Air Force officials separate E-7, E-6 promotion release dates Published April 6, 2009 By Staff Sgt. Steve Grever Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- Air Force officials here are initiating a new process to separate the release dates for the master sergeant and technical sergeant promotion lists. The new master sergeant promotion list will now be released on May 14 and the technical sergeant list will be released on June 18 after 12 years of being the only ranks to have their release dates combined. The separation was long overdue and will give individual recognition to promotion selectees from each respective rank, said Col. Benjamin Ward, Air Force the Personnel Center operations division chief for the personnel services directorate here. "The need to keep these two ranks together no longer exists. Separating the two lists gives Airmen on both promotion lists their day in the spotlight," Colonel Ward said. In 1997, the master sergeant and technical sergeant promotion release dates were combined to streamline the release procedure. However, since the inception of the virtual Enlisted Promotion Release Application, AFPC officials have made great strides to improve the promotion release process. AFPC officials stress that even though the promotion release dates are changing, the dates of the promotion cycle will remain the same. Master sergeant and technical sergeant eligible Airmen will still test from Feb. 1 through March 31 and the promotion cycle will still begin July 1 each year. "The promotion month will remain the same," said Senior Master Sgt. Rita Ambrose, the enlisted promotions management superintendent at AFPC. "Everyone will still test at the same time and the promotion cycle will remain the same; we are just changing the day we publicly release the results." Airmen who have questions regarding the new promotion release dates should contact their base force support squadron customer service section or the Total Force Service Center at 800-525-0102. Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link) View the comments/letters page