SELCON in the Army

January 5, 2025

SELCON in the Army, or Selective Continuation, is governed by AR 135-155, paragraph 3-23.

As is common knowledge, any Officer below the grade of LTC who is twice non-selected for promotion will be separated from the Army, or retired if he/she has 18 years or more of service on the date of the directed separation (will serve until 20 in these situations). However, SELCON in the Army, or Selective Continuation, is a way for an Officer to keep serving; this does not apply to 2LTs, 1LTs, WO1s, and WO2s.

Essentially, a SELCON Board, or Selective Continuation Board, can be appointed by the Secretary of the Army to consider Officers who are two-time non-selected for promotion, for continued service in their current rank and competitive category. Said SELCON board must recommend the Officer in question for continued service, and the Secretary of the Army must approve the SELCON Board's recommendation.

SELCON in the Army for CPTs, MAJs, CW2s, and CW3s will normally be for 3 years from the approval date of the SELCON board. However, continuation cannot extend beyond the date on which the Officer completes 20 years of commissioned service (CPT), 24 years of commissioned service (MAJ), 11 years of warrant officer service (CW2), or 20 years of warrant officer service (CW3). The Secretary of the Army can change these time periods.

SELCON in the Army can also apply to LTCs and COLs who are pending separation for reason of years of service, but not beyond the date on which the officer completes 33 years of commissioned service for LTCs or 35 years of commissioned service for COLs.

Officers who are passed over for promotion once should immediately be concerned that it will occur again, and then he/she will be separated, perhaps without reaching the required 18 years to be extended to 20 for retirement. Unfortunately, there is no formal way for Officers to advocate for SELCON in the Army. After being notified that he/she has been passed over twice for promotion, they are simply informed that a SELCON Board will convene and they will be notified of the results.

The only ways to influence SELCON in the Army is to write a letter to the president of the promotion board before the promotion board convenes, or to attack the underlying reason for the Officer being passed over for promotion. For example, if a bad OER is preventing promotion, then the Officer in question should consider an OER Appeal. Or, if a GOMOR is preventing promotion, the Officer in question should consider a GOMOR Appeal. If neither of those situations apply, then perhaps a well-crafted letter to the President of the Promotion Board will increase the chances for SELCON in the Army.

Any Officer concerned about being separated after not being promoted twice should immediately contact an experienced Military Lawyer. While legal assistance JAGs are available to assist, they are likely to be inexperienced and overworked. Furthermore, they are unlikely to give the time and attention needed to achieve the desired outcomes. A Civilian Military Lawyer can be retained in these situations.

This Article was written by Attorney Matthew Barry. Attorney Barry is highly rated by former clients and has a proven track record of success.

The Law Office of Matthew Barry represents Soldiers worldwide. He has offices on the East Coast, West Coast, and in the Central U.S. Attorney Barry and his team will travel to any base, worldwide, to represent Soldiers accused of misconduct.