The Navy has begun the process of selecting the newest active-duty chief petty officers.
The E-7 selection board kicked off this month in Millington, Tennessee, after being pushed back earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The board is the largest across the entire service because of the number of records that are examined, according to Cmdr. Dave Hecht, a spokesman for the chief of naval personnel. Due to the influx of records, the Navy announced in May that selection boards would be conducted in several phases, in light of concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
That allows the service to reduce the number of board members in one spot during the duration of the selection board at any one time, the Navy said in a NAVADMIN in May.
Petty officers first class in the following ratings are being considered during Phase 1, which convened Oct. 5 and will wrap up Tuesday: EM, MM, HT, DC, EN, GSE, GSM, MR, BU, CE, CM, EA, EO, SW, UT, MU, MC, RP, BM, MN, OS, QM, AE, AT, ET, IC and STG.
These ratings will be considered during Phase 2, which begins Tuesday and continues through Oct. 24: ETR, ETV, FT, ITS, MT, MMA, STS, TM, CTI, CTM, CTN, CTR, CTT, NC, PS, YN, YNS, FC, FCA, GM, AC, AS, AWF, AWO, AWR, AWS, AWV, AZ, ABE, ABF, ABH and AO.
The following ratings will be considered during Phase 3, from Oct. 24 to Nov. 7: EMN, ETN, MMN, AG, IS, IT, HM, AD, AM, AME, PR, CS, CSS, LS, LSS, RS, EOD, LN, MA, ND, SB and SO.
The enlisted board quotas will be released after the final round of promotion boards concludes, in keeping with Navy policy, Hecht said.
After postponing selection, advancement and continuation boards indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March, the Navy announced in May the boards would resume in July. The decision to hold off on promotion boards in the spring affected nearly 160,000 sailors.
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“Our overriding commitment is that no Sailor will be disadvantaged by the delay in boards,” Rear Adm. Jeff Hughes, commander of Navy Personnel Command, said in a release in May.
“Although the boards were postponed, those who are selected for promotion can expect to be assigned the original date of rank and receive any back pay and allowances they’re warranted.”
Sailor eligibility was not altered due to the delay, and the Navy said official military personnel files would be considered as of the date the board was first scheduled to meet.
The Navy previously said in a May NAVADMIN that results from enlisted advancement boards would be approved and unveiled within 30 days after the board convenes.
