The Air Force canceled promotions for dozens of service members after discovering that an outdated answer key was used on the test for technical sergeant.
Officials this week said 135 airmen in the Air Force security forces career field were awarded incorrect scores on the Specialty Knowledge Test, known as the SKT, and told they had earned a promotion.
On the flip side, 135 who were initially told they failed the exam will now advance to the next rank.
“We owe it to those affected to address it immediately,” Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David R. Wolfe said Tuesday. “This is going to be hard for everyone impacted.”
The Air Force conducted a full rescore for all 2,285 airmen who tested for promotion to technical sergeant using the corrected answer key.
“The result established a new, correct promotion cutoff, identifying the rightful earners for promotion and those whose line numbers will be revoked,” Air Force officials said in a statement.
A review determined that promotions for 451 airmen were valid and wouldn’t change out of the 586 slots on the list.
“We promote airmen based on merit, which is established in federal law and policy,” Air Force Lt. Gen. Jefferson O’Donnell, 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. We have a core obligation to ensure the airmen who earned it are selected.”
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