Navy eliminates regular performance, fitness reports for select paygrades

The Navy is eliminating regular performance reports for a handful of senior paygrades in an effort to “reduce administrative burdens on senior leadership,” the service announced Wednesday.

Effective immediately, master chiefs (E-9), chief warrant officers 5 (CWO5) and limited duty officers at the rank of captain (O-6) are now exempt from regular periodic performance evaluations and fitness reports, according to the June 3 NavAdmin.

“Personnel in these paygrades have demonstrated a sustained history of superior performance and established records that negate the requirement for annual periodic reporting,” the message stated.

Previously, evaluation and fitness reports for the specified personnel were to be submitted on an annual basis, according to the NavAdmin.

The new policy change, meanwhile, does not impact reporting requirements for personnel assigned to a detachment.

“Reporting seniors retain the authority and are highly encouraged to submit special evaluations or fitness reports for personnel in these paygrades to document distinctly outstanding performance or sub-standard performance/misconduct,” the message states.

The service’s Bureau of Naval Personnel is overseeing the implementation of the new policy, while individual commands are instructed to ensure local policies and ticklers, or administrative reminders, “are updated to reflect the removal of regular periodic reporting requirements for the affected paygrades,” the memo states.

The move, meanwhile, is the Navy’s latest tweak to its physical fitness testing policies.

In December, the sea service announced it was doubling its fitness assessment cadence to two per year.

That new policy also included an update specifying that sailors who fail three PT tests within a four-year span would be removed from the service.