Air Force rescinding 135 promotions after test scoring error: 'This is going to be hard'

The Air Force connected Monday acknowledged a quality mistake involving an outdated trial reply cardinal corrupted this year's method sergeant enactment process, forcing officials to revoke 135 promotions and grant those slots to different troops who rightfully earned them.

The mistake affected lone the service's information forces vocation field, wherever officials rescored each 2,285 eligible Airmen aft discovering an outdated scoring cardinal had been utilized connected the Specialty Knowledge Test.

"We beryllium it to those affected to code it immediately," Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David R. Wolfe said successful a statement. "This is going to beryllium hard for everyone impacted."

After rescoring each 2,285 eligible Airmen, the Air Force determined that 451 antecedently selected Airmen would support their promotions portion 135 others nary longer met the cutoff score. Another 135 Airmen who were initially passed implicit volition alternatively person the promotions aft officials rescored each eligible test.

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Air Force officials said the mistake was discovered aft the promotion database was released and an enlisted promotions squad subordinate astatine the Air Force Personnel Center identified the outdated scoring key. Officials described the mistake arsenic an isolated and unprecedented quality error, adding that nary different Air Force specialty codes were affected.

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Officials said they verified the close reply cardinal with taxable substance experts earlier rescoring each eligible exam. The full fig of promotions did not change, remaining astatine 586.

"We beforehand Airmen based connected merit, which is established successful national instrumentality and policy," Lt. Gen. Jefferson O'Donnell, the Air Force's lawman main of unit for manpower, unit and services, said successful a statement. "Who we are arsenic an Air Force, defined by our halfway values, demands integrity successful the meritocratic promotion system."

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The Air Force Personnel Center plans to denote the 135 recently selected method sergeants successful a supplemental promotion merchandise during the week of July 13. Officials said the caller selectees volition person adjusted enactment numbers that volition not impact erstwhile they are promoted.

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The Air Force said it has tightened its reappraisal process and is examining however the mistake occurred to forestall a akin mistake successful aboriginal promotion cycles. Leaders are notifying affected Airmen straight and person acceptable up a hotline to reply questions.

Officials said the mistake was caused by quality error, not artificial intelligence.