Source: U.S. Army Publishing Directorate (APD)
SECRETARY OF THE ARMY
WASHINGTON
10 JUN 2026
MEMORANDUM FOR SEE DISTRIBUTION
SUBJECT: Army Directive 2026-11 (Officer Promotion Screening and Review, and Personnel Suitability Screening for Senior Noncommissioned Officer Positions)
1. References
See enclosure 1.
2. Purpose
This directive revises policy for the Army’s promotion review process for screening and reviewing adverse and reportable information for officer promotion/Federal recognition at grades O-6 and below, and personnel suitability screening for senior noncommissioned officers (NCOs) identified to attend the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, initial appointment to command sergeant major (CSM), selection/slating as a brigade-level CSM or as a nominative/key billet CSM/sergeant major (SGM), or selection as the Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA).
3. Applicability
The provisions of this directive apply to the Regular Army, Army National Guard/Army National Guard of the United States, and U.S. Army Reserve.
4. Policy
Army Directive 2010-10 is hereby rescinded. Where this policy conflicts with Army policy or guidance, this directive is controlling. For the definitions applicable to this policy, see enclosure 2. The following provisions are effective for promotion recommendations endorsed by the Secretary of the Army after 1 April 2026.
a. Record Screening Agencies.
Screening for adverse information will be conducted by record screening agencies (RSAs), led by The Inspector General of the Army (TIG); the Director, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division (USACID); and The Judge Advocate General (TJAG). On request, RSA principal officials are responsible to screen their records for substantiated adverse information and to provide an accurate and robust summary, with all key facts of the adverse information, to requestors no later than 30 days from the date of request using the template developed by the Deputy Chief of Staff (DCS), G-1. The Director, USACID will make investigation-record reportable information available to TJAG with the option of supplying the full investigation record on request from Army senior leaders, Office of the Secretary of War officials, the White House, or the Senate Armed Services Committee. RSAs will provide a legal review of each record screened that states the offense and whether the record was supported by a preponderance of the evidence. As part of the screen results, RSAs are additionally responsible to identify individuals who have ongoing investigations or are pending approval of potentially adverse investigations or information.
b. Officer Promotion Screens.
(1) Officers who are in the eligible population for a promotion selection board (PSB) to grades O-4 through O-6 on the active duty list (ADL) and O-6 on the Reserve active status list (RASL) will undergo a prescreen for adverse or reportable information. Final determination on the information presented to the board rests with the DCS, G-1.
(2) All officers recommended for promotion to the next higher grade will undergo a post-board screen for adverse or reportable information. Information that was not seen by an officer promotion selection process will be referred to an officer review board (ORB) for the DCS, G-1 to determine the use of such information.
(3) Officers found with a flagging action preventing favorable personnel actions or subject to an ongoing investigation that might reasonably and materially affect a promotion recommendation may or may not meet exemplary conduct requirements for promotion and will be withheld from the appointment scroll until the matter is resolved and a review is conducted of the final outcome. However, the existence of an open inspector general investigation alone will not affect an individual’s eligibility for promotion except in limited circumstances as determined by the DCS, G-1. Officers found with adverse or reportable information that resulted in post-trial confinement will be removed from the scroll and removed from the promotion list by a Secretary of the Army memo without undergoing a review board.
c. Promotion Reviews.
The DCS, G-1, Director of Military Personnel Management (DMPM) will refer officers found to have adverse or reportable information that was not seen by a PSB to the appropriate review board. The Army will conduct special selection review boards (SSRBs) as required by Title 10, U.S. Code, sections 628a and 14502a, and execute existing promotion review processes in all other instances. Officers referred to any promotion review process may elect to decline the promotion in lieu of undergoing a promotion review process. Officers referred to any review board may elect to decline the promotion in lieu of undergoing the review board. The declination will result in a removal from the promotion list and will result in a one-time non-selection for promotion if the officer was in or above the primary zone of consideration.
d. Post-review-board Actions.
The final review board decision memo to retain or remove the officer from the promotion list will be filed in the officer’s Restricted Army Military Human Resource Record (R-AMHRR). All adverse information that was considered by a PSB or a review board through which the officer is retained for promotion will be considered by the DCS, G-1 to be cleared for all subsequent promotions, except as required by law or Department of War policy.
e. Personnel Suitability Screening.
Soldiers identified to attend the Sergeants Major Academy, initial appointment to CSM, selection/slating as a brigade-level CSM, nominative/key billet CSM/SGM, or selection as the SMA are all subject to suitability screening as described in AR 600–8–19, AR 600–78, and AR 614–200. The guidance outlined in paragraph 4a of this directive is applicable to personnel suitability screening.
5. Proponent
The Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) has oversight responsibility for this policy. The DCS, G-1 maintains overall responsibility for the adverse screening process and will incorporate the provisions of this directive into AR 135–155 and AR 600–8–29 within 2 years of the date of this directive.
6. Duration
This directive is rescinded on publication of the revised regulations.
Encls
Dan Driscoll
DISTRIBUTION
Principal Officials of Headquarters, Department of the Army
Commander
- U.S. Army Western Hemisphere Command
- U.S. Army Forces Command
- U.S. Army Transformation and Training Command
- U.S. Army Materiel Command
- U.S. Army Pacific
- U.S. Army Europe and Africa
- U.S. Army Central
- U.S. Army North
- U.S. Army Special Operations Command
- U.S. Army Transportation Command
- U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Strategic Command
- U.S. Army Cyber Command
- U.S. Army Medical Command
- U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- U.S. Army Audit Agency
- U.S. Army Military District of Washington
- U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command
- U.S. Army Human Resources Command
- U.S. Army Corrections Command
- U.S. Army Reserve Command
Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy
Director, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division
Director, U.S. Army Civilian Human Resources Agency
Executive Director, Military Postal Service Agency
Director, U.S. Army Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office
Superintendent, Arlington National Cemetery
Director, U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center
CF:
Commander, Eighth Army
REFERENCES
Enclosure 1
a. Title 10, United States Code, section 7233 (10 U.S.C. 7233) (Requirement of exemplary conduct)
b. 10 U.S.C. 615 (Information furnished to selection boards)
c. 10 U.S.C. 619 and 14301 (Eligibility for consideration for promotion: time-in-grade and other requirements)
d. 10 U.S.C. 628a and 14502a (Special selection review boards)
e. 10 U.S.C. 14107 (Information furnished by the Secretary concerned to promotion boards)
f. Secretary of War memorandum (Policy Memorandum Revision), 30 September 2025
g. Secretary of Defense memorandum (Special Selection Review Boards), 20 May 2021 (rescinded, in part)
h. Under Secretary of War (Personnel and Readiness) memorandum (Revised Adverse and Reportable Information Policy), 19 December 2025
i. Department of Defense (DoD) Instruction 1320.04 (Military Officer Actions Requiring Presidential, Secretary of Defense, or Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Approval or Senate Confirmation), 3 January 2014, incorporating Change 1, effective 30 June 2020
j. DoD Instruction 1320.14 (DoD Commissioned Officer Promotion Program Procedures), 16 December 2020
k. Army Directive 2010-10 (Enhancement of the Promotion Review Board Process), 3 December 2010 (hereby rescinded)
l. Army Regulation (AR) 135–155 (Promotion of Commissioned Officers and Warrant Officers), 12 February 2025
m. AR 600–8–2 (Suspension of Favorable Personnel Actions (Flag)), 5 April 2021
n. AR 600–8–19 (Enlisted Promotions and Demotions), 6 March 2026
o. AR 600–8–29 (Officer Promotions), 9 September 2020
p. AR 600–78 (Army Suitability, Fitness, and Credentialing Program), 8 March 2024
q. AR 614–200 (Enlisted Assignments and Utilization Management), 27 June 2025
DEFINITIONS
Enclosure 2
Adverse Information.
Adverse information is defined pursuant to Department of Defense Instruction 1320.04, as modified by Under Secretary of War (Personnel and Readiness) memorandum (Revised Adverse and Reportable Information Policy), dated 19 December 2025:
a.
Adverse information is a substantiated finding from an officially documented investigation or inquiry or the administrative, nonjudicial, or judicial adjudication of misconduct or behavior that may negatively impact an individual’s suitability for promotion, appointment, or continued service. To be adverse—
(1) The information must be substantiated by a preponderance of the evidence (>50 percent). Law enforcement reports based solely on probable cause do not qualify unless the misconduct is subsequently substantiated using a preponderance of the evidence standard.
(2) The substantiated information must be less than 10 years old unless it reflects a documented pattern of serious misconduct or is a special-interest item designated by the Department, the White House, or the Senate Armed Services Committee.
b.
Information may not be considered adverse if there is a documented adjudication of the same matter, offense, or conduct that is favorable to the Soldier for promotion or where a board of inquiry/administrative separation board determines that the underlying misconduct is not substantiated or supported by a preponderance of the evidence.
c.
Derogatory information is information found in a Soldier’s Army Military Human Resource Record (AMHRR). Post-board screening for adverse information will include only documents filed in the AMHRR that were not seen by a promotion selection board. Soldiers are responsible to submit requests to the Army Review Boards Agency (ARBA) for any alteration to derogatory information filed in their AMHRR.
Reportable Information.
Reportable information is defined pursuant to Department of Defense Instruction 1320.04, as modified by Under Secretary of War (Personnel and Readiness) memorandum (Revised Adverse and Reportable Information Policy), dated 19 December 2025, and includes any relevant information that may not meet the threshold of adverse information but is still pertinent to character, conduct, or suitability. Reportable information includes allegations that are pending review or investigation, credible negative information within the last 3 years related to involvement or affiliation with a significant event that brings discredit on or calls into question a Soldier’s suitability for promotion or assignment, and any special interest items requested by the Office of the Secretary of War, the White House, the Senate Armed Services Committee, or by any Member of the Senate.