• Ending some of the up-or-out rules that force officers to leave military service if they fail to be promoted along rigid timelines.

• Allowing for mid-career civilians with high-demand skills to enter the military up to the rank of O-6.

• Allowing promotion boards to move high-performing officers higher on the promotion list regardless of their time in service.

• Allowing service secretaries to create “an alternative promotion process” for specific career fields.

None of this is mandatory, but it will give the services more options for Officer Personnel Management.

We will have to wait and see if application of the new latitude will be for good or evil.