The U.S. Air Force was forced to cancel the promotions of service members after admitting that more than 100 people were given incorrect scores because of an “outdated scoring key.”
The error occurred during a specialty knowledge test administered to airmen and airwomen competing for promotion. The Air Education and Training Command called the anomaly “isolated and highly unprecedented.”
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A press release from the AETC said the “error led to 27 miskeys that fundamentally corrupted the security forces promotion list.” The AETC admitted that 135 service members were awarded incorrect scores because of the error and were wrongly informed of their promotion.
“We promote Airmen based on merit, which is established in federal law and policy,” said Lt. Gen. Jefferson O’Donnell. “Who we are as an Air Force, defined by our core values, demands integrity in the meritocratic promotion system; we have a core obligation to ensure the Airmen who earned it are selected.”
The quota of 586 available promotions remains unchanged.
“We owe it to those affected to address it immediately,” David Wolfe, chief master sergeant of the Air Force, said in a statement. “This is going to be hard for everyone impacted.”
Wolfe said he hosted a call for wing command chiefs in response to the incident. The AETC said it is strengthening internal processes to ensure no further errors occur.
According to the AETC, the erroneous promotion cycle resulted from human error. The test did not use any forms of artificial intelligence.
The error comes after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth blocked several Navy officers from being promoted in June. Those blocked from promotion included three women, two black men, and four white men.
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Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell said the blocked promotions had nothing to do with race or gender.
“Military promotions are given to those who have earned them,” Parnell said. “Under President Trump and Hegseth, meritocracy reigns supreme at the War Department.”
