In a significant setback, over 100 U.S. Air Force airmen have experienced the revocation of their recent promotions due to a critical error in the scoring of a mandatory examination. Officials from the Air Force have acknowledged the mistake, cautioning that it will prove to be challenging for those who are affected.
On Tuesday, the Air Force disclosed that a dated answer key had been applied erroneously to the scoring of the Specialty Knowledge Test—a pivotal exam that influences promotion decisions for security forces airmen.
As a consequence, 135 promotions were rescinded, impacting airmen set to advance to the rank of Sergeant. The available positions were subsequently reassigned to other qualified troops under the rectified scoring criteria.
“We have an obligation to immediately address this situation for those impacted,” stated Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David R. Wolfe. “This mistake is understandably difficult for everyone involved.”
The mistake was identified post-publication of the promotion list, when a member of the enlisted promotions team at the Air Force Personnel Center noticed the usage of an incorrect scoring key, as reported by the service.
Officials rescored all 2,285 eligible exams and learned that 135 airmen who had been told they were selected for promotion to technical sergeant no longer met the cutoff score.
Another 135 airmen who were initially passed over will now be promoted instead.
Technical sergeant is a mid-level enlisted rank, and promotions are based on several factors, including performance, time in service and scores on the Specialty Knowledge Test.
After the exams were rescored, 451 of the original 586 selectees kept their promotions. The total number of promotions did not change.
The Air Force described the mix-up as an isolated and unprecedented case of human error that affected only the security forces career field.
Officials said they verified the correct answer key with subject matter experts before rescoring every eligible exam.
“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.
“Who we are as an Air Force, defined by our core values, demands integrity in the meritocratic promotion system.”
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 delay their promotions.
The service said leaders are notifying affected airmen directly, have set up a hotline to answer questions and are tightening review procedures as they investigate how the mistake happened.
Officials also emphasized that the error was caused by human error — not AI.
The promotion blunder follows other high-profile testing problems in the Air Force.
Last year, the Air Force Academy investigated nearly 100 cadets accused of cheating on a weekly knowledge test.
In 2021, another cheating scandal involved nearly 250 cadets accused of honor code violations, prompting a broader review of the academy’s programs.