What’s New in the FY22 O5 Promotion Board Convening Order?
TL;DR BLUF
- O5 promotion results will be delayed by 5-6 weeks because the board started late.
- Do Joint Professional Military Education.
- Be operationally relevant.
- Be a model of Honor, Courage, and Commitment and don’t get in trouble.
- Going to Guam or Japan certainly can’t hurt.
- Get board certified as soon as you can.
- Move seamlessly across domains by starting a blog in your free time.
What’s a Convening Order?
Convening orders tell promotion board members what to look for when selecting people for promotion, so it is usually a good idea to examine them for changes. I’ll give you a summary of what is new. Here are the FY21 and FY22 documents:
Date of the Board
The board was delayed from March 24th to May 3rd. Expect the promotion results to be delayed by a similar interval.
Promotion Opportunities
The promotion opportunities changed:
- MC – increased from 77% to 90%
- DC – decreased from 83% to 75%
- MSC – decreased from 55% to 50%
- NC – stayed the same at 70%
Pages 3-6 (all page numbers from here on out reference the FY22 convening order)
They inserted language emphasizing awareness of the Great Power Competition (GPC), education, operational support, competence, character, and diversity.
Pages 8-9
They inserted a new concept to me, the 10 Signature Behaviors of a 21st Century Sailor:
They also inserted some language about commitment to personal and professional growth, connecting with yourself and others, loyalty to the Navy’s core values, and championing a culture of excellence.
Fitrep Impacts Due to COVID
They inserted a paragraph cautioning board members that COVID stop movements may have adversely impacted fitness reports and that these fitrep impacts:
“…should not be viewed adversely and the COVID-19 impact must be taken in context when viewed with the totality of the record. The board must take extra care to not disadvantage members for their inability to transfer as a result of the stop movement.”
Page 10
They inserted language emphasizing expertise in the Indo-Pacific Region.
Pages 11-13 – Medical Community Considerations
These were largely unchanged, but they qualified the importance of board certification by inserting the italicized text:
“Strong consideration should be given to board certification when a board certification exists for the specialty, provided they have had sufficient time to meet the requirements.“
They also inserted at the bottom of page 12:
“Special consideration should be given to those officers who have demonstrated the ability to move seamlessly across domains.”
Traditional domains include air, land, and maritime with recent additions of space and cyberspace. Hopefully blogging in your free time is one day seen as “moving seamlessly across domains.”
Translation Please?
What does this mean for an O4 in Navy Medicine? I think it means the following:
- O5 promotion results will be delayed by 5-6 weeks because the board started late.
- Do Joint Professional Military Education.
- Be operationally relevant.
- Be a model of Honor, Courage, and Commitment and don’t get in trouble.
- Going to Guam or Japan certainly can’t hurt.
- Get board certified as soon as you can.
- Move seamlessly across domains by starting a blog in your free time.
Joel Schofer's Career Planning Blog 
May 21, 2021 at 18:29
Sir,
Do convening orders exist for O4 promotion boards and if so can you please point me in the direction to find them? Can I expect the convening order to be essentially the same here? (O3 preparing early to promote to O4) Thank you in advance for any help.
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May 22, 2021 at 07:01
O4 convening order analysis posts Tuesday AM, but the language is essentially the same. You can find convening orders here (you have to pick the board along the left side) – https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Career-Management/Boards/Active-Duty-Officer/
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May 29, 2021 at 14:30
Thank you! I saw that you sent it out as well. I will spread the word to my colleagues. I noticed that the wording is, in fact, essentially the same. Always grateful for your help and guidance, Sir!
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