The Coast Guard has announced a new Advance-to-Position (A2P) Beta Test for calendar year 2023 (CY23) to help fill critical positions.
Under current policy, when the number of enlisted members available for advancement is insufficient to fill vacancies, the number of members eligible for advancement (above the advancement cutline) is adjusted accordingly. However, this arrangement has limited members’ ability to manage their professional development. The beta test will allow assignment officers (AOs) to offer advancements to members below the advancement cutline, and in some case, to members who wouldn’t otherwise be eligible, in return for accepting an assignment to vacant positions late in the assignment year or to offseason critical fill positions.
The A2P Beta Test will be limited to the boatswain’s mate (BM) and electronics technician (ET) ratings and will only apply to paygrades E-6 to E-9. However, the pool may expand to include E-9 assignments for all ratings to remain compliant with statutory control grade caps based on service needs.
Master Chief Petty Officer Grant Heffner, rating force master chief for boatswain’s mates (BM-RFMC), says this beta test is just one of the many “new and innovative ways to advance and assign our personnel” as the service adapts to changing trends in the workforce and society. Bringing “the best, most motivated individuals” to fill critical roles will “breed more effective units,” Heffner explained.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Joel Laufenberg, AO for the BM rating, explained that this beta test is a win-win for units and eligible members. “The receiving unit is going to get someone who chooses to be there,” he emphasized. “This lessens the likelihood that a position is going to remain vacant. And the member benefits because they get an opportunity to advance that they may not have had otherwise.”
This effort is also the latest Coast Guard policy geared to offering members more flexibility in their career progression. “We understand that as people age and mature, their lives and priorities may change,” Heffner stated. This beta test “gives members more agency when choosing assignments and forging their career paths” while also respecting the need to get the job done. Ultimately, the beta test “is matching enthusiasm and capability with critical need.”
See the Advance-to-Position (A2P) Beta Test for Calendar Year 2023 (CY23) ALCGENL 010/23 for additional details on the A2P Beta Test and stay tuned for messages announcing the opening of A2P for select rates.
For more information, please contact the Advancements Branch of the Enlisted Personnel Management division (EPM-1).
Resources:
- Advance-to-Position (A2P) Beta Test for Calendar Year 2023 (CY23) ALCGENL 010/23