The Air Force rescored more than 2,200 Security Forces promotion exams after an outdated answer key skewed results. As a result, 135 airmen who had been told they earned promotions had those line numbers revoked and 135 others who should have been promoted were added. The error affected only technical sergeant candidates in Security Forces and officials say it was caused by human error, not AI. A supplemental promotion release is planned for the week of July 13.
Air Force Rescores Exams, Revokes 135 Security Forces Promotions After Answer-Key Error
A closeup detail of the uniform of Deven Sherk, a former staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, Detroit, Michigan, on September 4, 2020.
More than 100 U.S. Air Force airmen who believed they had been promoted are being notified otherwise after the service discovered an outdated answer key skewed results on a key advancement exam.
An outdated answer key distorted scores on a Security Forces promotion exam, prompting Air Force officials to rescore more than 2,200 tests. After the review, the service found that 135 airmen had been incorrectly told they earned promotions; those line numbers were revoked and 135 other airmen who should have been selected were added to the list.
How the correction played out
Using a validated answer key, the Air Force rescored every eligible Security Forces exam. Of the 586 airmen originally selected for promotion in the career field, 451 will retain their promotions; 135 will lose their line numbers and promotions, and 135 newly identified airmen will be added. The total number of promotions remains unchanged.
"We owe it to those affected to address it immediately," Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David R. Wolfe said in a statement on July 7. "This is going to be hard for everyone impacted."
The service said the error affected only Security Forces personnel competing for promotion to technical sergeant and that no other career fields were impacted. Officials emphasized the mistake was caused by human error, not artificial intelligence, calling the incident an "isolated and highly unprecedented anomaly."
Next steps
The Air Force plans a supplemental promotion release the week of July 13 to list the newly selected technical sergeants. Service leaders have pledged to review procedures to prevent similar errors in the future. USA TODAY has reached out to the Air Force's Air Education and Training Command for additional comment.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: "Air Force pulls 135 promotions after grading mistake." All facts and quotes are drawn from the original report.
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