What do you think about Air Force E7 Review Boards?

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 16:46:29 -0500

For all the interested parties, HQ AF is discussing this week whether or not to begin performing a Records Review Board for promotion to E-7. This would be quite a change from the TIG/TIS points currently used to determine cutoff scores. More emphasis would be on your actual performance/ability, rather than the amount of time you've spent in the military.

What are your thoughts on this process? Good/Bad? Effective/Ineffective? Share your thoughts here!

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 5 at 2014 10:54 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 22:54:03 -0500

I am, personally, in favor of the potential change. While I am honored to serve with many E-6s that have years of additional knowledge on me, the fact of the matter is that many of them fail to test well. This becomes a crutch for my promotion odds, as I am now competing against many Techs that don't have a desire to be promoted, but still hold 48+ points advantage due to their time in service/grade.

Bottom line - Many innovative leaders are striving to promote, and often have the leadership to back it up. They are simply held back due other "less qualified" NCOs with a few more years in the military.

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Apr 6 at 2014 8:32 PM

SFC Michael Hasbun — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 20:32:33 -0400

Is there any official rationale on why they never screened candidates in the first place?

Response by SMSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 9 at 2014 1:19 PM

SMSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 13:19:55 -0400

This is an awesome thing and should have happened years ago. We the AF are the only ones that don't do it. By only promoting based on technical scores (SKT) and PDG, we are promoting people that are really technically proficient which does not always make for the best managers and leaders. Using the test scores as the “hurdle” to get boarded would eliminate those that don’t score well, then the board would promote those that have shown sustained performance and leadership potential.

Had this happen long ago, I know of quite a few individuals that I have had the pleasure to work for that would have never gotten promoted. Being technically skilled does not always correlate to being able to help Airmen, which is ultimately what MSgts are required to do.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 22 at 2014 3:30 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 22 May 2014 15:30:00 -0400

Yes, let's put techs up to the board for promotion. It will improve the quality of SNCOs in the Air Force.
It will motivate me to be better as well.