Regular Army and Active Guard and Reserve (Army Reserve) noncommissioned officers who were promoted to staff sergeant four years ago will be in the primary zone of consideration for the fiscal 2016 sergeant first class board that convenes June 1.

Additional board duties will include involuntary separation screenings for senior NCOs who have been referred to the Qualitative Management Program for failure to meet Army standards, and staff sergeants who are in overstrength specialties that are being culled as part of the drawdown.

All soldiers who meet the date-of-rank and time-in-service criteria for this board must have credit for the Advanced Leader Course and Structured Self-Development 3 to be eligible for promotion consideration.

Under the newly implemented STEP, or select-train-educate-promote, NCO professional development policies, soldiers must be a graduate of the Senior Leader Course to qualify for promotion pin-on to sergeant first class.

The specific zones of eligibility for staff sergeants are:

  • Regular Army and Active Guard and Reserve — primary zone, dates of rank of June 2, 2012, and earlier, and secondary zone, June 3, 2012, through June 2, 2014.
  • Regular Army only — a basic active service date of Dec. 2, 1997, through June 2, 2010.
  • Army Reserve (AGR) only — a basic active service date of Dec. 2, 1997, or later; a date of birth of June 2, 1958, or later, and a pay entry basic date of June 2, 2010, or earlier.

As in previous years, the Army may authorize a special promotion category for staff sergeants who are serving, or have served, as detailed recruiters, and who hold Special Qualification Identifier 4 (detailed recruiter).

Depending on U.S. Army Recruiting Command requirements at the time the board convenes, some of these SQI 4 soldiers may be offered promotion to sergeant first class on the condition they reclassify to military occupational specialty 79R, the MOS for career recruiters.

Soldiers who accept promotion to sergeant first class incur a 36-month active-duty service obligation.

Staff sergeants who want to decline promotion consideration must do so by May 27. After that date, promotion consideration is automatic for soldiers who are in the zone of eligibility.

NCO Evaluation Reports and Academic Evaluation Reports submitted for this board must be received at the Human Resources Command by May 20.

Complete-the-record reports may be submitted on staff sergeants who have completed at least three months in their current duty position under the same rating official as of May 2.

The required "thru date" for complete-the-record reports is May 2.

Staff sergeants who are in a zone of eligibility for this board can use the online My Board File application to review their official file. MBF will open April 2 and close May 25.

My Board File can be accessed through the self-service link on the Human Resources Command homepage.

This will be the first senior NCO board subject to the schooling requirements of the STEP promotion procedures.

In support of that policy, the promotion selection list generated by the board will be retained for 18 months, rather than the 12-month previous standard.

Consequently, soldiers who qualify for promotion consideration will have no more than 18.5 years of active federal service based on the retention control point (20 years) in their current grade (staff sergeant) as of the board convening date.

While the timing of promotions under STEP will continue to be based on sequence numbers of the various specialties of the Enlisted Personnel Management System, soldiers will not be promoted if they have not completed the Senior Leader Course, according to a directive issued by secretary of the Army last August.

These soldiers will remain on the recommended list, but will not be promoted until they meet the schooling requirement, and a promotion vacancy occurs in their MOS.

Selection lists will expire on the first day of the 19th month after they are approved by Pentagon officials.

Promotable staff sergeants who have not met the schooling requirement by that date will be removed from the E-7 list unless they have an authorized deferment.

To regain promotable status, they must compete for selection by the next regularly scheduled sergeant first class board.

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