for promotion will meet the board, considering all those airmen would quickly overwhelm the board, the Air Force said. So to make its workload more manageable, the Air Force will only allow the top 60 percent — or roughly 15,135 tech sergeants — in each Air Force Specialty Code to move forward to the board process. That 60 percent cutoff is the only way the master sergeant board differs from the other ranks' boards.
Last year, the Air Force selected 4,073 technical sergeants for promotion out of 22,673 eligible, resulting in a selection rate of 17.96 percent. In 2013, 18.71 percent of eligible E-6s were chosen for promotion.
Senior master sergeant: The Air Force announced March 5 it had selected 1,257 master sergeants for promotion to senior master sergeant, out of 14,362 eligible master sergeants. That 8.75 percent selection rate was higher than the 6.74 percent selection rate in 2014.
Chief master sergeant: The Air Force did not say how many SNCOs will be eligible for the next round of chief master sergeant promotions scheduled for this fall. But last November, 479 of the 2,525 eligible senior master sergeants were chosen for promotion to E-9, resulting in an 18.97 percent selection rate.
Officers
Kelly said there will not be any changes to how officers are selected and promoted this year, and that officer selection rates will remain essentially unchanged from 2014.
http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/careers/air-force/2015/06/01/more-to-pin-on-new-stripes/28157611/
One year after the Air Force separated about 19,800 airmen in a vast and painful round of voluntary and involuntary cuts, the service has good news: Expect more promotions in 2015.
"Across the board, on the enlisted side, we'll see higher promotion rates in [fiscal 2015] than we saw in [fiscal 2014]," Brig. Gen. Brian Kelly, director of military force management policy, said in a May 13 interview in his Pentagon office. "We're going to grow a little bit, and so there's opportunity for more promotions."
Selections rates are going to be higher than they've been since at least 2013, Kelly said. By Air Force Times' estimate, that means that at least 29,000 enlisted airmen between E-5 and E-8 are likely to be promoted this year, at least a 37 percent increase from 21,159 in 2014. And 128,503 airmen are eligible for promotion to one of those four ranks this year, compared with 112,579 in 2014 a 14 percent increase.
This March's selection rate for senior master sergeant — the only one released so far this calendar year — is foreshadowing promotion opportunities for the rest of the enlisted ranks, Kelly said. The Air Force selected 8.75 percent of master sergeants to be promoted to E-8 this year. That's up from 6.74 percent in 2014, which itself was the lowest since 1995.
"You saw it in the senior master sergeants a little bit," Kelly said. "When we announce in the next couple of weeks the rest of them [technical sergeants, staff sergeants and master sergeants], you'll see upticks all across the board."
When enlisted selection rates started trending downward at the beginning of the decade, the Air Force said high retention rates were largely to blame. When airmen at higher ranks didn't leave, that meant fewer slots were open for junior airmen to move up. And that low rate of promotions into senior ranks had a cascading effect down the ranks.
With the force management programs ended in 2014 and the plan to add 4,000 new airmen in fiscal 2016, to bring end strength up to 317,000, the Air Force will be able to promote more airmen.
"Had we continued to drive down, we may not have as much availability" for promotions, Kelly said. "Now that we're leveling off and going up a little bit, and the force management programs are done, now there's opportunity to have the promotion rates return more back to the higher levels, certainly higher than they were in FY 14."
Here's the rank-by-rank outlook for enlisted promotions in 2015:
Staff sergeant: In 2015, 48,783 senior airmen will be up for promotion to E-5, the Air Force said — a 33 percent increase of the eligible pool since last year. And since Kelly said selection rates will be higher than in the past two years, that will mean that at least 16,000 airmen — probably more — will be chosen for staff sergeant.
Last year, 9,403 senior airmen out of 36,739 eligible were selected for promotion to staff sergeant, resulting in the 25.59 percent selection rate. In 2013, one-third of senior airmen were selected for E-5.
Staff sergeant selections are typically announced each July.
Technical sergeant: The number of airmen eligible for promotion to tech sergeant is increasing slightly, from 38,344 last year to 40,133 in 2015. That means at least 7,000 airmen are likely to get tapped for E-6 this year, up from the 6,684 selectees chosen at a 17.4 percent selection rate last year. The 2013 selection rate was 15 percent.
The list of staff sergeants who were selected for promotion to technical sergeant was supposed to be released May 28, but has been delayed. The Air Force said in a May 21 release that it needs more time to review the promotion results because this is the first tech sergeant promotion cycle to include revisions to the enlisted promotion system.
The Air Force is testing "every aspect of the system to ensure accuracy," Lt. Gen. Sam Cox, Air Force deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services, said in the May 21 release. Cox said the sew-on dates — the day on which selectees actually become their new, higher rank — will still begin in August and will not be delayed.
Master sergeant: At least 4,700 tech sergeants could become senior noncommissioned officers based upon projections that this year's selection rate is greater than 2013's 18.71 percent.
For the first time, the Air Force is holding a promotion board to choose E-7s that will be very similar to the boards that decide senior and chief master sergeant promotions. The board convened May 27 and will last until July 2.
But not all of the 25,225 tech sergeants who are eligible for promotion will meet the board, considering all those airmen would quickly overwhelm the board, the Air Force said. So to make its workload more manageable, the Air Force will only allow the top 60 percent — or roughly 15,135 tech sergeants — in each Air Force Specialty Code to move forward to the board process. That 60 percent cutoff is the only way the master sergeant board differs from the other ranks' boards.
Last year, the Air Force selected 4,073 technical sergeants for promotion out of 22,673 eligible, resulting in a selection rate of 17.96 percent. In 2013, 18.71 percent of eligible E-6s were chosen for promotion.
Senior master sergeant: The Air Force announced March 5 it had selected 1,257 master sergeants for promotion to senior master sergeant, out of 14,362 eligible master sergeants. That 8.75 percent selection rate was higher than the 6.74 percent selection rate in 2014.
Chief master sergeant: The Air Force did not say how many SNCOs will be eligible for the next round of chief master sergeant promotions scheduled for this fall. But last November, 479 of the 2,525 eligible senior master sergeants were chosen for promotion to E-9, resulting in an 18.97 percent selection rate.
Officers
Kelly said there will not be any changes to how officers are selected and promoted this year, and that officer selection rates will remain essentially unchanged from 2014.
http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/careers/air-force/2015/06/01/more-to-pin-on-new-stripes/28157611/
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Congrats to all!!! I know the cuts were painful, but lets keep Blue flying high!
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SGM Miguel Espinoza
Good article but you could’ve use a pic doing something good and not punching someone for being promoted. Which is against regulation.
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