Staff sergeant promotion test rescheduled

  • Published
  • By Debbie Gildea
  • Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas (AFNS) --  To ensure senior airmen selected for promotion to staff sergeant do not meet the enlisted retention board, the Air Force will move the testing window up so it begins April 1 and ends May 16, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.

The original testing window was May 1 to June 15.

"We have assured Airmen selected for promotion that they will not meet the ERB," said Chief Master Sgt. Michael McGuirt, AFPC enlisted promotions. "Moving the testing window up will allow individuals to test and allow us time to process scores, run selects before the ERB begins and remove selects from the ERB eligible list."

Changing the testing window for the promotion cycle could prevent the ERB from unnecessarily reviewing as many as 10,000 records, McGuirt said.

"We've coordinated with all the affected organizations to ensure study references are available and test booklets will be printed and delivered to testing locations in time for the April 1 start date," he said.

The enlisted retention program is one of several fiscal 2014 expanded force management programs the Air Force has implemented or will implement this year, said Lt. Col. Rick Garcia, AFPC retirements and separations branch chief. The board will review records of senior airmen in overmanned career fields with a Jan. 1, 2013, or earlier date of rank.

Since senior airmen must have three years time-in-service and six months time-in-grade for eligiblity to test for promotion to staff sergeant, some Airmen eligible to meet the ERB are also eligible to test for staff sergeant. Approximately 36,000 senior airmen are eligible to test for staff sergeant in the 2014 spring test cycle.

For more information concerning promotions, force management programs and other personnel issues, visit myPers at https://mypers.af.mil or contact the RAF Mildenhall military testing office at DSN 238-7903 or commercial at 01638-547903.