Navy officials have announced this year’s Senior Enlisted Continuation Board will convene Dec. 3 in Millington, Tennessee, to consider whether any retirement-eligible E-7 and above sailors need to leave the Navy due to misconduct or declining performance.
The board doesn’t have any mandated quotas of sailors to cut. Instead, officials stress that the panel’s job is a “pure quality cut,” ensuring those on active duty are the best representation of the Navy.
The primary red flags the board looks for are any documented incidents of misconduct or substandard performance within the past three years. But even that doesn’t always mean an automatic ticket home, as the board will consider a sailor’s entire record to determine whether a sailor will be allowed to stay in.
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According to NavAdmin 159/18 released on July 5, the board will review records of active duty and full time support sailors E-7 and above who will have at least 19 years of active service and three years time in rate on or before Aug. 31, 2018.
For selected reservists and those in voluntary training units, the cut off is 20 years qualifying service and three years TIR as of the Aug. 31.
The only exceptions to the board review are sailors who have approved retirement or fleet reserve requests up to Sept. 1, 2019, as well as those selected for chief warrant officer off this past January’s board.
An initial list of those eligible for the board will be published on Oct. 8.
Anyone eligible for the board can write a letter to explain any individual circumstances that may not be reflected in a service record. That correspondence must be received at Navy Personnel Command by Nov. 16.
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Anyone not selected to continue must transfer to the Fleet Reserve or retire by Sept. 1. Commands can request operational waivers for key sailors, and if approved, those sailors can stay on until Dec. 1.
Last year’s board reviewed 8,251 total records and sent home 188 sailors — 160 active-duty, 12 full-time support and 16 drilling reservists.
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.
