As operations become more jointly connected with other military services and the Air Force becomes smaller, there is concern that more leadership responsibility and authority is being pushed down to noncommissioned officers. As the first level of senior noncommissioned officers, the ability of master sergeants to be effective leaders is especially critical. A key component of ensuring that master sergeants have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to fulfill the required leadership responsibilities is having an effective system to promote airmen with the greatest potential. Despite changes in force size, operational requirements, and airmen's responsibilities, the current promotion system has remained largely unchanged since it was developed more than 40 years ago. Therefore, RAND researchers assessed the current system and explored areas for possible improvement.
Kirsten M. Keller,Sean Robson,Kevin O'Neill,et al. Promoting Airmen with the Potential to Lead: A Study of the Air Force Master Sergeant Promotion System. 2014-01-01.