An Evaluation of the Air Force's Enlisted Performance Report and Promotion System

Inflation of the "Overall Performance Assessment" given on the Air Force's Enlisted Performance Report's (EPR) has made duty performance virtually irrelevant when selecting Airmen to serve in the non-commissioned (NCO) and senior non-commissioned (SNCO) ranks. That EPR inflation exists is not disputed; the Air Force has struggled with it for years. Despite revisions to the evaluation form and multiple statements by current and former Chief Master Sergeants of the Air Force (CMSAF), inflation not only persists, it is getting worse. The majority of Airmen competing for promotion to E-5 through E-9 earn perfect EPR scores within the Weighted Airman Promotion System (WAPS). As a result, there is very little differentiation among those competing for promotion significantly diminishing the impact of performance. To gain insight on options to address inflation, I review selected methods employed by the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps and highlight their advantages and disadvantages.