--- title: "Air Force cancels promotions for 135 sergeants after testing error" description: "A different 135 security forces staff sergeants, whose corrected test scores moved them up in the rankings, will now get those promotions." date: "2026-07-08" modified: "2026-07-08" authors: - name: "Matt White" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/matt-white/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-cancels-promotions-for-135-sergeants-after-testing-error/" categories: - "Air Force" - "Career" - "Field Guide" - "Military Branches" - "Military Life" - "News" --- # Air Force cancels promotions for 135 sergeants after testing error ![Air Force officials have selected 8,246 staff sergeants for promotion to technical sergeant out of 28,358 eligible for a selection rate of 29.08% in the 20E6 promotion cycle. (U.S. Air Force photo by Mark Herlihy)]() *The Air Force cancelled 135 promotions to technical sergeant among its security forces after officials discovered that a written test used to rank candidates had been graded incorrectly. Air Force photo by Mark Herlihy.* Just before the long July 4th weekend, 586 Air Force staff sergeants in the service's largest career field were told they were being promoted, a moment that is traditionally [a cause for celebration in every corner of the military](). [Beaming commanders shook their hands]() in happy ceremonies. Some units held parties with balloons and [cakes decorated with the 5-striped chevrons]() of a technical sergeant, the rank the airmen had earned. On Tuesday, the Air Force said [135 of those promotions have been canceled](). According to promotion officials, a written promotion test taken earlier this year by staff sergeants in the security forces career field, the Air Force's largest with 43,000 personnel, was graded incorrectly. Those incorrect scores inadvertently ranked 135 staff sergeants too high among the more than 2,000 security forces airmen competing for promotion to technical sergeant. Using that list, the top 586 security forces staff sergeants were told they had been selected for promotion, including the 135 with inflated scores. When tests were regraded, Air Force officials said Tuesday, the reshuffled order bumped those 135 airmen out of the promotion range and their promotions have now been canceled. A different 135 security forces staff sergeants, whose corrected test scores moved them up in the rankings, will now get those promotions. ![U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Eric Batham, 315th Training Squadron student, celebrates his achievement during the technical sergeant release party at the Event Center on Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, July 1, 2021. The Air Force-wide selection rate for technical sergeant was 26.94%. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Abbey Rieves)]() *Air Force Staff Sgt. Eric Batham at a celebration event for staff sergeants promoted to technical sergeant in 2021 at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Abbey Rieves.* "Preserving the integrity of the promotion system, the enlisted promotion team conducted a full re-score," Air Force officials said in a press release. "The result established a new, correct promotion cut-off, identifying the rightful earners for promotion and those whose line numbers will be revoked." Officials with the Air Force Personnel Center said in the release that "the error was an isolated and highly unprecedented anomaly" that affected only security forces, whose troops the Air Force calls Defenders. The error, the release said, was not due to AI. "No artificial intelligence products were used in the erroneous promotion cycle process; it was the result of human error." “We owe it to those affected to address it immediately,” said [**Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David R. Wolfe**](). “This is going to be hard for everyone impacted.” ## Error hits Air Force's largest career field Roughly one in every seven members of the Air Force serves in security forces, whose 43,000 Defenders are nearly all enlisted. Security forces are charged with all aspects of base security and on-base law enforcement. Airmen in the job wear distinctive dark blue berets and are ubiquitous at every Air Force base and installation around the world, often serving as "the face" of an installation at the front gates and in interactions with civilian agencies. The testing error applied to current staff sergeants in the job seeking promotion to technical sergeant. A promotion to technical sergeant in the Air Force is often the ticket for an airman to serve a full 20 years in uniform, allowing them to retire with full benefits. ![An attendee takes a complimentary decorated cupcake at a technical sergeant release event at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, July 9, 2025. Refreshments, snacks, and treats were offered to those in attendance, celebrating the hard work and success of over 50 staff sergeants who will be promoted. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Gretchen McCarty)]() *Cupcakes decorated with 5-stripe technical sergeant chevrons at a 2025 promotion party at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Gretchen McCarty.* For promotions, airmen compete for limited advancement slots against peers within their career, with a heavy emphasis placed on a written test known as the Specialty Knowledge Test, or SKT. As a result, SKTs for every Air Force job and rank are different and graded seperately. During the 2026 cycle, 2,285 security forces staff sergeants took the SKT. But officials say they discovered afterwards that the answer key used to grade those tests incorrectly scored 27 questions. The 135 security forces airmen now in line for the promotion will be informed next week, the Air Force said, as part of a "supplemental promotion release." The Air Force said steps were being taken "to mitigate the possibility of similar errors in the future." Grading and ranking systems, the release said, will get "a thorough review" along with "implementing quality-assurance safeguards to prevent this specific point of failure in future promotion release cycles." “We promote Airmen based on merit, which is established in federal law and policy,” said [**Lt. Gen. Jefferson O’Donnell**](), deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel, and services. “We have a core obligation to ensure the airmen who earned it are selected.” ## Author Matt White is a senior editor at Task & Purpose*.* He writes on news, people and events that affect the lives of those in the Army, Air Force and Space Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. He also helps direct and edit coverage across Task & Purpose’s newsroom. He has written widely on military aviation and mishaps, service members with unique stories, and special operations including [combat search and rescue](). Got a story to tell? You can reach Matt at [matthew.white@taskandpurpose.com]() ### Author social links [Facebook]()