Air Force announces 517 field grade officer promotions

Newly promoted Col. Kristine Smith, deputy director for the 710th Combat Operations Squadron at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia, pins on her new rank in a July 2017 ceremony. Her husband, then-Col. Dustin Smith, who was chief of staff for U.S. Air Forces Central Command, conducted her promotion as his last official duty before retiring. The Air Force will start using a shorter form for officer promotions beginning in September. (Senior Airman Christopher Maldonado/Air Force)

The Air Force announced Wednesday it has selected 517 active-duty officers for promotion to major, lieutenant colonel and colonel.

The Air Force selected 445 officers for promotion to colonel. Of those, 425 were in the Line of the Air Force category, six were chaplains, and 14 were in the Nurse Corps. The in-the-zone selection rate for colonels was 51.6.

Of the 59 officers selected for promotion to lieutenant colonel, 16 were chaplains and 43 were in the LAF-Judge Advocate category. Selection rates for in-the-zone O-5s was 66.2 percent.

The Air Force also said 13 chaplains were selected for promotion to major, with an in-the-zone selection rate of 76.9 percent.

The list of selectees can be found here.

Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.