Three selection boards that meet in November will consider basic-branch lieutenant colonels and promotable majors of the active component for assignment to battalion-level command and key billet positions that become vacant in fiscal 2017.
Army Acquisition Corps and Army Medical Department command and key billet boards will meet in January. Zones of consideration and other board information will be announced about 90 days before the panels convene.
The standard command tour for Army Competitive Category officers selected by the November boards will be 24 months, or as needed for operational requirements.
The zone of eligibility for the upcoming board will include promotable majors selected by the fiscal 2015 ACC lieutenant colonel board that met early this year. The nomination list from that board was released July 30 and is pending Senate confirmation.
Under policies implemented by former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno in fiscal 2015, officers must opt in to be considered for command and key billet assignments.
Opt-in requests for the upcoming board should be made with the Command Designation Preference tool, which will become available to zone-eligible officers Oct. 12 to Nov. 2.
The CDP also should be used by officers to submit specific information regarding their preferences for a command or key billet assignment.
In addition to the opt-in requirement, the Army limits battalion command and key billet consideration to three consecutive opportunities. Officers who choose not to compete for selection by the upcoming boards will be using up one of their three selection opportunities.
Officers will be selected for these senior leadership positions under the categories of operations, strategic support, recruiting and training, installation and key billet.
The key billet category only applies to officers who have been designated into a functional area, which is a non-branch career specialty.
In changes from last year's boards, officers who hold Functional Area 17 (cyber), 24 (telecommunications engineer) and 53 (information systems management) are eligible to compete for a key billet assignment in the Operations Support category.
Officer evaluation reports submitted for these boards must arrive at the Human Resources Command by Nov. 9.
The accompanying chart provides board dates and the position codes and titles that should be used with the Command Preference Designator that will be available beginning Oct. 12 at HTTPS://KNOXHRC16.HRC.ARMY.MIL/AHRC/OSPP/HOME/HTDOCS.
