--- title: "The Air Force’s admin software is so bad that the top enlisted airman is trolling it" description: "Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne Bass acknowledged frustrations with myEval, the Air Force’s new evaluation system." date: "2022-11-21" modified: "2022-11-21" authors: - name: "David Roza" job_title: "YouTube Writer/Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/david-roza.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-myeval-website-problems/" categories: - "Air Force" - "Around the World" - "Military Branches" - "News" - "Space Force" - "United States" --- # The Air Force’s admin software is so bad that the top enlisted airman is trolling it ![air force]() *Task & Purpose photo illustration (Left, Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass speaks to airmen at the Bedrock innovation lab at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, Jan. 8, 2021 (Photo, left, by Senior Airman Christopher Quail/U.S. Air Force. Right, screenshot via Instagram)* The implementation of the Air Force and Space Force’s new evaluation system for enlisted and commissioned airmen and guardians is not going well, as indicated by the top enlisted leader of the Air Force posting a meme trolling the system on her [Facebook page]() on Monday. “We get it, folks,” said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne Bass in her post. “We have seen the memes and the jokes...more importantly, we have seen the legitimate concerns and feedback about myEval.” The meme was inspired by a scene from the 2014 horror film “The Babadook,” where the frustrated main character pleads with her son to “just be normal,” but he screams in response. In the meme, the screaming son has the name of the evaluation system “myEval,” printed along the bottom of the image. “As it stands now, the system is not able to seamlessly process reports into a member's official records,” Bass wrote. “Effective immediately, we’ll begin using PDFs from e-Pubs to complete enlisted and officer evaluations.” Bass’ post acknowledges the stream of memes and posts that have poured through social media forums like the unofficial Air Force [subreddit]() and the popular Facebook page [Air Force amn/nco/snco]() since myEval rolled out across the Air Force in February. In the posts, commenters complained about how the bug-ridden system is “[complete trash](),”[ migraine-inducing](), and “the root of[ MyAnxiety]().” Bass’ post also backs up one made by the[ Air Force Personnel Center]() on Saturday where the command decided “to pause using the current version of myEval to create and process all enlisted and officer evaluations.” The decision to pause using MyEval stands in contrast to the optimism service officials expressed when they first rolled it out earlier this year. “The myEval application reduces administrative burdens, enhances the user experience, and provides leaders with performance data to assist in making informed talent management decisions,” Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly, then-Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services, said when the system was[ first launched]() on a limited scale in January. [**Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today**]()**. Get the latest military news, entertainment, and gear in your inbox daily.** Kelly explained that the system was also meant to help the Air Force switch to a cloud-based evaluation system grounded in[ Airman Leadership Qualities](), which lay out new performance areas, including emotional intelligence and adaptability, for evaluating airmen. The intent of MyEval was a good one, said Katherine Kuzminski, senior fellow and program director for the Military, Veterans & Society project at the Center for a New American Security, a Washington, D.C. think tank. The system was meant to centralize and automate necessary information like fitness and personal data into the service’s performance evaluation system, Kuzminski explained, which in turn would make it easier to implement the Airman Leadership Qualities program. “MyEval is intended to give the Air Force the ability to track across these broader metrics, thus providing the information necessary to select, promote, and retain airmen with the skills and attributes necessary for a modernized force,” she said. That all sounds good on paper, but the reality of myEval has fallen short. Bass’ post on Monday was not the first time service officials have acknowledged the program’s failings. In September, the Air Force vice chief of staff, Gen. David Allvin, said on a Facebook Live chat with Bass that the program was “not as well-executed as it could be,” Air Force Times[ reported]() at the time. “We own that.” Nearly three months later, the myEval situation has not improved. That is a big problem because performance reviews play a major role in the life of service members: they can influence whether airmen or guardians are promoted, receive awards or new assignments. When connections or deadlines are missed due to faulty software, it can add serious stress and uncertainty to the life of a service member. The Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC) seemed to acknowledge this [by writing]() that the “primary consideration is to ensure there is no negative impact to any of our airmen or guardians.” AFPC wrote that the pause will allow relevant agencies in the department to focus on myEval’s future “so it provides the trust, reliability, transparency and simplicity we need moving forward.” It does not help that the myEval problems occur as the Air Force also hopes to revamp its personnel review system more broadly, such as by pivoting away from bullet-style writing and towards[ narrative-style]() statements for award nominations and performance reports. Bass acknowledged the problems that myEval was causing airmen and guardians. “The most important consideration is that we ensure there are no negative impacts to any of our airmen, while we review the way forward with myEval,” she said. “We owe you a better system, and more transparency…and we will deliver.” It was not immediately clear when airmen and guardians can expect a better system, but Kuzminski said it was a good thing that department leadership is tracking the issue. “While the system is not functioning as intended, it is refreshing to see service leadership out front taking accountability for the rollout challenges and investing their time and leadership in finding solutions,” she said. ## The latest on Task & Purpose - **Why the Air Force sometimes uses explosives to** [**get B-52 bomber engines running**]() - **Navy SEAL convicted for death of Green Beret Logan Melgar** [**has 10-year sentence ‘set aside’**]() - **Navy test squadron commander** [**relieved for DUI**]() **after just 8 months on the job** - **Russian-made missile** [**strikes NATO member**]() **Poland** - **The US is sending Avenger air defense systems to Ukraine to** [**keep the skies free of Russian aircraft**]() **Want to write for Task & Purpose?**[ **Click here**]()**. Or check out the latest stories on**[ **our homepage.**]() ## Author David Roza writes scripts about military news for the Task & Purpose YouTube channel, and he also writes articles about military pay, benefits, health care, child care, culture, and other personnel topics on a freelance basis. Roza previously covered the Air Force and Space Force for Task & Purpose from 2019 to 2023 and for Air & Space Forces Magazine from 2023 to 2025. In the course of that reporting, he has set off a ‘Hollywood explosion’ with Air Force bomb techs, turned the (unarmed) keys of a nuclear missile bunker, hovered over the Nevada desert on an Air Force rescue helicopter, and got the best sleep of his life on the floor of a C-17 over the central Pacific. Share tips and story ideas with David at [david.roza@teamrecurrent.io]()