The Space Force will move to a more predictable schedule for its annual performance reviews, following the Air Force’s lead on an initiative that began last year.
Rather than ask guardians to submit job reviews on a rolling basis throughout the year, each rank will stick to a set due date known as a “static closeout date.” The changes apply to officers up to the rank of colonel, or O-6, and all enlisted guardians.
The Department of the Air Force has said that consistency helps troops, and the supervisors rating their performance, to plan ahead and allows them to more clearly see their strengths and weaknesses compared to peers.
The move “increases equity at performance boards and [within] other development and talent management processes, and ensures current performance is captured in advance of promotion boards,” the Space Force said in a release.
“Predictability of evaluations for all guardians will also help reduce the administrative burden of evaluation tracking and timing with consistent timelines throughout the year,” it added.
The complete schedule of close-out dates:
- Jan. 31 — specialists 1-4, sergeants (and those selected for promotion to the rank), technical sergeants (and selects)
- April 30 — colonels
- May 31 — chief master sergeants (and selects)
- July 31 — master sergeants (and selects), senior master sergeants (and selects)
- Oct. 31 — first and second lieutenants
- Nov. 30 — captains, majors and lieutenant colonels
Colonels who finished their most recent review cycle last year will close out their current review on Oct. 31 before adopting the April date.
When the Air Force announced its own version of the plan last year — after six years in the works — the Space Force initially said it would hold off on adopting that schedule as well while the newest service figured out its own path forward.
It will take more than a year to fully transition guardians to the new schedule.
The Department of the Air Force also recently announced the latest round of guardians tapped for promotion. That included 253 incoming sergeants, 164 new technical sergeants and 134 rising master sergeants.
Competition to earn master sergeant was the toughest at a 30% selection rate, followed by technical sergeants at 35% and sergeants at 72%.
Rachel Cohen is the editor of Air Force Times. She joined the publication as its senior reporter in March 2021. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Frederick News-Post (Md.), Air and Space Forces Magazine, Inside Defense, Inside Health Policy and elsewhere.
