The Navy on Friday released today the names of the 1,456 active-duty sailors tabbed to get a star above their chief's anchors and crows.
The 1,456 (quotas tally) selects were picked in April from a field of of 12,741 eligible chiefs and petty officers, for an making this year's opportunity a 11.4 percent chance to pin on new anchors, down from 12 percent last year.
It was down from last year's 12 percent opportunity. It's the second year in a row the shot at advancing dropped for what is statistically the hardest enlisted rank to make.
But The opportunity to advance is still good and still above the 10-year average of 11.2 percent, personnel officials say.
Those selected have a right to be proud, as making senior chief, through the years, has been statistically the toughest rate to achieve in the enlisted force.
In fact, the chance to make E-9 this year has narrowed. But those up for master chief had a 12.3 percent shot, nearly a percentage point higher than the senior chief rate., which dropped, but this year, the gap did narrow a bit, but the 12.29 chance to make master chief is still about a percentage point higher than 11.4 shot at senior chief.
Congratulations to all the new senior chief selectees!
Mark D. Faram is a former reporter for Navy Times. He was a senior writer covering personnel, cultural and historical issues. A nine-year active duty Navy veteran, Faram served from 1978 to 1987 as a Navy Diver and photographer.
