The White Falcon - 29.04.1988, Side 8

Air Medal awarded
Capt. James A. Luzzi, an F-15 pilot with the 57th
Fighter Interceptor Squadron, recently received
the Air Force's Air Medal for sustained aerial
achievement by intercepting 10 Soviet aircraft
between December 1986 and October 1987.
"I was in the right places at the right time,"
Capt. Luzzi said. “I just hope all pilots can get the
chance to do the same."
Since being eligible for his Air Medal, Capt.
Luzzi has intercepted four more Soviet aircraft.
"I've been fortunate to be stationed in Iceland,"
Capt. Luzzi said. “Being in an area where there is a
lot of Soviet air activity, a fnlot has a chance to
really use the skills he's been taught."
Capt. Luzzi's Air Medal was presented to him by
Lt. Col. Allan R. Guarino, commander, 57th
Fighter Interceptor Squadron.
"TAC" continues from page 3
"In addition, General Welch felt that inflated OER
ratings led officers to put too much emphasis on
square filling," said Col. Redden. “The officer
evaluation system should strongly reinforce the
right perspective about what is important; and what
is important is performance — performance in
whatever job the officer Is asked to do."
To improve on the OER system, the AFMPC
working group devised a three-part OES. The
system features separate forms for performance
feedback, performance evaluation and promotion
recommendation.
"Under the revised system, a supervisor will sit
down with an officer and tell him or her what is
required," said Col. Redden. "Midway through the
reporting period, the boss will fill out a
performance feedback form and discuss it with the
person being rated."
To help keep feedback accurate, this evaluation
won't become part of any official record. It will be
handwritten, and the form will be given to the
officer at the conclusion of the discussion. A
performance feedback session will be scheduled
twice annually for company grade officers or more
frequently if required. Field grade officers will
receive a feedback session on request or at the
discretion of the supervisor.
'The second part of the system, the performance
report, replaces the current OER," explained Col.
Redden. "It will be prepared at the same time and
with the same frequency as the OER.
The rater will evaluate whether or not an officer
meets a variety of performance standards. In
addition, an officer's most significant achievements
will be listed, and the rater will outline how these
accomplishments impact the unit mission.
The final element of the OES is the promotion
recommendation. An evaluator will prepare
recommendations only for officers eligible for
promotion using three categories: 'Definitely
Promote,' 'Promote' or 'Do Not Promote This
Board'."
A recommendation of "Definitely Promote"
Indicates that the strength of an officer's
performance warrants promotion with minimum
regard for broader considerations. A "Promote"
indicates the officer is well qualified and should
compete on the basis of both performance an^^
broader consideration. A rating of "Do Not Prom^^B
This Board" is self-explanatory. Recognizing tl^^r
the number of officers that can be selected from
promotion is limited by grade ceilings, the
evaluator will be limited in the number of
"Definitely Promote" recommendations he or she
can make.
Col. Redden said, “We realize a previous rating
system featured controls on rating categories...
but, our system is significantly different. Among
other things, limits on 'Definitely Promote'
recommendations will be less than the promotion
opportunity for each grade, this means that while
officers with ‘Definitely Promote' recommendations
should certainly be promoted, a good number of
officers with 'Promote'- recommendations will also
be selected for advancement. Further, the
promotion recommendation will be removed after
an officer is selected for promotion, thus removing
any potential stigma when the officer is considered
for further promotions, assignments and the like."
The colonel said the Air Force will begin using
the OES August 1, 1988.
“The system is an evolutionary improvement over
the OER system," said Col. Redden. "I've had a
chance to study 1t in some detail, and I think the Air
Force officer force will appreciate the changej^^k
The officer professional development program
be strengthened significantly by the introduction
the OES."
8
The White Falcon