For the second year in a row, the Air Force is slashing the value of promotion points awarded to airmen based on how long they've served in the military and in their current grade.
In 2016, airmen hoping to be promoted to staff, technical or master sergeant will only be able to receive a maximum 13 points for time-in-service and a maximum 20 points for time-in-grade, the Air Force Personnel Center said in a Thursday release.
The Air Force used to provide as much as 40 TIS points and 60 TIG points for those airmen before cutting them to 26 and 40 points, respectively, last year as part of a broader overhaul of how airmen are evaluated and promoted.
Airmen up for promotion to senior or chief master sergeant can get a maximum 8 TIS points -— down from 16 points in 2015 and 25 points in previous years — and a maximum 20 TIG points. That's down from a maximum 40 TIG points in 2015, and a maximum 60 points in previous years.
This also could be the last year airmen receive any points for time-in-grade or time-in-service. The Air Force said it will review this year's promotions to see how the point reductions affected airmen and decide if it will continue the reductions in 2017. That would completely eliminate longevity points for airmen, AFPC said.
The Air Force said it is phasing out longevity points as part of an effort to emphasize airmen's performance when deciding who to promote. Last year, the Air Force also increased the maximum EPR points from 135 to 250. That is unchanged this year for airmen hoping for promotion to staff or technical sergeant. But for master sergeant-eligible airmen, the EPR points will be replaced by a board score for the first time this year.
Stephen Losey covers personnel, promotions, and the Air Force Academy for Air Force Times. He can be reached at slosey@airforcetimes.com.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
