Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Promotions Soar to Decade-High

The Air Force is promoting 640 senior master sergeants to chief master sergeant this year, the service’s personnel center announced Jan. 5, the most in a decade and a 27 percent increase over last cycle’s numbers.

The selection rate of 26.18 percent for the 25E9 cycle—from a total of 2,445 Airmen were eligible for promotion—was also the highest going back at least 10 years, according to data compiled by Air & Space Forces Magazine. It is also a significant increase from the 22.1 percent rate and the 503 Airmen tapped in late 2024.

The Air Force Personnel Center plans to publish a list of chief master sergeant selectees on Jan. 8 at 8 a.m. Central time.

Promotion rates for Air Force senior noncommissioned officers have held steady or climbed in recent years, while mid-grade NCOs saw plunging rates in 2022 and 2023 followed by modest recoveries in 2024.

Meanwhile, the Space Force tapped 37 master sergeants for promotion to senior master sergeant, according to a Jan. 5 announcement. That’s a robust 48 percent increase from the 25 master sergeants selected for promotion in late 2024.

While the USSF’s small sample size can make trends harder to discern, the increase does buck what had been a slight consistent decrease in E-8 promotions: 35 promotions in 2022, to 30 in 2023, then 25 in 2024.

Guardians hoping to become chief master sergeants continue to face stiff competition and consistent promotion numbers; the service selected 12 service members this year, a slight decrease from 14 selected in the last cycle. The total number of promotions to chief master sergeant continues to hold relatively steady for the last four years at 12-15 Guardians, after a few cycles ramping up following the service’s founding in 2019.

Promotion rates for this year’s Space Force selectees were not available.

A list of Space Force selectees for promotion to senior master sergeant and chief master sergeant will be posted on the Air Force Personnel Center website on Jan. 8 at 8 a.m. Central Time.

With its small size and young history, the Space Force has spent much of the past few years building out its ranks and developing its structure. In September, though, Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John F. Bentivegna unveiled an ambitious project to transform the career paths for the 4,900 enlisted Guardians. The project could include changes to everything from recruiting to tech school to career advancement, a phrase Bentivegna prefers over promotion, which he believes has a more competitive connotation. 

The Air Force recently embarked on an effort to rebalance the enlisted force structure after determining they were promoting too many Airmen in middle-tier NCO ranks without the necessary experience, leaving a gap in leadership. Lower promotion rates in the middle tier are meant to give NCOs more time in grade to develop.