AURORA, Colo.—The Space Force will start rolling out a new promotion system for Specialist 4s (E-4s) rising to Sergeant (E-5s) later this fiscal year, Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John F. Bentivegna said at the AFA Warfare Symposium.
The new system aims to do away with annual caps on the number of E-4s who can become E-5s, allowing commanders to select as many qualified Guardians as they feel are ready for the responsibility of being a noncommissioned officer.
“If they’re qualified and ready and are doing the work, let’s make them an E-5, especially if they’re combat mission ready,” Bentivegna told reporters.
Under the current system, E-5 candidates are scored and ranked based on their performance and training records. A selection board then chooses which ones advance to E-5 based on their qualifications and how many E-5s can promote that year.
With the new system, every E-4 who meets the qualifications will be promoted, removing any limits on the number of eligible candidates, Bentivegna explained.
A centralized selection board will still evaluate whether an E-5 candidate is qualified, but instead of ranking those candidates based on scores, “the board will focus solely on determining each individual’s qualification for advancement to E-5,” the chief added. “This critical decision will be made based on a thorough review of each E-4’s record, performance reports, and input from their direct supervisor and commander.”
The new system is an extension of the fully qualified promotion system that already exists for Guardians ranked E-1 through E-4, where commanders evaluate and endorse Guardians as ready for their next rank based on demonstrated performance and readiness.
When the system expands to E-5s this fiscal year, it will start with a centralized selection board, but the goal is to eventually push that authority to the unit command level.
“This change empowers commanders by entrusting them with the added responsibility of identifying and promoting the most qualified Guardians to E-5 within their units,” Bentivegna said.
Most candidates make it to E-5 already. The promotion rates in 2022, 2023, and 2024, were 66.91 percent, 72.08 percent, and 95.66 percent, respectively. The new system makes it so that all qualified E-5 candidates can switch from stripes to chevrons on their rank insignia. But that doesn’t make promotion a guarantee, Bentivegna said.
“This system ensures a continued emphasis on quality within our E-5 ranks, even as we expand opportunities for advancement,” he said.
The roll-out will start sometime in fiscal 2025. While the specific qualification requirements are still being worked out, the system will incorporate factors such as time in service, time in grade, and potentially professional military education as prerequisites for promotion, the chief explained.
There are no definitive plans yet for expanding the program beyond E-5s, but officials are always seeking feedback to inform any future decisions about it, he added.
The move to expand fully qualified promotion to E-5 candidates is part of a larger project Bentivegna has championed to enhance Guardians’ experience in service. The project revolves around three themes: providing meaningful quality of life and service to Guardians and families; elevating Guardians’ warfighting mindset; and keep bringing in star talent.
“I want to make sure that your experience is one that you value, one that you respect, one that you brag about when you talk to your friends and your neighbors and your family,” Bentivegna said in September when he revealed the plan at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference. “That’s why I envision the Guardian experience. That’s why these are my key initiatives.”
Part of the effort involves keeping noncommissioned officers hands-on in the day-to-day mission for longer in their careers, rather than shift to managerial roles.
“When I talk about the future, I want to really hammer home the expectation that you never lose that requirement to be operationally relevant,” Bentivegna said in September.
The new promotion system is meant to match that and help better match enlisted talent where they can do the most good throughout their careers.
“It’s kind of modernizing how we look at the enlisted talent that we have within the service, and how do we more tightly align the promotion gateways with accomplishments and responsibility,” Bentivegna told reporters March 3.