The latest promotion data for selection to master sergeant and technical sergeant show a 5 percent and 1.6 percent jump, respectively, over last year. The Air Force selected 6,002 out of 24,115 technical sergeants for promotion to master sergeant, and 7,314 out of 34,797 eligible staff sergeants for tech. CMSgt. Rusty Nicholson at the Air Force Personnel Center said the “promotion quota was significantly higher this year” and the eligibility pool was “smaller.” He noted, though, that nearly 6,000 deployed noncommissioned officers have yet to test for promotion. The Air Force plans to consider them in a supplemental list.
Numbers Game Squeezes USAF Fighter Force
Dec. 15, 2025
Congress set the legal floor for how many primary mission aircraft the Air Force had to have in its fighter force in 2018, requiring at least 1,145 fighters through Oct. 1, 2026. In each of the past past two legislative cycles, lawmakers agreed to reduce the number. But when the House passed…
