ALCOAST 026/26 - JAN 2026 ACCELERATING PROMOTION OF TOP-PERFORMING OFFICERS

R 231559Z JAN 26   MID320018491517U
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
TO ALCOAST
BT
UNCLAS
ALCOAST 026/26
SSIC 1611
SUBJ: ACCELERATING PROMOTION OF TOP-PERFORMING OFFICERS
A. Officer Accessions, Evaluations, and Promotions, COMDTINST
1000.3A
B. Coast Guard Officer Evaluation System Procedures Manual,
PSCINST M1611.1D
C. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 141203Z MAY 25/ALCOAST 219/25
D. PY26 Acting Commandant's Guidance to Boards and Panels,
dtd 09 Nov 2025
1. PURPOSE. The OER timelines are changing to accelerate promotions
for the service's best and brightest officers. To support the
Commandant's direction to accelerate the promotion of
top-performing officers through in-zone reordering (IZR) and
below-zone selection (BZS), this ALCOAST: (a) eliminates the
option to delay biennial, annual, or semiannual OERs in REFs (A) and
(B) changes end-of-period dates for Lieutenants and Chief Warrant
Officers (CWOs) in REF (B).
2. BACKGROUND.
    a. REFs (C) and (D) announced that the Coast Guard will
aggressively use in-zone reordering and below-zone selection to
promote our most dynamic and impactful leaders ahead of schedule.
With a larger group of officers now being considered for promotion,
additional time is needed to ensure every record receives a thorough
and fair review. Adjusting the deadlines, and eliminating delays,
provides OPM reviewers and promotion boards with the time needed to
make the most informed decisions possible.
    b. Creating a simpler and more predictable OER process is a key
step in building a more agile and ready workforce. Force Design 2028
requires a talent management system nimble enough to place the right
leaders in the right jobs at the right time. Accelerating promotion
of top talent builds a more experienced and capable officer corps
faster.
3. POLICY CHANGES. Effective immediately, the following policy
changes per REF (A) are in effect:
    a. Delays for biennial, annual, or semi-annual OERs are not
authorized for any reason. Delaying OERs for Detachment/PCS of ROO
or Change of RO is not authorized.
    b. Effective immediately, biennial, annual, and semi-annual OERs
shall be submitted IAW the below schedule.

End of Period        Rank
31 Jan                  LTJG
31 Mar                  CDR, LT, ENS
30 Apr                  CAPT, LCDR
31 May                 All CWOs
30 Jun                  LTJG (in zone)
31 Jul                   LTJG
30 Sep                  ENS

4. ACTION FOR OFFICERS. Timely OERs are a core leadership and
readiness imperative. Submitting a timely and well-written OER is a
fundamental responsibility of leadership. The practice of extending
OERs, while sometimes convenient, can delay a member's record from
being promotion-ready. A complete, on-time OER is a key indicator of
personal and unit readiness. It is the officer's responsibility to
ensure their record is accurate and complete. All officers must work
with their rating chain to meet these new deadlines. Late OERs may
not be reviewed in time for promotion boards. All officers are
encouraged to regularly review their record via iPERMS.
5. BENEFITS FOR CWOS. Consolidating all CWO EOPs to a single May
deadline makes the process more predictable and reduces the
administrative burden on Service members and commands.
6. OPM DISCUSSION SESSIONS: OPM will schedule four virtual
discussion sessions to answer any questions related to the updated
timelines. The dates, times, and links for these sessions will be
posted on the OPM-3 SharePoint site. Questions can also be directed
to the points of contact listed below.
7. POINTS OF CONTACT.
    a. For policy questions, contact the Officer Evaluations
Branch, OPM-3, at HQS-SMB-PSC-OPM-OER@uscg.mil
    b. For Active duty OER related questions, please email:
HQS-SMB-PSC-OPM-OER@uscg.mil
    c. For Reserve OER related questions, please email:
HQS-SMB-CGPSC-RPM-OER@uscg.mil
8. For more information, please see MyCG.
9. RDML Zeita Merchant, Assistant Commandant for Workforce
Management (CG-WM), sends.
10. Internet release is authorized.