Air Force Tests Supplemental Promotion List
The Air Force will use a Supplemental Order of Merit List to fill chief master sergeant vacancies left by declined promotions in the 2026 cycle.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Military Jobs
The Air Force will test a Supplemental Order of Merit List to backfill chief master sergeant promotions that senior master sergeants decline during the initial 10-day declination window. The Air Force Personnel Center may fill declined selections from the list in merit order.
Why it matters
Over the past four years, 59 senior master sergeants have declined promotion, and the resulting vacancies sometimes leave key operational requirements unfilled for more than a year. The list is intended to reduce those gaps without changing how records are scored or who is initially selected.
Last year's cycle selected 640 of 2,445 eligible senior master sergeants, a 26.18 percent rate that was the highest in at least 10 years. Fifty-nine senior master sergeants have declined promotion over the past four years, and how many declinations the 2026 SOML will need to cover has not been stated.
The players
Air Force Personnel Center
The Air Force Personnel Center manages officer and enlisted assignments and promotions for the U.S. Air Force, and it may fill declined selections from the Supplemental Order of Merit List.
The details
The list draws from the next group of unselected scores below the initial cut line for each Air Force Specialty Code, ranked by merit, and it is used only when a selectee declines. Placement on the SOML does not constitute selection and creates no entitlement to promotion.
Timeline
July 31: Promotion eligibility cutoff for the cycle.
Aug. 11: Wolfe delivered a keynote at the Air Force Sergeants Association Summit.
Oct. 13: Anderson issued a memo stating SOML placement is not selection.
November 2026: Selections are tentatively scheduled to be announced.
January through December 2027: Selected chief master sergeants' promotions take effect.
Military Jobs Context
The SOML extends the existing Air Force promotion board process by adding a backfill step for declined selections, without changing how records are scored or where the cut line falls. The Air Force plans to use the list for senior master sergeant and master sergeant boards if the 2026 test succeeds.
Service members who are selected or who may be considered through the SOML will see their promotion timing tied to declinations in the 2026 cycle. Placement on the list does not guarantee promotion, so eligible members should not assume a selection until official notice is issued.
The takeaway
Promotion lists can shift who is ultimately selected when initial declinations occur, so the 2026 SOML test will show whether backfilling vacancies can fill critical leadership gaps faster than the current process. Readers tracking military career outcomes should watch the November announcement for actual results.
What happens next
Selections are tentatively scheduled to be announced in November 2026, and promotions take effect from January through December 2027.
Further reading
Explore more on Military Jobs for context on how promotion and career-track policies affect service members.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Air & Space Forces Magazine.
