Promotion opportunity, selective continuation adjustments made to March central selection board

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WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  The Air Force announced adjustments Feb. 28, to the promotion opportunity and selective continuation process for the lieutenant colonel Line of the Air Force (LAF) and colonel, lieutenant colonel, and major Line of the Air Force-JAG (LAF-J) Central Selection Boards convening in March.

These adjustments align these boards with the Air Force’s five-year promotion plan, planned force reductions and ongoing force management programs, said Col. Brian T. Kelly, the director of force management policy at Headquarters Air Force.

In light of a reduction in the overall size of the force, the promotion opportunity for lieutenant colonel LAF will be set at 75%, Kelly said. The promotion opportunity for LAF-J for colonel, lieutenant colonel, and major will be 62%, 75%, and 85% respectively.

The promotion quota for below-the-promotion-zone selections has not changed and remains at 10 percent of the board quota for the lieutenant colonel LAF promotion board and 2.5 percent for the colonel LAF-J and lieutenant colonel LAF-J promotion boards. There is no BPZ promotion to major.

The announced promotion opportunities apply to the 2014 March central selection board only. Promotion opportunities for subsequent boards are typically announced in advance of each board.

Kelly said the Air Force has also made an adjustment to the selective continuation process for officers non-selected for promotion for the second time. Air Force officials noted selective continuation is not a guarantee for officers twice non-selected.

Consistent with OSD policy, officers are normally continued if they are within 4 years of qualifying for retirement on the date of discharge, Kelly said. In addition, the Air Force synchronizes continuation with those skill sets necessary to meet mission requirements within the best interests of the Air Force and ongoing force management efforts.

To again align with ongoing force management programs, officers not offered selective continuation may be eligible for Temporary Early Retirement Authority if eligible. The mandatory date of separation will be approximately 9 months after the boards adjourn.

Furthermore, officers who are already selectively continued may apply for TERA if they meet TERA eligibility requirements. Use of TERA eligibility for officers not offered selective continuation at future central selection boards will be determined in advance of each board.

(Information courtesy of the Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs)