The Air Force said Monday that a human mistake involving an obsolete test answer key compromised this year’s technical sergeant promotion cycle, prompting officials to withdraw 135 promotions and reassign those opportunities to airmen who had correctly qualified.
The issue was limited to the security forces career field. In response, officials rescored the Specialty Knowledge Test results for all 2,285 eligible airmen after determining that an outdated scoring key had been applied.
“We owe it to those affected to address it immediately,” Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David R. Wolfe said in a statement. “This is going to be hard for everyone impacted.”
Following the full rescore of the 2,285 eligible airmen, the service found that 451 airmen who had originally been selected would still retain their promotions. However, 135 others fell below the required cutoff score, while 135 airmen who were not initially selected will now be promoted.
Airmen watch as the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds soar over March Air Reserve Base in Riverside on Apr. 21, 2023, ahead of the Southern California Air Show. (MediaNews Group via Getty Images)
According to Air Force officials, the problem came to light after the promotion list had already been published, when a member of the enlisted promotions team at the Air Force Personnel Center noticed the use of the outdated key. The service characterized the incident as an isolated and unprecedented human error and said no other Air Force specialty codes were impacted.
Ground crew work around a U.S. Air Force C-130 military transport aircraft at RAF Fairford in Fairford, U.K., on March 17, 2026. (Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Officials said subject matter experts confirmed the correct answer key before every eligible exam was rescored. The overall number of promotions remains unchanged at 586.
“We promote Airmen based on merit, which is established in federal law and policy,” Lt. Gen. Jefferson O’Donnell, the Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services, said in a statement. “Who we are as an Air Force, defined by our core values, demands integrity in the meritocratic promotion system.”
A U.S. airman watches an Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft approach on July 14, 2011, at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. (Samuel King Jr./U.S. Air Force)
The Air Force Personnel Center plans to announce the 135 newly selected technical sergeants in a supplemental promotion release during the week of July 13. Officials said the new selectees will receive adjusted line numbers that will not affect when they are promoted.
The Air Force said it has tightened its review process and is examining how the error occurred to prevent a similar mistake in future promotion cycles. Leaders are notifying affected airmen directly and have set up a hotline to answer questions.
Officials said the mistake was caused by human error, not artificial intelligence.
