E-9 advancement rate drops slightly

From Chief of Naval Personnel public affairs

Getting to the top of the enlisted ranks remains competitive, as eligible E-8s face a slight drop in advancement opportunity this year.

Advancement opportunity to E-9 in FY-05 stands at 13.5 percent, falling a little more than 1 percentage point from fiscal year 2004.

Vice Adm. Gerry Hoewing, chief of Naval Personnel, said he was not surprised that the opportunity stayed nearly the same.

''Competition for promotion to master chief petty officer has, and should be, very competitive. We expect a lot from these leaders,'' said Hoewing. ''Given the tremendous retention we continue to experience throughout the Navy today, and the incredible talent at our more senior enlisted ranks, I would expect the advancement opportunity to remain about the same.''

The number of Sailors competing for E-9 increased by 284 to 3,427 this year, while quotas fell only by five from 470 to 465. Advancement opportunity improved or stayed the same in 34 ratings. Forty-one ratings saw declining advancement opportunity, but 36 of those will still enjoy advancement opportunity above the Navy average.

Fire controlman (AEGIS NEC) showed the best overall advancement opportunity at 57 percent. Other ratings with improved advancement opportunity include aviation warfare systems operator, which grew from 20.7 percent in the last cycle to 37 percent this cycle, and hospital corpsman, which experienced a jump of more than six points from 6.3 percent to 12.8.

Ratings that saw some decline in advancement opportunity include master-at-arms (down 15 points this cycle to just over 35 percent), air traffic controller, which saw a decrease of 8 points to 4 percent, and mineman with a decrease of 10 points from last year's opportunity of 25 percent.

A full list of E-9 advancement quotas will soon be available at www.bupers. navy.mil, under Advance-ments.