USAF Officer Promotions
The Officer Promotion Process
The Air Force officer promotion program’s purpose is to select enough
officers of the desired quality, in the proper grades, to carry out
the mission. To do this, the Air Force should promote officers in
sufficient numbers as vacancies occur, maintaining the strength of
the Air Force in each grade and providing reasonable progression to
retain a highly qualified and motivated officer force.
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USAF
Officer
Promotion Links |
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There are three elements to the officer promotion process: eligibility,
selection, and promotion. Each is controlled by laws, regulations,
and administrative procedures. These are interrelated and driven by:
- Authorized strength- the number of officers in a particular
category specified for a grade or combination of grades.
- Promotion flow point- the number of years of commissioned
service at which most officers would be promoted to the next higher
grade.
- Promotion percentage- the number of officers in the
promotion zone to be selected.
These factors are interrelated and cannot be separated from each other.
A change in one will force a change in the others.
Promotion Flow Point
| Rank |
Time in Service
|
Time in Grade
|
Process
|
Success Rate
|
| 02 |
2 Years
|
2 Years
|
Fully Qualified
|
Nearly 100%
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| 03 |
4 Years
|
2 Years
|
Best Qualified-Selection Board
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95-100%
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| 04 |
9-11 Years
|
3 Years
|
Best Qualified-Selection Board
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80%
|
| 05 |
15-17 Years
|
3 Years
|
Best Qualified-Selection Board
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70%
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| 06 |
21-23 Years
|
3 Years
|
Best Qualified-Selection Board
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50%
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Air Force Officer Selection boards are composed of senior officers
and are convened by the Secretary of Defense every year to select
officers to ranks above 1st Lt.. Selection boards are impartial
and confidential. The selection board must submit its findings and
recommendations, but not the reasons for its decisions.
The selection board report for promotion to Colonel and below is
approved by the Secretary of the Air Force. Selections to General
Officer are approved by the President.
The names of officers selected are announced and placed on a promotion
list for each competitive category in order of seniority. The promotion
becomes effective when a vacancy opens during the fiscal year following
the year selected. A Air Force-wide message announces the officer's
date of rank and establishes the date of pay, allowances, and obligations.
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