The Air Force will promote nearly 1,000 fewer airmen to technical sergeant this year, according to statistics posted Thursday by the Air Force Personnel Center.
AFPC said on its Facebook page that 7,501 of the 33,569 promotion-eligible staff sergeants have been selected for E-6. That represents a 22.35 percent selection rate — more than a full percentage point lower than the 2015 rate of 23.55 percent.
Last year, the Air Force selected 8,446 airmen for promotion to tech sergeant out of 35,863 eligible airmen.
But though the selection rate dipped slightly this year, it is still well above the 17.43 percent selection rate of 2014 and the 15.03 percent selection rate of 2013.
AFPC plans to release the list of airmen selected for promotion the morning of July 21.
