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With the implementation of OPMS XXI, changes have occurred in the Officer Personnel Management System (OPMS). These OPMS XXI changes affect only Army Competitive Category officers.

Promotion plan. As part of OPMS, the Army defines primary and secondary zones of consideration for field grade promotions by basic year groups. The in-the-zone population, or primary zone, is usually established by the dates the first and last due course officer was promoted from a specific year group. A due course officer is one who has been on continuous active duty since commissioning as a second lieutenant and who has neither failed selection for promo­tion nor been selected for promotion from below-the-zone. This primary zone is accessed into the Army, and at times shaped, to achieve a promotion opportunity that is relatively similar over a period of the next 5 years. This procedure has become known as the Five-Year Field Grade Promotion Plan. OPMS XXI has not changed this policy.

Decentralized selections. Promotion to first lieutenant (1LT) is approved by the officer’s local commander. Normally, the battalion commander promotes with the recommendation of the company commander. Although the promotion is thought of as being automatic upon completion of a specific period of active duty, the promotion is based on an officer’s demonstrated performance. Officers who fail promotion to 1LT are generally released from active duty or discharged.

Centralized selections. Officers promoted from captain through colonel are selected by HQDA centralized boards. Selection boards are asked to recommend fully or best qualified (as appropriate) officers from an inclusive zone of consideration (ZOC). The ZOC includes officers from above, in and below the promotion zone. When the number of officers being considered exceeds the maxi-mum number to promote, the boards operate under a best qualified criteria. Centralized boards, except captain, are provided minimum promotion requirements (floors) by branch, functional area or area of concentration to ensure the Army’s skill and grade mix balances with its needs. Recommendations are based upon branch and func­tional area competency, the potential to serve in the higher grade and the whole person concept. Factors considered include:

(1) Performance.
(2) Embodiment of Army values.
(3) Professional attributes and ethics.
(4) Integrity and character.
(5) Assignment history and professional development.
(6) Military bearing and physical fitness.
(7) Attitude, dedication and service.
(8) Military and civilian education and training.
(9) Concern for soldiers and families.

Promotion within Special Branches (AMEDD, Chaplain Corps and JAG Corps). The officer promotion system reinforces all other personnel management programs to acquire and retain the right number of officers, with the proper skills, to meet the Army’s needs. The objective of promotion within the special branches is to main­tain an orderly promotion flow that replaces losses, meets changing requirements, and recognizes uneven attrition rates within these competitive categories. Provisions of the system include mandated floors by branch, functional area or AOC and the optional employment of selection ceilings. Selection opportunity may vary among competitive categories based upon projected requirements in the higher grades.

Instructions to promotion boards. Each board receives a Memorandum of Instruction from the Secretary of the Army providing guidance for the selection process. Copies of these memorandums are released to the officer corps following approval and public release of the board results. That portion pertaining to specialization has been expanded significantly to indicate that, in today’s Army, the specialist has a significant role and responsibility. The instructions highlight the need for the different officer professional development patterns required for accomplishing the Army’s total mission. Instead of a single traditionally accepted career pattern through various grades, multiple paths for advancement exist as the Army recognizes divergent Service needs and individual capabili­ties. Further, instructions to promotion boards prescribe that promo­tion potential will be determined, for the most part, based on an officer’s record of performance in their designated branch or func­tional area and the officer’s overall performance.

Promotion board membership. Personal qualifications, experience, and performance determine promotion board membership. MACOM commanders recommend board members (colonel and be-low) from lists provided by the HQDA Secretariat for Selection Boards of eligible candidates who meet qualifications in a broad spectrum of military fields. Following policy guidance from the Secretary of the Army, membership is designed to adequately reflect the skills, commands and diversity of the competitive category under consideration. The Director of Military Personnel Management, ODCSPER, approves the final slate of members on behalf of the Secretary of the Army. General officer membership is approved by the Chief of Staff, Army.

Special selection boards. Special selection boards (SSBs) are convened as required to consider officers with dates of rank above or in the promotion zone who were erroneously omitted from con­sideration or whose official records contained material errors seen by the original board. Erroneous entries or omissions on the Officer Record Brief (ORB) generally do not justify reconsideration by a SSB. The officer’s responsibility to review his or her ORB at least annually and the provision of AR 600-8-29 entitling officers in the zone of consideration to submit a letter to the president of the board are considered sufficient opportunity to overcome minor administra­tive deficiencies.

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Above information derived from Army Pamplet 600-3