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Related Resources • Army Promotion Information • Reserve Enlisted Promotion Regulation • Military Promotions

Factors which make one inelgibile for promotion or promotion consideration (All Grades):

A soldier will not be advanced or promoted as long as he or she is in any of the following categories:

a. Absent without leave, in confinement, in deserter status, confined by civil authorities, or under arrest.

b. Ill or injured not in the line of duty (applicable only to Active Guard/Reserve (AGR) soldiers).

c. Under court-martial charges. Promotion will be withheld until the charges have been dismissed or withdrawn, or until the soldier has been tried and acquitted.

d. Serving a court-martial sentence, including a suspended sentence. A soldier under a court-martial sentence becomes promotable the day following the last day of the forfeiture or withholding of pay. However, all other portions of the sentence must have been carried out. In computing the period of forfeiture or withholding of pay, unauthorized absences during this period will be excluded. Computation will be made according to the Department of Defense Military Pay and Allowance Entitlements Manual (DODPM), Part I.

e. Being punished under Article 15, Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), or during any period of suspension of such punishment, except for summarized proceedings imposed under AR 27–10, paragraph 3–16.

f. Being processed for discharge from the USAR. An exception to this rule is discharge for immediate reenlistment in the USAR per AR 140–111.

g. Ineligible for immediate reenlistment or extension in the USAR per AR 140–111. The promotion authority will remove the name of a soldier from a recommended list at the time he or she is determined to be ineligible to reenlist or extend.

h. Under a bar to reenlistment or one has been initiated and not yet approved (AR 140–111, chap 1, sec VII). A soldier with an approved bar to reenlistment is not eligible for promotion consideration.

i. Has become an unsatisfactory participant as defined in AR 135–91, chapter 4, section III.

j. For SGT and above, does not possess the proper security clearance or favorable security investigation for promotion to the grade and military occupational specialty (MOS).

k. Does not possess the required specialized or formal training. This also applies to a soldier who does not have the applicable license or certification for the career progression MOS (CPMOS) per AR 611–201. Soldiers serving in duty MOS (DMOS) 00E must have successfully completed the Transitional Training and Evaluation Program conducted by the U.S. Army Recruiting Command (USAREC) before being considered MOS qualified.

l. Exceeds the body fat standards per AR 600–9 and no underlying or associated disease has been found to cause the condition. Promotable status will be regained when the promotion authority determines the soldier is no longer required to be in a weight control program.

m. Approved for voluntary retirement. This includes soldiers who request retirement in lieu of accepting a reassignment or permanent change of station (PCS). n. Selected for reassignment concurrent with a promotion and the soldier has declined the reassignment.

o. Has been denied continuation, renewal, or reenlistment in an AGR status as a result of board action. (Applicable only to AGR soldiers.)

p. Is an Army Reserve Technician (ART) previously scheduled for mandatory removal from a TPU because of age, years of service, or not selected for retention by a qualitative retention board. The soldier has been approved for retention in the current assignment until he or she attains Federal annuity or age 60 based on the ART status per AR 140–315. (Applicable only to soldiers assigned to a TPU.)

q. Being processed for reassignment to—

(1) Control Group (AGR), Control Group (IMA), the IRR, or the Standby Reserve (Active List). (Applicable only to soldiers assigned to a TPU.)

(2) A TPU or Control Group (AGR). (Applicable only to soldiers assigned to the IRR or Standby Reserve.)

(3) The Standby Reserve (Inactive List) or Retired Reserve.

r. Under a suspension of favorable personnel actions per AR 600–8–2. This also applies when a general officer, or HQDA (DAPE–MPE) determines that because of the criteria in AR 600–8–2, a soldier should have been under suspension of favorable personnel actions. This should be determined no later than within 30 days of the date the soldier should have first been flagged. Following a suspension of favorable personnel actions, the soldier’s promotion status will be determined as follows:

(1) If the soldier’s final report is closed as “ favorable,” he or she will be promoted if otherwise eligible. This is provided he or she would have been promoted while the suspension was in effect. The DOR will be that which would have been assigned had no delay in the promotion intervened. The effective date of the promotion is the publication date of the promotion order. The effective date may be corrected to the date the promotion should have occurred had the suspension never existed.

(2) If the soldier’s final report is closed as “ disciplinary action taken,” DOR will be the day following the closing date of the suspension unless action was initiated under paragraph 3–25, 3–26, 3–41, 4–19, or 5–11 before the day following the closing date.

(3) If the soldier’s final report is closed as “other,” he or she will be promoted if otherwise eligible. This is provided he or she would have been promoted while the suspension was in effect. This is also provided action to remove the soldier from a recommended list was not initiated. This rule applies only to a soldier whose suspension was started for exceeding body fat standards per AR 600–9. The soldier’s DOR will be the day following the closing date of the suspension. The effective date of the promotion will be the date of the promotion order.

s. Has failed the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) or has not taken an APFT within the last 9 months (AGR soldiers), or 18 months (all except AGR soldiers). Soldiers in this category will be placed under suspension of favorable personnel actions per AR 600–8–2. The DOR and effective date of promotion for soldiers who meet the eligibility requirements while under suspension will be the day following successful completion of the most recent APFT. The following soldiers are exempt from meeting the APFT requirement:

(1) A soldier who has a valid permanent or temporary physical profile per AR 40–501 that prevents the administration of the APFT. In addition, the soldier’s commander has certified the soldier is capable of performing the duties of the PMOS.

(2) A soldier who is unable to undergo an APFT because of conditions beyond his or her control. An example is a soldier over 40 years of age assigned to a TPU, an IMA position, the IRR, or the Standby Reserve (Active List), who has not been screened and cleared to participate in the APFT per AR 350-41.

t. Is not a graduate of the NCOES course required for his or her current grade.

u. Was previously selected for the SMC (resident or corresponding studies) and was subsequently denied enrollment, became an academic failure, did not meet graduation requirements, or was declared a “No-Show”.

Note #1: The secondary zone (SZ) provides incentives to those who strive for excellence and whose accomplishments, demonstrated capacity for leadership, and marked potential warrant promotion ahead of their peers. Soldiers recommended for promotion in the SZ must be outstanding.

Above Information Derived from Army Regulation 140-158