The Air Force announced July 31 major changes in the Enlisted Evaluation and Weighted Airman Promotion systems, which are intended to make job performance the driving factor for promotion. The changes will be implemented incrementally beginning in August and continue through early 2016. Additional information will be released prior to each of the changes, and the program will be re-evaluated at the end of each increment. “We want to make sure performance is the most important thing in every aspect of an airman’s career, so the evaluation process is going to measure performance and the promotion system is going to emphasize performance,” said Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James. The Weighted Airman Promotion System will use the latest three Enlisted Performance Reports, instead of five, while the value of time-in-grade and time-in-service points will be reduced and ultimately eliminated. The EPR forms and the process for completing them also will be changed, working from the foundation of the Airman Comprehensive Assessment introduced in July. “The purpose of the enlisted evaluation system is to accurately document duty performance so we can have honest performance-based discussions with our airmen,” said Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh.
Lawmakers are growing impatient for an overdue fighter recapitalization study from the Air Force, and members say they'll demand more detailed justifications for future aircraft retirements.