***REVOKED PER PROPONENT***
A. AR 40-501 (Standards of Medical Fitness), 27 June 2019.
B. AR 350-1 (Army Training and Leader Development), 1 June 2025.
C. AR 600-8-19 (Enlisted Promotions and Demotions), 6 March 2026.
D. AR 600-9 (The Army Body Composition Program), 16 July 2019.
E. AR 614-200 (Enlisted Assignments and Utilization Management), 27 June 2025.
F. AR 635-200 (Active-Duty Enlisted Separations), 30 June 2025.
G. FY28 Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA) Slating Guidance.
H. MILPER Message 26-129, AHRC-MPD, 7 April 2026, subject: Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Regular Army (RA) and United States Army Reserve (USAR) Active Guard Reserve (AGR) / Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) Command Sergeant Major (CSM / Sergeant Major (SGM) Evaluation Board (Sergeants Major Academy Graduates / Students, Class 77 and Earlier).
I. Army G-1 Memorandum, 8 July 2026, subject: Exception to Policy (ETP), to Army Regulation (AR 635-200, paragraph 12-9a and Army Directive 2026-08, Paragraph 4b, for Retirement in Lieu of Permanent Change of Station for Command Sergeant Major/SGM Key Billet Slating.
J. Army Directive (AD) 2026-08 (Permanent Change to Timeline for Requesting Voluntary Retirement From Active Service), 17 April 2026.
1. This message expires no later than (NLT) 1 September 2027.
2. The unit preferencing window for the FY28 Centralized Selection List (CSL) to slate CSM/Key Billets will open on 15 August 2026.
3. The FY28 CSL will not offer an option to OPT in or OPT Out. Eligible NCOs will submit their preferences via the Army Selection Board System (ASBS 2.0) during the window 15 August 2026 thru 20 September 2026 at https://mbf.hrc.army.mil/.
a. NCOs must preference all billets for which they are eligible. A free-text field will be available for slating considerations. NCOs may update preferences until the system closes. While preferences are considered, the needs of the Army take precedence. Once closed, preferences are saved as preferences of record for FY28 slating and potential activation.
b. The individual preferences will inform slating against valid RA Group (GRP), Brigade (BDE), Battalion (BN) CSM, and SGM Key Billet (CMF 25, 35, and 42 only) requirements for FY28 (October 2027 – September 2028).
c. Only eligible NCOs will receive a notification to submit preferences. NCOs without sufficient time in service to complete prescribed tour lengths prior to hitting their Retention Control Point (RCP) are ineligible. NCOs currently encumbered in a CSM/Key Billet with a Projected Change of Responsibility Date (PCORD) after September 2028 or selected for a FY27 CSM/Key Billet are also ineligible.
d. All NCOs eligible for this board must ensure their Professional Development Proficiency Codes (PDPC) and applicable Additional Skill Identifiers (ASI) are fully updated NLT 30 June 2026, in accordance with (IAW) MILPER 26-129 (reference H).
e. Assignment tour lengths are normally:
(1) NCOA Commandants: 36 months.
(2) RA GRP/BDE/BN CSM and SGM Key Billets: 36 months.
(3) Second time BDE/BN CSM: 24 months.
(4) Tour lengths may be adjusted by HRC or USASOC based on operational requirements.
(5) HRC will notify NCOs of projected tour length prior to assumption of duties.
f. All selected NCOs must meet the physical and deployability requirements of CSM/SGM Billets, to include meeting Army Physical Fitness and Army Body Composition Program Standards.
g. Slating as a CSM or SGM Key Billet is normally limited to one brigade and one battalion tour, unless position specific requirements dictate otherwise. HRC may waive this based on inventory and availability.
h. NCOs under tour stabilization (e.g., CSM, EO, IG, Fellowship) will not report to a CSL billet prior to their stabilization end date, unless waived by HRC.
i. NCOs previously removed from the CSM Slate due to derogatory information or denied appointment by the HQDA United States Army Senior Enlisted Review Board (USASERB) are no longer eligible to serve as a CSM.
j. NCOs pending Qualitative Management Program (QMP) are not eligible for Nominative, BDE/BN CSM, or SGM Key Billet slating. If QMP action is initiated after slating, the NCO will not activate the NCO until QMP is resolved and retention is approved.
k. All NCOs identified for appointment as a potential selection as a Nominative CSM/
SGM or appointment as a GRP/BDE/BN CSM are subject to post-board suitability screening IAW AR 614-200, paragraph 7-6. NCOs found to have possible disqualifying derogatory information stemming from this screening will receive separate notification and instructions from HRC. NCOs in the nominative eligibility pool are subject to additional screening IAW AR 614-200, paragraph 7-12.
l. Formal notification of an NCO’s slating against any CSM position or SGM Key Billet constitutes official notification of assignment instructions.
(1) NCOs electing voluntary retirement must submit a Personnel Action Request (PAR) for voluntary retirement and received at HRC no later than 20 September 2026.
(2) ETP Provision: For NCOs who did not submit a PAR by 20 September 2026 and competed for FY28 CSL and subsequently decline their CSL assignment must retire in lieu of assignment on the first day of the seventh month from date of notification or 1st day of the month, following the month in which 20 years of active federal service is completed IAW reference I.
m. Requests for retirement in lieu of PCS must be received by HRC, NLT 31 January 2028 or 30 days following release of the official FY28 CSL slate or CSL activation, whichever is later.
n. Retirement approvals depend on readiness requirements and will be approved on a case-by-case basis IAW AR 635-200, chapter 12.
o. NCOs not retirement eligible must comply with assignment instructions or request voluntary separation per AR 635-200, para 4-4.
p. NCOs enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) must ensure enrollment is current through the CSL report date. Expired EFMP enrollment restricts slating to dependent restricted tours only. NCOs unable to PCS due to expired EFMP will be removed from the CSL and disqualified from future CSL consideration until EFMP is corrected.
4. Key Dates:
| PDPC/ASI | Update NLT 30 June 2026 |
|---|---|
| Preferencing Window Open/Close | 15 August 2026 – 20 September 2026 |
5. Points of contact:
a. Sergeants Major Management Division: https://www.hrc.army.mil/content/Sergeants
%20Major%20Management%20Division%20Contact%20Information.
b. Command Management Branch: SGM Adrienne Wilson at (520) 714-7151 or via email at adrienne.c.wilson2.mil@army.mil.
c. Special Management Division: SGM Jose Santiago via email at jose.l.santiago30.
mil@army.mil.
d. Overall POC for this MILPER Message and board eligibility is SMMD at: usarmy.knox.hrc.mbx.mprd-sgm-branch@army.mil or Mr. Terry L. Coy, terry.l.coy.civ
@army.mil.