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The Department of the Air Force is revamping the way it manages officer development and promotion. As part of this overhaul, the Line of the Air Force (LAF)—a single developmental category (DevCat) accounting for more than 80 percent of officers and 40 career fields—is being split into six separate DevCats. New personnel management flexibilities, introduced by the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, are also being introduced. The purpose of these changes is to enable the identification, development, and rewarding of talent at all stages of an officer's career. The motivations behind these personnel policy changes are clear. However, given the complexity of officer development and promotion management, it is difficult to fully anticipate the effects of these changes. To help decisionmakers evaluate the utility and implications of new personnel policies, the authors built a strategic tool called the Air Force Personnel Policy Simulation Tool (PPST) to simulate the effects of new personnel policies on career field health and demographic diversity. This tool can help ensure that Air Force policy changes will further stated goals; identify potentially adverse consequences of personnel policy changes on career fields and demographic groups; and if needed, develop mitigating courses of action.

United States. --- Personnel management. --- Officers --- Promotions.