Air Force Community - Air Force Times

A level playing field

The Air Force is removing deployment histories from some promotion documents, adding an important new measure of fairness to the process.

This is a welcome change.

Deleting deployment histories from the briefing files used by selection boards for officers and senior noncommissioned officers takes away an advantage enjoyed by some, such as fighter pilots whose deployments last 45 days or longer in the war zones, but not others — cargo pilots, for example, fly in and out of the war zones but don’t stay long enough to qualify for a documented deployment.

The change, which began being implemented in February, applies to all active-duty, Guard and Reserve airmen.

The fact is, these deployment histories distort the record because they fail to account for cumulative time in theater or functions that support the war fighter from afar, such as UAV operators, intelligence analysts, logisticians and more.

Lt. Col. John Giles, chief of promotions and evaluations at the Pentagon, cited that inequity in announcing the shift.

Selection boards must focus on the full range of accomplishments, experiences and contributions of the officers and NCOs whose records they review. They must look at mission accomplishment, innovation and contribution to the war effort. In today’s Air Force, where you are no longer is as important as what you do.