LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
With E-7 promotion results due May 27, the team at the 633d Force Support Squadron's promotions department is working hard to verify, validate and communicate all test scores to the Air Force Personnel Center for review, in hopes of turning well-trained technical sergeants into senior noncommissioned officers.
Throughout the year, the team, located in the Military Personnel Flight building, helps Air Force active duty, guard and reserve members, enlisted and officers, as well as Army Soldiers, with promotion and various qualifications testing. In addition, the team supports recruiters, administering the Armed Forces Classification Test, formerly known as the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, to help potential servicemembers etermine eligibility and career qualifications.
While most Airmen process promotions, the teams also handles demotions. Working all year long with a three-person staff, the hardest part of the job is handling court-martial orders, said Tech. Sgt. Kimberly Waters, 633 FSS noncommissioned officer in charge of promotions and testing.
"The only time we are not as busy is when no one's testing," Waters said, adding that August typically provides a brief and temporary decrease in operations tempo.
While Patricia Simms, 633 FSS test control officer, oversees qualifications testing, Waters handles officer promotions and demotions. Senior Airman Anastasia Amperiadou, 633 FSS promotions specialist, processes enlisted promotions.
The small team uses efficiency and cross-training to maximize their efficiency, said Waters.
"We have started training each other on our individual specialties so we all can be well-rounded, in case one of us isn't around," she said.
As the test control officer for the whole base, Simms, an eight-year veteran of the office, tests an average of 6,000 personnel each year for the Weighted Airman Promotion System, including four test cycles and five ranks, with E-6 and E-7 tests comprising the largest segment.
"I've seen a lot of people come and go," Simms said. "As busy as we are, I've been able to manage the program by myself for a while. I work mostly on the enlisted side, but I try to help when and where I can."