Rank Promotion and Reduction Guidelines

This is the Document Release Information
Article Number:	7CAV-R-005
Scope:	Enlisted, Noncommissioned, Warrant and Officer Promotion and Reduction Regulations
Version:	Version 1.0.4
Effective Date:	15APR20
Last Modified Date:	16JAN21
Approving Authority:	Regimental Commanding Officer
Point of Contact:	Regimental Chief of Staff

Chapter 1 - Introduction

Section I: Overview

Purpose

This regulation prescribes the enlisted, noncommissioned, and officer promotions and reductions function within the 7th Cavalry Regiment (7CAV). It provides principles support, standards of service, policies, tasks, rules, and steps governing all work required in the field to support promotions and reductions of ranks. It provides the objectives of the 7CAV's promotion system which includes filling authorized billets with the best qualified member. Additionally, the system precludes promoting the member who is not productive or not the best qualified, thus providing an equitable system for all members.

Definitions

Time in Service (TIS) - This is the total amount of time a member has been in the 7th Cavalry Gaming Regiment.

Time in Grade (TIG) - This is the total amount of time a person has been at the current iteration of their rank, which resets on promotion or demotion unless special circumstances apply.

Responsibilities

a. The Regimental Command Staff (Regimental Commander and Executive Officer) will serve as the senior officials on matters concerning promotions, and will provide supervision of promotion policy formulation, procedures, goals, system and standards.

b. The Regimental Chief of Staff (COS) will be responsible for the implementation of this regulation within the Regiment. Furthermore, the COS will supervise promotion functions prescribed in this regulation and serve as the final promotion authority for all combat units and departments.

c. Unit Commanders will support and follow these regulations and will carry out promotions as delegated to them by the COS as established by this regulation.

Section II: Principles and Standards

Principles of Support

The Regimental Command Staff will provide a centralized process for promotion to all grades from Private (PVT) to Lieutenant Colonel (LTC). Promotion of grades above LTC will be made by the Regimental Command Staff.

This regulation will:

a. Provide a promotion selection process for promotion from the grades of Private through Lieutenant Colonel, which include minimum requirements for each grade.

b. Authorize commanders to promote members to the grades as established by these regulations.

c. Provide the procedure and framework for Officer commissions.

d. Provide guidelines for promotion requirements based on billet or position.

Standard of Service

The standards of service are as follow:

a. The Personnel Department (S1) will track and maintain personnel records to include time-in-grade (TIG), time-in-service (TIS), and Non-Commissioned Officer Academy graduations, as well as, all other pertinent records for each member. These records will be deemed as the official records for all members.

b. S1 will review and adjust member MILPAC records when authorized to do so by the COS.

c. S1 will automatically promote members to the grades of Private First Class (PFC), Specialist (SPC) and Corporal (CPL) / Warrant Officer 1 (WO1) upon the attainment of the required TIS, TIG and other requirements established in this regulation.

Section III: Policy

Promotion Types

Type	Notes
Automatic	Promotion from Recruit (E-1) up to and including Corporal (E-4) / Warrant Officer 1 (W-1) are automatic when Time in Grade (TIG) and other pre-requisites such as graduation from Recruit Training Command, Non-Commissioned Officer Academy (NCOA), the Server Administration Course, and the awarding of the Basic Aviator Badge are completed.
Discretionary	Enlisted/Warrant Officer promotions to Sergeant (E-5) / Chief Warrant Officer 2 (W-2) and up are discretionary. Members must meet minimum requirements and their performance must merit a promotion. Officer promotions to the maximum allowable for the billet assigned are discretionary in that the member must meet minimum requirements and their performance must merit a promotion.
Billet / Fast-Track	Members who are assigned to a billet for which they do not have the TIG to achieve the minimum rank can be promoted to that minimum rank at the discretion of the Regimental Chief of Staff when recommended by the Battalion Commander. Members who do not have at least one year TIS must have their promotion approved by the Regimental Commander.

Rank Promotion Authority

The Rank Promotion Authority table below details the commander's promotion authorities. Commanders listed are authorized to promote troopers in rank within their chain of command per the guidelines set forth in this document.

Command Authority	Can Promote
Recruit Training Command	Recruit up to and including Private/Private First Class (Honor Grad)
S1 Department	Private up to and including Corporal/Warrant Officer 1
Company Commander	Sergeant/Chief Warrant Officer 2 up to and including Sergeant First Class/Chief Warrant Officer 4
Battalion Commander	NCO Promotions up to and including First Sergeant Officer Promotions up to and including Major (1)
Regimental Chief of Staff	NCO Promotions up to and including Battalion Sergeant Major Officer Promotions up to and including Colonel
Regimental Commanding Officer	Promotions to flag officer grades Promotion of Command Sergeant Major

(1) or up to one rank below their current rank.

Commanders' Responsibilities

Commanders with promotion authority are responsible to ensure all regulations and requirements set forth in this document are adhered to for all promotions they approve.

Nonpromotable Status

A member becomes nonpromotable or their promotion is automatically delayed when the member is:

a. Absent without leave (AWOL)

b. Serving a court-martial sentenced or being punished under Article 15, UCMJ. They are considered to be serving a sentence or undergoing punishment, and therefore nonpromotable, through the last day as specified by the court-martial or Art 15, UCMJ.

c. Under undisposed court-martial charges (that is, charges that have been preferred, but not dismissed or withdrawn, nor has the member been tried and acquitted or sentenced).

d. Under investigation that may result in disciplinary action of any kind being taken against them.

e. Under suspension of favorable personnel actions.

Authority to Announce Promotions

Unit commanders with promotion authorization may post a promotion recommendation in the appropriate forum as specified by S1 procedures, or may delegate this responsibility to a subordinate who will make a post in their name. S1 personnel, General Staff, the Regimental CSM, or their delegate are the only personnel authorized to post the actual promotion orders.

Date of Rank (DOR) and Effective Date

The DOR for promotion to a higher grade is the date specified in the promotion announcement or, when no date is specified, the date the announcement is posted.

Computing Time in Grade (TIG)and Service (TIS)

The S1 Personnel Department will maintain and compute TIG and TIS and those computations will be deemed as the official figures for the purpose of evaluating eligibility for promotion.

Chapter 2 - Commissioned Officer Promotions

Section I: Overview

Commissioning of Second Lieutenants is based on Officer Development School (ODS) results. Spots will be assigned based on the needs of the Regiment and the outcome of ODS.

Minimum Requirements

The minimum requirements for application to the Officer Development School are as follow:

• Minimum rank of Specialist
• Completion of NCOA
• Completion of Server Admin Course
• Any individual prerequisites set by Company Commanders for their assigned seats.

*Exceptions may be made by General Staff or Officer Development School Lead

Section II: Commissioned Officer Promotion Requirements

Overview

• Promotions from the rank of 2nd Lieutenant to the rank of Colonel are based on defined minimum requirements set forth in this section.
• Promotions above the rank of Colonel are based on the needs of the Regiment.

Promotion Requirements

Title	Insignia	Abbrev	Grade	Min TIS	Min TIG	Minimum Requirement(s)	Promotion Approval Authority
Second Lieutenant		2LT	O-1	N/A	N/A	Completion of Officer Development School or requisite waiver for non-combat billets Assigned Platoon Leader, or Assigned Department Executive Officer-in-Charge (2IC) as a primary billet	General Staff Aide to the Chief of Staff
First Lieutenant		1LT	O-2	N/A	6 months as a 2LT	Assigned: Platoon Leader and willing to accept the next available Company Staff position within their MOS, Company XO, or Assigned Department Executive Officer-in-Charge (2IC) as a primary billet, and Performance must merit the promotion	General Staff Aide to the Chief of Staff Battalion Commander Company Commander (Delegated by BN Commander)
Captain		CPT	O-3	N/A	6 months as a 1LT	Assigned: Company XO, Company CO, or Assigned Department Executive Officer-in-Charge (2IC) as a primary billet, or Assigned Regimental Office Aide as a primary billet, and Performance must merit the promotion	General Staff Aide to the Chief of Staff Battalion Commander
Major		MAJ	O-4	N/A	6 months as a CPT	Assigned: Company XO, Company CO and willing to accept the next available Battalion Staff position within their MOS, Battalion XO, Battalion CO, or Assigned Department Officer-in-Charge (OIC) as a primary billet, or Assigned Regimental Office Aide as a primary billet, and Performance must merit the promotion	General Staff Aide to the Chief of Staff Battalion Commander
Lieutenant Colonel		LTC	O-5	N/A	6 months as a MAJ	Assigned: Battalion XO and willing to accept the next available Battalion CO position, Battalion CO, or Assigned Regimental Office Aide as a primary billet, and Performance must merit the promotion	General Staff Aide to the Chief of Staff
Colonel		COL	O-6	N/A	6 months as a LTC	Assigned Battalion CO and willing to accept the next available offered General Staff position, and Performance must merit the promotion	General Staff Aide to the Chief of Staff

Section III: General Officer Promotion Requirements

Overview

Promotion to the rank of Brigadier General (O-7) and above shall be authorized by the Regimental Commander based on the needs of the Regiment and on recommendations of the General Staff.

Minimum TIG for Promotion

The minimum TIG requirement for promotion to the rank of Brigadier General (O-7) is nine (9) months at the rank of Colonel (O-6). The minimum TIG requirement for promotions above the rank of O-7 is one (1) year at current rank. Minimum TIG may not apply based on billet limitations, see Chapter 5.

Chapter 3 – Enlisted, Noncommissioned and Warrant Officer Promotions

Section I: Enlisted Personnel Promotion Guidelines

Overview

Promotions from the rank of Recruit to the rank of Specialist are based on defined minimum requirements as set forth in this section and are considered automatic promotions.

Promotion Requirements

Title	Insignia	Abbrev	Grade	Min TIS	Min TIG	Minimum Requirement(s)	Promotion Approval Authority
Recruit	N/A	RCT	E-1	N/A	N/A	Enlistment application has been screened and approved by authorized 7th Cavalry personnel	S1 / RTC
Private		PVT	E-2	N/A	N/A	Successfully completed Bootcamp	S1 / RTC
Private First Class		PFC	E-3	N/A	1 month as a PVT	Basic Training Honor Graduates may be promoted to PFC upon award	S1 / RTC
Specialist		SPC	E-4	N/A	2 months as a PFC	N/A	S1

Boot Camp Honor Graduate Promotion

The RTC Commander (1IC) may designate an honor graduate for a boot camp if the recruit demonstrates superior skill and a perfect score on the knowledge test. The honor graduate will be promoted to the rank of Private First Class instead of the customary rank of Private.

Section II: Non-commissioned and Warrant Officer Promotion Guidelines

Overview

Promotions to Sergeant / Chief Warrant Officer 2 and above are based on assigned billets and needs of the Regiment. Promotions based on Section position are defined below.

For assignment of an Assistant Section Leader (ASL): Once a section has at least 8 members it CAN and MUST assign an ASL. This position will be retained until the section reaches 4 personnel. After the section reaches 4 personnel (total), the ASL is reduced to Trooper billet and rank reduced per Promotion and Reduction Guidelines Section III: Non-Punitive Demotion of Active Members

Promotion Requirements

Title	Insignia	Abbrev	Grade	Min TIS	Min TIG	Minimum Requirement(s)	Promotion Approval Authority
Corporal / Warrant Officer 1	/	CPL / WO1	E-4 / W-1	N/A	4 months as a SPC	Completion of the Server Administration Course, and Completion of Non-Commissioned Officer's Academy, and Awarded Basic Aviator Badge (For WO1), and Warrant Officers must be assigned to a primary billet in an aviation company or IMO	S1
Sergeant / Chief Warrant Officer 2	/	SGT / CW2	E-5 / W-2	9 months	4 months as a CPL / WO1	If Assigned as an Assistant Squad/Section Leader, willing to accept the next available Squad/Section Leader position within their MOS Assigned as a Squad/Section Leader, and Warrant Officers must be assigned to a primary billet in an aviation company or IMO, and Performance must merit the promotion	Company Commander
Staff Sergeant / Chief Warrant Officer 3	/	SSG / CW3	E-6 / W-3	15 months	6 months as a SGT / CW2	Assigned as an Squad/Section Leader of 8 men or more (must maintain at least five to retain), and willing to accept the next available Platoon Sergeant position within their MOS, or Assigned as a Platoon Sergeant, and Warrant Officers must be assigned to a primary billet in an aviation company or IMO, and Performance must merit the promotion	Company Commander
Sergeant First Class / Chief Warrant Officer 4	/	SFC / CW4	E-7 / W-4	22 months	6 months as a SSG / CW3	Assigned as a Platoon Sergeant, and Warrant Officers must be assigned to a primary billet in an aviation company or IMO, and Performance must merit the promotion	Company Commander
Master Sergeant / Chief Warrant Officer 5	/	MSG / CW5	E-8 / W-5	28 months	6 months as a SFC / CW4	Assigned as a Platoon Sergeant, and willing to accept the next available First Sergeant position within their MOS, and Warrant Officers must be assigned to a primary billet in an aviation company or IMO, and Performance must merit the promotion	Battalion Commander
First Sergeant		1SG	E-8	8 months	N/A	Assigned as a First Sergeant	Battalion Commander Sergeant Major (Delegated by BN Commander)
Sergeant Major		SGM	E-9	N/A	N/A	Assigned as a Battalion Sergeant Major	Chief of Staff Command Sergeant Major (Delegated by CoS)
Command Sergeant Major		CSM	E-9	N/A	N/A	Assigned as the Regimental Command Sergeant Major	Regimental Commander

Chapter 4 – Special Promotions

Section I: Special Technical Appointments

Overview

The General Staff may at their discretion appoint members who perform a critical, technical function within the Regiment as Warrant Officers without the aviation requirement. These members will be eligible for promotion in grade as follows:

• Must meet the same TIG requirements as regular Warrant Officers
• Performance must merit the promotion

Section II: Billet / Fast-Track Promotions

Overview

If a member does not have the required TIG to be promoted to the minimum rank required for a specific billet, they may be promoted to the minimum rank at the recommendation of the Battalion Commander and the approval of the Chief of Staff, as referenced in #Section III: Policy

Billet Minimum / Maximum Rank Tables

Enlisted, Non-commissioned and Warrant Officer Billets

Billet	Minimum Rank	Maximum Rank
Squad/Section Member	PVT	CPL / WO1
Assistant Squad/Section Leader	PFC	SGT / CW2
Squad/Section Leader	PFC	SSG / CW3
Platoon Sergeant	SGT / CW2	MSG / CW5
First Sergeant	1SG	1SG
Battalion Sergeant Major	SGM	SGM

Note: For waiver required positions, a waiver must be submitted through the CoC to the Regimental CoS. For more information, reference 7CAV-R-038 Billet Selection SOPs for ASL, SL, and PSG.

Commissioned Officer Billets

Billet	Minimum Rank	Maximum Rank
Platoon Leader	2LT	1LT
Company XO	1LT	MAJ
Company CO	CPT	MAJ
Battalion XO	MAJ	LTC
Battalion CO	MAJ	COL

General Officer Billets

Billet	Minimum Rank	Maximum Rank
Special Appointed Billets	BG	MG
Adjutant General	BG	MG
Security Operations Chief	BG	LTG
Information Management Officer	BG	LTG
Chief Of Staff	BG	LTG
Regimental Executive Officer	BG	GEN
Regimental Commanding Officer	BG	GOA

Effect of Billet Promotions on Time In Grade (TIG)

• A member who is promoted to the minimum rank for a billet that does not have TIG for the promotion will not accrue TIG in the new rank until such time as the TIG from their former rank catches up to their current rank. For First Sergeants, the equivalent TIG is Master Sergeant. A billet promotion is not permanent until the person accrues the TIG they would have needed originally to earn the promotion. This means if they are retired or removed prior to that, they are reverted to their former rank before being retired or to the appropriate rank for their new billet upon removal. If the person has ever held the rank they were billet promoted to in the past and lost it for non-punitive reasons then they will not owe any back-TIG when billet promoted to it.

Section III: Staff Department Promotions

Overview

Members who serve in a staff department as their primary billet are eligible for promotion similar to that of combat billets. Read more about Billets.

Department Staff

Department Staff are promotable as follows:

Billet	Minimum Rank	Maximum Rank
Regimental Office Aide	CPT/SFC	LTC/MSG	Performance must merit promotion
SPD Technical Staff	CW2/2LT	CW5/MAJ	Performance must merit promotion
Department 1IC	SGT/2LT	MSG/MAJ	Performance must merit promotion
Department 2IC	SGT/2LT	SFC/CPT	Performance must merit promotion
Sub-Department Lead	CPL	SSG/1LT	Performance must merit promotion
Sub-Department Senior	SPC	SGT	Performance must merit promotion
Sub-Department Clerk	PFC	CPL

For Requirements on Minimum Time in Grade to promote see the Tables in Chapter 2 Section II (Officers) or Chapter 3 Section II (Enlisted/NCOs).

Section IV: Special Meritorious Promotions

The Regimental Commander may, at their discretion, promote any individual meritoriously. These promotions are not constrained by normal billet requirements.

Section V: Lateral Promotions from Non-Commissioned Officer to Warrant Officer

Any member who is laterally promoted from NCO to the equivalent Warrant Officer grade will retain their accrued TIG toward their next promotion.

• Example: A Sergeant with 4 months TIG toward Staff Sergeant is laterally promoted to Chief Warrant Officer 2 after receiving his flight wings. He would retain his previous TIG of 4 months and be promotable to Chief Warrant Officer 3 two months later.

Section VI: Audit Correction

During the course of normal S1 operations, or during more thorough quarterly audits, S1 may discover that a trooper has been promoted outside SOP due to not having completed one or more courses required for that rank. Should this happen, the following will take place in the following order:

• S1 HQ is notified of the rank discrepancy
• The Company Staff of the trooper in question is notified by S1 HQ via official channels
• The trooper in question is notified by Company Staff and has 14 days to resolve any outstanding requirements

(1) If the trooper resolves the outstanding requirements than they retain rank with Time in Grade reset to that of the last requirement completed.

(2) If the trooper does not resolve the requirements, they are non-punitively reduced in rank to the appropriate rank by S1 HQ, they retain the Time in Grade accrued to that point and will be eligible for promotion when they meet the above requirements.

(3) For grades above E-4, including officers, S1 will notify the Chief of Staff.

Chapter 5 – Demotions/Reduction in Rank

Section I: Overview

This chapter governs the reduction in rank or demotion for a trooper in the 7th Cavalry. An active, serving member may have their rank reduced under the following circumstances:

• Punitively as the result of an Article 15 or Court Martial
• Non-punitively as a result of stepping down or being removed from a primary billet or when returning from ELOA
• Non-punitively due to discharge

Section II: Authority to Demote / Reduce in Rank

The Regimental Chief of Staff must make every effort to insure that the guidelines and policies set forth in this document are followed. The following are designated as Demotion Authorities as specified below:

• Non-punitive reductions in rank of enlisted/NCO/Warrant Officers may be authorized by the respective Promotion Authority. If you have the authority to promote, you have the authority to reduce in rank
• All reductions in rank of officers (except General Staff) will be authorized by the Regimental Chief of Staff
• All punitive demotions will be authorized by the Regimental Chief of Staff
• All reductions in rank of General Officers will be authorized by the Regimental Commanding Officer

Section III: Non-Punitive Demotion of Active Members

The rank an active member is reduced to is dependent on the new billet they are assigned to. Any member being reduced in rank will be reduced to the maximum rank for the new billet they are assigned to. The lowest rank a member can be non-punitively reduced to is Corporal (E-4) / Warrant Officer 1 (WO-1). The only exception to this is for members who have been billet/fast-track promoted and do not have the TIG for the maximum rank for the new billet. These members will be reduced in rank to the rank they have accumulated TIG for.

Example: A Specialist (E-4) with 1 month TIG is promoted to Sergeant (E-5) to fill a Platoon Sergeant position. 2 months later they have to step down due to personal life. They have now accrued 3 months total TIG from Specialist, not enough to be a Corporal. They are reduced to Specialist and are eligible for promotion to Corporal in 1 month.

Section IV: Demotion Due to Discharge

Troopers may receive a demotion after discharge, upon re-enlistment. The demotion is relative to the discharge classification and their previous rank.

Rank Upon Re-Enlistment

1. NCO's Sergeant First Class (E-7) and Officers First Lieutenant (O-2) or higher with a General/Honorable/Retirement Discharge return at Corporal (E-4).

2. All others (including AWOL discharges above E-7 and O-2) return at Corporal (E-4) or their former rank, whichever is lower, with a subsequent demotion relative to their discharge classification.

Note: Always use bullet one if it applies, for all others use bullet two.

Demotion based on Discharge Classification:

• Entry-level Separation: Return as Recruit.
• Less than Honorable Discharge, Eligible for re-enlistment: Return as Private (E-2).
• AWOL Discharge: Reduced 2 ranks/grades at re-enlistment.
• General/Honorable Discharge: 1 grade/rank demotion applied upon re-enlistment.
• Retirement: 1 grade/rank demotion applied upon re-enlistment.
• Retirement With Honors: 1 grade/rank demotion applied upon re-enlistment.

(1) NCO's Sergeant First Class (E-7) and Officers First Lieutenant (O-2) or higher who have received an AWOL or Less than Honorable Discharge will have a subsequent demotion applied. For example, a Sergeant First Class who was AWOL discharged would be returned as a Corporal (E-4) and then be demoted for the AWOL, thus returning as a Private First Class (E-3).

(2) Honorable discharge combines the old honorable and general discharge.

(3) Any trooper that re-enlists, no matter the terms of discharge, will not be eligible for any leadership position for a period of no less than 90 days from the date of their re-enlistment and 30 days for secondary billets.

(4) People who re-enlist and need to go through a bootcamp are brought back at the appropriate rank per the guidelines above and attend bootcamp at that rank.

Section V: Punitive Demotion

A punitive demotion is received as a result of disciplinary action resulting from violations the General Orders, Code of Conduct, Team Speak 3 Policy, and UCMJ of the 7th Cavalry Gaming Regiment. At a minimum, an Article 15 is required in order to reduce a trooper in rank. The severity of the demotion is determined by the ruling of the Court, or the adjudicating officer in the instance of an Article 15.

Section VI: Rank upon Retirement/Honourable Discharge

A member whose discharge classification is Retirement, Retirement With Honours, or General/Honorable Discharge will be discharged at the highest rank they have ever held while on active duty.

Effect of Billet Promotions on Rank upon Retirement (with Honors) or Honorable Discharge

If the member's highest active-duty rank is one to which they were billet promoted and the member failed to accrue enough TIG to earn the rank permanently, they are instead retired or discharged at the highest permanent rank they have earned or would have earned based on Time in Grade.

• Example: a member is assigned Platoon Sergeant and billet-promoted from Specialist to Sergeant. The member applies for and receives an Honorable Discharge after 5 months. The member, having accrued enough Time in Grade for promotion from Specialist to Corporal but not from Corporal to Sergeant, is discharged at the rank of Corporal.

Effect of Punitive Demotions on Rank upon Retirement (with Honors) or Honorable Discharge

A member who has been punitively demoted from their highest active-duty rank and later retires or is honorably discharged will do so at the highest rank they have not been punitively demoted from. If the member is subsequently promoted back to the rank they were punitively removed from, they are considered to have re-earned that rank and will retain it upon retirement or honorable discharge.

• Example: a member is punitively demoted from Major to 1st Lieutenant, and later steps down from leadership and is non-punitively demoted to Corporal. The member was not promoted beyond 1LT at any time after their punitive reduction in rank. The member applies for and receives an Honorable Discharge. Due to the punitive demotion from Major to 1st Lieutenant, upon discharge, the member is returned from Corporal to 1st Lieutenant.

Requests to Discharge or Retire at a Rank other than a Member's Highest Rank

Upon applying for Retirement, Retirement with Honors, or Honorable Discharge, a member may request to retire at a rank other than the member's highest rank provided they have accrued the appropriate TiG and have not been punitively demoted from the rank. All such applications are at the discretion of the Regimental Chief of Staff.

• Example: a member who has previously held the permanent active-duty rank of Chief Warrant Officer 5 while billeted as a Platoon Sergeant is later commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. Upon retirement, the member requests that they be retired at the rank of CW5 rather than 2LT, feeling it better reflects the nature and length of their service to the 7th Cavalry. With the approval of the Regimental Chief of Staff, the member would be retired at the desired rank rather than the highest rank.