Note: The ‘Making the Modern Aviator’ series is targeted specifically at serving RAAF personnel and aims to provide useful career guidance across a range of topics. So there might be some jargon and acronyms that may not be easily understood by others.
Few organisational processes in Air Force are as contentious as promotions. This post aims to provide thoughts on the RAAF Career Management Board – Promotion (CMB-P) system and how to view your CMB-P code (AKA your promotion code) when it is released.
It’s all about the context
Context plays a large part in the eventual promotion code you receive. This incorporates a number of factors including:
1. Chief of Air Force (CAF) guidance. Each year, CAF write to promotion board members and directs them to focus on slightly different areas in order to select the most appropriate leaders for the current environment. These different focus areas may be good or bad when reviewing your career profile and may influence the code you receive.
2. Your cohort. We’re lucky to have some very capable people in Air Force, and unfortunately not all of us can keep promoting. This can be especially challenging if you just miss out one year and there’s a large cohort of high performers coming up behind you.
3. Board composition. Board members are people too; and while they are objective, they may prioritise experiences/postings etc in different ways. This can lead to different CMB‑P codes from year to year.
So what does it all mean?
The definition of promotion codes are officially outlined on the Directorate of Personnel – Air Force website, but here’s a rough guide on common scenarios which are designed to help put your code into perspective and aid future conversations with your Career Manager.
If you receive an A1…congratulations! You’ll start talking with your (potentially new) Career Manager in the near future about posting options at your next rank. Note the board doesn’t award A1s, they rank A2s and the top echelon turn into A1s once targets are released.
If you receive an A2…congratulations is also in order. The board determined that you’re ready to be promoted, there just aren’t enough targets to provide you the opportunity to promote at this stage. There’s still a chance you’ll be offered a promotion this year, depending on changes in the workforce, but don’t expect this to be the case.
If you have now received multiple A2 codes…it is still noteworthy; however, there may be a small ingredient in your profile that’s preventing you from getting to the top of the list. There’s no hard and fast rule here, so speak with your CM to explore further.
If you received an A3 last year…your code will be different no matter what as the A3 doesn’t exist anymore (the idea was to streamline codes so the board now decides whether you’re promotable from a general (A2) or niche (A7) perspective). An A3 meant that you were assessed as ‘just’ promotable before, so it’s not uncommon for a previous A3 to receive a B1 now, especially if the cohort becomes more competitive.
If you receive an A7…this code and its supporting processes are evolving as we speak. Talk to your CM to find out the latest info.
If you received an A2/A3 previously and a B1/B2 this year…once again this needs to be put in perspective. Sometimes it’s a case of lower individual performance (different PPR ratings/comments etc), other times a higher performing cohort results in a lower code. It just depends.
If you receive a B1, B2 or B3…this means the board thinks you’re tracking well and need time to accrue additional experience and/or demonstrate high performance. Be aware that some boards used B1s more sparingly than others, so it’s not uncommon to receive a B1 then a B2 next year.
If you receive a B4 or B5…these codes largely speak for themselves, so review the description of each and let your CM know if you have any questions.
If you received a B7…the accompanying text with this code is directly from the board, word for word. Contact your CMs for this narrative.
If you receive your first C code… this doesn’t necessarily mean you’re underperforming (although it can be). C Codes ultimately mean this board doesn’t believe you’re competitive for promotion in competition with your peers. Again, it’s all about context…
If you receive your second consecutive C code (or third non-consecutive)…you won’t be presented to future promotion boards unless a senior advocate and DP-AF supports re-entry (usually after at least two years). Once again this isn’t necessarily an indicator of poor performance, but your CM can provide further info.
Feedback
Understand that the board generally spends most of their time scrutinising the top (A Codes) and bottom (C Codes) of the list. For some, there may be no feedback other than the promotion code and its description. Different people will receive different levels of feedback, depending on how much discussion occurred about the individual during the board.
Sometimes the board will highlight what they think you need to be competitive in future boards (again, context!). Other times, you’ll get the ‘keep doing what you’re doing’ note before they move to the next person. Again, it’s nothing personal, the board just needs to allocate their time as efficiently as possible.
It’s Nothing Personal – But Everything’s Personal
As hard as it can be sometimes, remember that the board’s assessment of your career prospects shouldn’t be viewed as a personal attack. Board members have a mandate to make an objective assessment of your career profile and determine whether they can see you advancing. It might be tough to hear, but that’s their role.
If you’ve received a code you weren’t expecting, it’s worth having a chat with a few people to see what’s next. Your supervisor is a great place to start, as they are assessing your current performance and should be giving you feedback on the next step in your career. Other areas include peers, friends, mentors or anyone else you’re comfortable having these conversations with.
