Policy changes enacted with 2008 colonel promotion board Published Feb. 12, 2009 DENVER -- The Air Force Reserve recently completed the first of a two-phase change for promotion to colonel from three years to four years time-in-grade requirement. The change arose from recommendations of a July 2006 general officer-led promotion working group taking effect with the October 2008 colonel promotion board. The results of the board were released Dec. 16 with 95 officers from eight competitive categories selected for advancement to colonel in the participating Reserve. Officers meeting the 2008 colonel promotion board were required to serve in the previous grade for a minimum of three and a half years as outlined in the Officer Promotions Policy Change Brief October 2007. The decision to phase this change in over two years ensured promotion opportunity for 2008, but also reduced the population of officers meeting the board for the first time to less than half. The secretary of the Air Force sets promotion opportunity, expressed as a percentage, to meet mission requirements in each competitive category. A promotion quota is computed by multiplying the promotion opportunity by the number of Selected Reserve officers (AGR, Unit and IMAs) in-the-promotion zone who have met the time-in-grade requirements. For this board, there were 1,161 eligible line lieutenant colonels. There were 236 officers who met the time-in-grade requirements, but only 192 were in the Selected Reserve. This is less than half of the Selected Reserve in-the-zone population from the 2007 board. The remaining 44 were Air Force Academy Admission Liaison, Civil Air Patrol and Ready Reinforcement Personnel Section members participating for points only. Since the line officer promotion opportunity was 35 percent of 192, the result was 68 individuals could be promoted to colonel in the line officer competitive category. Current projections indicate a similar quota for the upcoming October 2009 colonel promotion board, which will be the first board to require eligible lieutenant colonels to have the full four years time in grade. For more information on promotions, go to http://www.arpc.afrc.af.mil/promotions.