How does 'promotion' work in the military?

[robby]

@KarlGauss

If there are no (or too few) slots open above you for you to be promoted into, does that stop the clock with respect to shifting you from ‘in zone’ to ‘above zone’?

@yoyodyne

No, there are always too few slots for everyone that is eligible to be promoted.

Exactly, but only for the ranks of O-4 and above. All qualified personnel can be promoted to O-2 and O-3.

@MichaelEmouse

Robby,

Why that up or out system? Doesn’t this mean that people who are competent as 0-4s but not above will be expelled, even though they could continue to do a good job in that position?

@yoyodyne

The military sees it as the way to keep the best people. If you’re an O-4 that can’t make O-5 you’re out to make way for someone that can. Otherwise no slots would open and junior officers wouldn’t get promoted. It’s the ‘No Peter Principle.’

What yoyodyne said. Promotion in the military is very competitive, and for commissioned officers, the system is indeed “up or out.” For the officer ranks, the U.S. military has no place for those merely “competent” at their current grade. Commanding Officers are required to evaluate their personnel against an absolute standard, and are also required to rank all of their personnel (at a given grade) from best to worst. If an officer gets ranked as the worst in their peer group, their career will be short.

@MichaelEmouse

Before someone is promoted, are they given a chance to see how they would perform at the superior level? E.g.: a platoon leader is given temporary command of the company to see how he handles it.

@yoyodyne

No, but part of the rating of officers is the judgement by their current commander of how they would perform at the next level.

Exactly. There is a lot of “trial by fire” for the various jobs an officer gets. Failure to perform will result in poor evaluations, which results in failure to promote to the next level.

For the Navy, once you get past the Division Officer level, not only do you have to get selected for promotion to higher ranks, you also have selection boards to pick which officers get assigned as the Department Heads on a ship, as well as Executive Officer (XO) and Commanding Officer (CO).