The Air Force Personnel Center on Wednesday released the list of airmen who have been selected for promotion to master sergeant.
The official release follows AFPC’s May 10 announcement that 4,733 technical sergeants had been selected for promotion to E-7, representing a 24.34 percent selection rate. There were 19,422 airmen eligible for promotion to master sergeant.
The 24.34 percent selection rate in 2019 represents a drop from the recent high of 29.6 percent last year. Chief Master Sgt. Tiffany Smith, AFPC’s enlisted promotions policy chief, said in a release Wednesday that the high promotion rate for 2018, as well as high master sergeant retention rates over the last four years, left the Air Force with fewer vacant E-7 slots that needed to be filled. This year’s lower selection rate will help the Air Force balance its manning needs, Smith said.
“Selection for promotion to become an Air Force senior non-commissioned officer reflects our trust and confidence in those airmen’s ability to lead and serve in the next higher grade,” Smith said. “Senior non-commissioned officers represent a group of airmen who have proven their ability to perform and lead at a high level, and the 19E7 promotion rate validates that.”
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The release said that 90.2 percent of the eligible airmen who received a Promote Now recommendation were selected for promotion. Of those who were given a Must Promote recommendation, 74.6 percent were selected, and 12.8 percent of those with a Promote recommendation were selected.
The average time-in-grade of selectees was 3.49 years, and their average time-in-service was 13.56 years.
The average overall score for selectees was 537.03, with an average board score of 382.77, an average decorations points of 10.8, an average specialty knowledge test score of 69.87, and an average promotion fitness examination score of 72.
Selectees will begin being promoted starting August 1, according to their promotion sequence number.
The list of selectees can be found here.
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.
