RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2010-04491 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: 1. His PhD Degree be added to his Officer Selection Brief (OSB) for the P0510A Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Central Selection Board (CSB). 2. The “noncompletion” PhD Degree comments on the AF IMT 475, Education/Training Report (TR) rendered for the period 13 Sep 04 to 13 Jun 06, be removed and he be given special selection board (SSB) consideration by the P0510A Lt Col CSB. _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: 1. Both his “as-met” single unit retrieval format (SURF) and his final TR from the Air Force Institute of Technologhy (AFIT) dated 6 Jun 06, did not accurately reflect the completion of his AF-sponsored AFIT PhD program. Although an attempt was made to update his record via letter prior to the CSB convening on 8 Mar 10, it is unclear that a correlation between the letter as written and the adverse TR in his records could have been deduced. 2. On 4 Mar 10, all AFIT PhD requirements were satisfied which obviated the AFIT PhD incomplete documented on the TR in his records. His current SURF reflects his current Advanced Academic Degree (AAD) status. In support of his request, the applicant provides copies of his “as-met” SURF andTR, letter to the board, dissertation signature page and his current SURF. The applicant's complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. _________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant is currently serving in the Regular Air Force in the grade of major, having assumed that grade effective and with a date of rank of 1 Apr 06. The applicant submitted two DD Forms 149, Application for Correction of Military Record Under the Provisions of Title 10, US Code, Section 1552. The applicant was considered but not selected for promotion to Lt Col by the CY10A Lt Col CSB, which convened on 8 Mar 10. _________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPSID does not provide a recommendation. DPSID states the applicant’s TR contains no error, is in compliance with AFI 36- 2406, Officer and Enlisted Evaluation Systems, and has been included in the applicant’s permanent record. The complete DPSID evaluation is at Exhibit C. AFPC/DPSOO recommends denial of the applicant’s request to add his PhD Degree to the P0510A OSB and remove the PhD Degree noncompletion comments on his 3 Aug 06 TR, and subsequent SSB consideration. DPSOO states the Superintendent, Student Services and Academic Coding, provided an email stating that AFIT students must wait for the official conferral of the degree. The earliest the applicant could claim the degree would have been 23 Mar 10, when the faculty council met to recommend conferral of the degrees. Completion of the requirements for a degree are irrelevant for an AFIT student, they must wait for the graduation date as nothing is official until that day. The date awarded entry in the Military Personnel Data System (MilPDS) is the date the degrees are conferred and not the day requirements are completed. As such, the applicant’s PhD Degree was not reflected on his OSB. The applicant chose to inform the board of his requirements for completion of his PhD and that he would be graduating on 25 Mar 10. Therefore, the board members were aware that he had completed his dissertation and the requirements for the PhD Degree. Furthermore, the completion of a PhD Degree is not a requirement for promotion to Lt Col. The Secretary of the Air Force’s Memorandum of Instructions (MOI) recited to the P0510A board members specifically instructs them not to consider academics/Professional Military Education (PME) as a pass-fail requirement. The complete DPSOO evaluation is at Exhibit D. _________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: Copies of the Air Force evaluations were forwarded to the applicant on 6 May 11, for review and comment within 30 days (Exhibit E). As of this date, this office has not received a response. _________________________________________________________________ THE BOARD CONCLUDES THAT: 1. The applicant has exhausted all remedies provided by existing law or regulations. 2. The application was timely filed. 3 Insufficient relevant evidence has been presented to demonstrate the existence of an error or injustice. After reviewing the evidence of record, we are not persuaded the applicant’s records are erroneous or unjust. The applicant’s contentions are noted; however, in our opinion, the detailed comments provided by the appropriate Air Force offices of primary responsibility have adequately addressed those allegations. Therefore, we agree with the opinions and recommendations of the Air Force offices of primary responsibility and adopt their rationale as the basis for our conclusion the applicant has not been the victim of an error or injustice. In the absence of persuasive evidence to the contrary, we find no basis to recommend granting the relief sought in this application. _________________________________________________________________ THE BOARD DETERMINES THAT: The applicant be notified that the evidence presented did not demonstrate the existence of an error or injustice; that the application was denied without a personal appearance; and that the application will only be reconsidered upon the submission of newly discovered relevant evidence not considered with this application. _________________________________________________________________ The following members of the Board considered Docket Number BC- 2010-04491 in Executive Session on 23 Aug 11, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: The following documentary evidence pertaining to AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2010-04491 was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 20 Oct 10, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. HQ AFPC/DPSID, Letter, dated 1 Apr 11. Exhibit D. HQ AFPC/DPSOO, Letter, dated 19 Apr 11. Exhibit E. SAF/MRBR, Letter, dated 6 May 11.