The U.S. Air Force selected over 12,500 senior airmen to be promoted to staff sergeant in the 2026 cycle, a decrease from last year’s promotion cycle.
The service chose 12,671 senior airmen out of the 39,774 who were eligible for promotion, resulting in a selection rate of 31.86%, according to a Monday Air Force Personnel Center release.
The 2026 staff sergeant promotion list will be made publicly available on Thursday, according to the statement.
In 2025, nearly 15,900 senior airmen were promoted out of approximately 47,000 eligible, resulting in a selection rate of 33.81%, marking the largest number of staff sergeant promotions in almost a decade.
The Air Force last selected a large number of senior airmen for promotion in 2016, with a total of slightly over 16,500 at a selection rate of 42.25%.
The largest selection class was in 2002, less than a year after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when 19,448 airmen were selected at a rate of 62.98%.
The number of those promoted in the 2026 cycle is still a large increase from the lowest number of promotions in the past decade of around 9,700 and 9,000 seen in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
To advance from senior airmen, E-4, to staff sergeant, E-5, those eligible need to undergo a testing process and attend a leadership school, as well as meet the basic requirements of a minimum of three years of total active service, six months in a grade as senior airmen and have a 5-skill level in the Air Force Specialty Code.
Cristina Stassis is a reporter covering stories surrounding the defense industry, national security, military/veteran affairs and more. She previously worked as an editorial fellow for Defense News in 2024 where she assisted the newsroom in breaking news across Sightline Media Group.
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