U.S. Coast Guard Reactivates High Year Tenure

U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Bob Papp announced Monday that the service has reactivated High Year Tenure to address delayed opportunities for enlisted advancement.

The decision to reactivate High Year Tenure was motivated by personnel retention rates of more than 94%, waiting periods of more than three years for “A” Schools for most enlisted ratings, a slowdown in enlisted advancement, and a reduction in enlisted billets during past fiscal year due to budget constraints.

"This situation breaks trust with our personnel who joined the Coast Guard with the desire and motivation to grow both professionally and personally in an enlisted rating and advance based on demonstrated knowledge and performance," said the Commandant. “We must act now to address this problem, improve proficiency and meet the Coast Guard’s future needs.”

High Year Tenure reactivation is not due to sequestration and does not reduce the number of billets within the enlisted workforce. Instead, it is a force shaping measure that identifies personnel who have not reached specific milestones for advancement based on pay grade and time in service. If a member does not meet their respective milestone this year, they are subject to retirement.   

“These are difficult choices that will ultimately impact the career plans and choices of a small segment of mid to senior rank enlisted personnel who have honorably served,” said the Commandant. “We are confident this is the right thing to do for our Service and our enlisted Coast Guardsmen.”