Author: Joel Schofer, MD, MBA, CPE
How to Be Considered for Promotion if You’ve Been on Active Duty for Less Than 1 Year
The FY26 promotion board NAVADMIN was released. If you are in-zone or above-zone for an upcoming promotion board but you’ve been on active duty for less than 1 year, you should read paragraph #8:
8. In-zone and above-zone eligible officers in the grades of chief warrant
officer 2/3/4, lieutenant, lieutenant commander, and commander, whose
placement on the active-duty list is within one year of the convening dates
of these boards, are automatically deferred unless they specifically request
to be considered. The officer may waive this deferment and request
consideration for promotion, in writing, emailed to
NPC_Officer_SELBD_Elig_Waivers.fct@navy.mil or mailed to:
Commander, Navy Personnel Command (PERS-802)
5720 Integrity Drive
Millington, TN 38055-0000
For in-zone and above-zone eligible line officers in the grade of commander,
the request must be received by PERS-802 not later than 2359 CST 15 days
prior to the convening date of the respective board. For in-zone and above-
zone eligible staff corps officers in the grade of commander, in-zone and
above-zone eligible line and staff corps officers in the grade of lieutenant
commander and lieutenant, and in-zone and above-zone chief warrant officers,
the request must be received by PERS-802 not later than 2359 CST 30 days
prior to the convening date of the respective board. Specifically:
Selection To Convening Date Due Date / Time
URL/RL Captain 14 JAN 25 29 DEC 24 / 2359 CST
Staff Corps Captain 11 FEB 25 11 JAN 25 / 2359 CST
URL/RL Commander 19 FEB 25 19 JAN 25 / 2359 CST
Staff Corps Commander 5 MAY 25 5 APR 25 / 2359 CST
Staff Corps Lieutenant Commander 5 MAY 25 5 APR 25 / 2359 CST
URL/RL Lieutenant Commander 12 MAY 25 12 APR 25 / 2359 CST
Chief Warrant Officer 5/4/3/2 9 JUN 25 9 MAY 25 / 2359 CST
What does this mean and why would it apply to you? Maybe you had prior service, you went to medical school, and now you’re a senior LT who is in-zone for LCDR right away. Maybe you did a civilian NADDS residency and you are in-zone right away for LCDR. There might be other situations that would put you in this position, like getting time-in-grade credit for other experience.
If you believe you are in this position, here is what I’d do:
- Confirm you are in-zone or above-zone. How can you do this? The easiest way if you are MC is to read Chapter 3 of The Wealth Captain. Or you can use your date or rank and the zones spelled out in this NAVADMIN. Or you can hunt down your Corps’ lineal list, which are probably floating around as they are usually released in mid-DEC. Often they are posted on your Corps’ Sharepoint page or e-mailed out by your Specialty Leader.
- If you wish to be considered for promotion to LCDR, CDR, or CAPT, do what it says above. Send the letter simply requesting this. Here is the template as well as an example with some additional info from an officer that sent a letter (he said I could post it):
Also, here is a great article on this topic from the August 2018 Medical Corps Newsletter:
NOTICE OF CONVENING FY-26 ACTIVE-DUTY NAVY OFFICER CONTINUATION SELECTION BOARDS AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF CONTINUATION POLICY
Please note that paragraphs 3 and 4 mention Corps in Navy Medicine:
CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED//
ROUTINE
R 192038Z DEC 24 MID120001653634U
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INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC
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NAVADMIN 249/24
MSGID/NAVADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/DEC//
SUBJ/NOTICE OF CONVENING FY-26 ACTIVE-DUTY NAVY OFFICER CONTINUATION
SELECTION BOARDS AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF CONTINUATION POLICY (CORRECTED COPY)//
REF/A/10 U.S.C., SECTION 632
REF/B/10 U.S.C., SECTION 8323
NARR/REF A IS UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 10, SECTION 632, REF B IS
UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 10, SECTION 8323.
RMKS/1. This NAVADMIN announces the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Active-
Duty Navy Officer Continuation Selection Boards. The FY-26 Active-
Duty Navy Officer Continuation Selection Boards will convene, when
required, immediately following the corresponding FY-26 Active-Duty
Navy Officer and Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) Promotion Selection
Boards. Eligible officers on the Active-Duty List (ADL) who are
fully qualified to remain on active duty and meet the requirements
in paragraphs 2 through 6 will be considered for continuation.
2. Captains (CAPT) in the Unrestricted Line (URL) officer
competitive category who have a specific designation as Acquisition
Workforce (AW) members and specific year groups of CAPT and
Commander (CDR) Permanent Military Professors (PMP) with 2A2 AQD
will be considered for continuation. Eligible officers on the ADL
who are not on a promotion list to the next higher grade and who
meet the requirements in subparagraphs a or b will be considered for
expanded continuation.
a. URL officers who are AW members with 28 or more years of
active commissioned service on the convening date of the board and
hold one or more of the following Additional Qualification
Designation (AQD) codes:
(1) AA2 or AA4 Program Management
(2) AN2 Engineering
Officers selected by this board will be continued to 33 years of
active commissioned service, subject to the statutory maximum age
requirement of 62 years.
b. CDR PMP officers with 2A2 AQD in Year Groups (YG) 1998,
1999, and 2000 selected by the board will be continued to 30 years
of active commissioned service. CAPT PMP officers with 2A2 AQD in
YG 1996, 1997, and 1998 selected by the board will be continued to
32 years of active commissioned service. Both paygrades are subject
to a maximum age of 62 years.
c. These expanded continuation boards are part of the Navy's "Up
and Stay" initiative.
3. Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) URL, Restricted Line (RL) and staff
corps (Limited Duty Officers (LDO) continuation policy is
promulgated in paragraph 5):
a. Twice Failure of Selection (2XFOS) LCDRs with 14 to 18 Years
of Active Service (YOAS) on the date of mandatory discharge.
Officers selected for continuation will be continued until eligible
for retirement at the completion of 20 YOAS.
b. 2xFOS LCDRs with less than 14 YOAS on the date of mandatory
discharge. Officers selected for continuation will be continued for
a period of 3 years.
c. 2xFOS LCDRs with 18 or more YOAS, in line with reference
(b), will not be considered for continuation, but will be retained
on active-duty until retirement eligible at 20 YOAS.
d. 2xFOS URL, Chaplain Corps (CHC), Cyber Warfare Engineer
(CWE), Dental Corps (DC), Foreign Area Officer (FAO), Information
Professional (IP), Maritime Space Officer (MSO), Medical Corps (MC),
Maritime Cyber Warfare Officer (MCWO), Oceanography (OCN), and
Supply Corps (SC) LCDRs will be considered for continuation who
would statutorily retire in FY-26 with 20 YOAS. CWE, FAO, IP, MCWO,
OCN, and SC officers selected for continuation will be continued for
a period of 3 years to 23 YOAS. URL, CHC, DC, MC, and MSO officers
selected for continuation will be continued until the last day of
the month in which the officer completes 24 YOAS.
e. In no case will any LCDR be continued or retained beyond the
last day of the month in which the officer becomes 62 years of age.
4. Lieutenant (LT) Aerospace Engineering Duty Officer (AEDO), CHC,
Civil Engineer Corp (CEC), Cryptologic Warfare (CW), CWE, DC, FAO,
Intelligence Officer (INTEL), IP, Judge Advocate General's Corps
(JAGC), MC, MCWO, Medical Service Corps (MSC), MSO, Nurse Corps
(NC), Public Affairs Officer (PAO), and SC will follow the below as
applicable:
a. 2XFOS LTs covered in paragraph 4 with less than 18 YOAS and
selected for continuation will be continued for a period of three
years, but not beyond retirement eligibility at 20 YOAS.
b. 2XFOS LTs covered in paragraph 4 with 18 or more YOAS, in
line with references (a) and (b), will not be considered for
continuation, but will instead be retained on active-duty until
retirement eligible at 20 YOAS.
c. In no case will any 2xFOS LTs covered in paragraph 4 be
continued or retained beyond the last day of the month in which the
officer becomes eligible for retirement under reference (b) or the
last day of the month in which the officer becomes 62 years of age,
whichever is earlier.
5. Commander (CDR), LCDR, and LT LDOs: LDO CDR, LCDR, and LT 2x
FOS officers will not be considered for continuation for FY26, with
the following exceptions:
a. All LDOs selected for promotion in FY-26 who are subject to
mandatory retirement for YOAS prior to their scheduled promotion
dates and/or prior to completing the Time-In-Grade (TIG) necessary
to retire in the next higher grade after promotion will be
considered for continuation. If selected, these officers will be
continued for a period sufficient to allow them to accept promotion
and, as required, attain sufficient TIG to retire at the higher
grade.
b. All LDOs who are on active duty at the time when the
promotion board meets and are considered in-zone for promotion and
who are subject to mandatory retirement for YOAS prior to the end of
FY-25. These officers will be considered for continuation and, if
selected, will be continued for a period sufficient to allow them to
accept promotion and, as required, attain sufficient TIG to retire
at the higher grade or, if not selected for promotion, until the end
of FY-25.
6. Chief Warrant Officers (CWO): CWO2, CWO3, and CWO4 2x FOS
officers will not be considered for continuation for FY26, with the
following exceptions:
a. The board shall consider and normally recommend for
continuation on active duty all CWOs who are in-zone eligible for
promotion to the next higher CWO grade in FY-26 and who are subject
to mandatory retirement for YOAS before the end of FY-25. CWOs in
this category who are selected for and accept continuation shall be
continued on active duty if selected for promotion, for a period
sufficient to accept promotion and serve 60 days beyond the date of
their promotion to the next higher CWO grade. The period of
continuation shall begin on the first day following the day on which
they otherwise would have been required to retire from active duty.
CWOs who are not selected for promotion to the next higher CWO grade
shall be continued on active duty until the end of FY-25.
b. The board shall consider and normally recommend for
continuation on active duty all CWOs who are selected for promotion
to the next higher CWO grade and are subject to mandatory retirement
for YOAS prior to their actual promotion date to the next higher CWO
grade or prior to completing the TIG necessary to retire in the next
higher CWO grade after promotion. These officers shall be continued
on active duty for a period sufficient to accept promotion and serve
60 days beyond the date of their promotion to the next higher CWO
grade. The period of continuation shall begin on the first day
following the day on which they otherwise would have been required
to retire from active duty.
7. Officers on the ADL who meet any of the criteria in paragraphs 2
through 6 must check BUPERS Online, via MyNavy Portal (MNP) at
https://my.navy.mil/quick-links.html, after release of the
respective promotion selection ALNAV message, to determine if they
were selected for continuation. Once logged into BUPERS Online,
click on Advancements/Selection Boards and then on the appropriate
officer (Promotion/Continuation) board to determine the results.
8. Promotion selection board convening dates are as follows:
a. The FY-26 Active-Duty Navy O-6 Line Promotion Selection
Board convenes 14 January 2025. The FY-26 Active-Duty Navy O-6 LDO
Line Continuation Selection board will follow this board.
b. The FY-26 Active-Duty Navy O-6 Staff Promotion Selection
Board convenes 11 February 2025. The FY-26 Active-Duty Navy O-5 LDO
Staff Continuation Selection Board will follow this board.
c. The FY-26 Active-Duty Navy O-5 Line Promotion Selection
Board convenes 19 February 2025. The FY-26 Active-Duty Navy O-4
Line and LDO Continuation Selection Board will follow this board.
d. The FY-26 Active-Duty Navy O-5 Staff Promotion Selection
Board convenes 5 May 2025. The FY-26 Active-Duty Navy O-4 Staff and
LDO Continuation Selection Board will follow this board.
e. The FY-26 Active-Duty Navy O-4 Staff Promotion Selection
Board convenes 5 May 2025. The FY-26 Active-Duty Navy O-3 Staff and
LDO Continuation Selection boards will follow this board.
f. The FY-26 Active-Duty Navy O-4 Line Promotion Selection
Board convenes 12 May 2025. The FY-26 Active-Duty Navy O-3 Line and
LDO Continuation Selection Boards will follow this board.
g. The FY-26 Active-Duty Navy CWO3/CWO4/CWO5 Promotion
Selection Boards convene 9 Jun 2025. The FY-26 Active-Duty Navy
CWO2/CWO3/CWO4 Continuation Selection Boards will follow these
boards.
h. The FY-27 Active O-7 Line and Staff Promotion Selection
Board convenes 16 September 2025. The FY-27 Active O-6 Expanded
Continuation Selection Board will follow this board.
9. Correspondence addressed to the promotion selection board will
not be forwarded to a subsequent continuation selection board for
consideration. Officers must communicate with each board
separately.
10. Only eligible officers may communicate with a continuation
selection board via the Letter to the Board (LTB) process. NAVADMIN
220/19 announced the introduction of a new application known as
Electronic Submission of Selection Board Documents (ESSBD),
accessible through My Navy Portal (MNP). ESSBD improves the speed,
transparency and confidence of receipt over current LTB submission
methods, such as hard copy and e-mail submitted letters and related
attachments.
a. ESSBD is available for all promotion, advancement and
selection boards.
b. ESSBD provides board candidates with the capability to
electronically submit LTBs in a standard, consistent format, with or
without attachments and will allow the candidate to see (for content
and clarity) exactly what will be delivered and presented to the
board.
c. To utilize ESSBD, candidates must access document services
through MNP at https://mn3p.navy.mil/web/myrecord/overview.
On-screen instructions will direct the submitter thereafter.
d. Submission and subsequent receipt acknowledgement for LTBs
submitted via ESSBD or other means does not constitute confirmation
of eligibility for the boards to which LTBs are submitted. If
required, a full visual user guide is available through MNP at
https://mn3p.navy.mil/web/advancement-and-promotion.
e. LTBs must be received by Navy Personnel Command no later
than 2359 (Central Standard Time) (CST) 10 days prior to the
convening date of the respective board, as noted below. Submitters
are cautioned to not wait until the deadline date to submit LTBs via
ESSBD or other available avenues.
Continuation For Convening Date Due Date/Time
URL/RL/LDO CDR 14 JAN 25 3 JAN 25/2359 CST
Staff Corps/LDO CDR 11 FEB 25 31 JAN 25/2359 CST
URL/RL/LDO LCDR 19 FEB 25 8 FEB 25/2359 CST
Staff Corps/LDO LCDR 5 MAY 25 24 APR 25/2359 CST
Staff Corps/LDO LT 5 MAY 25 24 APR 25/2359 CST
URL/RL/LDO LT 12 MAY 25 1 MAY 25/2359 CST
CWO 4/3/2 9 JUN 25 29 MAY 25/2359 CST
URL/RL CAPT 16 SEP 25 5 SEP 25/2359 CST
f. If unable to use ESSBD, the CSCSELBOARD@navy.mil mailbox
account is capable of receiving encrypted correspondence in
accordance with Department of Defense policy. If sending a board
package from a non-NMCI network (bumed.mil, eu.navy.mil, etc.),
please review procedures listed in NAVADMIN 220/19.
g. The written communication may call attention to the board,
any matter concerning the record of the officer that the officer
considers important. Written communication may include, as
enclosures, correspondence from any individual concerning the
eligible officer. Correspondence not originated by the eligible
officer, including endorsement to the letter of the eligible officer
and letters written on behalf of that officer, must contain a
written acknowledgement by the eligible officer that he or she
desires such correspondence be presented to the board.
Correspondence without such an acknowledgement is considered third
party correspondence and will be rejected without being presented to
the board. Classified correspondence will not be accepted.
11. All officers are reminded of their responsibility to ensure the
completeness and accuracy of their official records prior to the
convening date of the board.
12. Questions regarding LTB submission and continuation should be
directed to MyNavy Career Center by calling 1-833-330-MNCC (1-833-
330-6622/DSN: 882-6622) or e-mailing ASKMNCC@navy.mil.
13. Additional information concerning continuation is also
available via MNP at https://www.mnp.navy.mil/group/advancement-and-
promotion/p-officer-promotion-resources-and-links, then click on the
Websites side (vice Systems side) of the blue header. Once on the
Websites side, you will see the NPC Promotion Boards link. Click on
the NPC Promotion Boards link, then click on the Officer
Continuation/SERB link on the left hand side.
14. This NAVADMIN will remain in effect until superseded or 30
September 2026, whichever occurs first.
15. Released by Vice Admiral Richard J. Cheeseman Jr., N1.//
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CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED//
Joel Schofer's Career Planning Blog 