Senior NCO EPB Examples: MSgt and SMSgt Performance Statements

The Regular Air Force MSgt SCOD is 30 September, and the drafts land on the squadron superintendent's desk after that. Picture a superintendent with four flight chiefs to write up. One flight chief sent in an input that opens with "#1 of 6 flight chiefs in the group" and closes with "my go-to SNCO for any tasking." Both read like strong material, and neither can go in the Leading People section. AFI 36-2406 bans stratification in performance statements, and it lists "my go-to SNCO" as an example of a banned implied stratification.

A lot of senior NCO EPB advice online still uses the old form names and block titles. This post covers what the current EPB looks like for MSgts and SMSgts, the rules that most affect how senior NCO statements get written, and weak and strong examples for each performance area. The rules cited here come from AFI 36-2406, Officer and Enlisted Evaluation Systems, dated 22 August 2025 and updated since, and from SPFI 36-2401, Guardian Evaluation Systems, for the form history. The examples are made up. Swap in your own numbers.

Which form senior NCOs use now

You'll still see guides titled "AF Form 910 examples for senior NCOs." Those titles name the wrong form. The AF Form 910 was the junior enlisted form, for AB through TSgt. MSgts and SMSgts were on the AF Form 911, and Chiefs were on the AF Form 912. The Space Force splits its forms that way as of SPFI 36-2401 (January 2024).

The Air Force no longer uses those forms. Under the current AFI, every enlisted evaluation is an Airman Leadership Qualities (ALQ) evaluation built in myEval. The output is the Enlisted Performance Brief. AF Form 716 is the offline version, used only with an approved exception to policy.

For a MSgt or SMSgt, the EPB has two parts.

The rater writes the duty description and one section for each of the four Major Performance Areas. Each area has its own ALQs:

Major Performance Area	ALQs
Executing the Mission	Job Proficiency, Initiative, Adaptability
Leading People	Collaboration, Emotional Intelligence, Communication
Managing Resources	Stewardship, Accountability
Improving the Unit	Decision Making, Innovation

The rater also fills in a mandatory comments block. Since a February 2026 guidance memorandum, now written into the AFI, that block must carry the most recent fitness score in a set format, such as "PFA: 91.7; Excellent; Exemptions: None." Fitness comments don't go anywhere else on the EPB unless they relate to conduct or to performance that affects readiness or the mission.

The higher level reviewer (HLR) marks concur or non-concur, can recommend up to three future roles, and writes at least one performance statement. MSgt and SMSgt EPBs also have a stratification block in the HLR section, and only a senior rater can fill it.

A performance statement is defined in paragraph 1.3.3.2. It is a standalone sentence that names what the Airman did and the result. Each section needs at least one, and the AFI says white space is authorized, so you don't have to fill the box. Bold text, all caps and underlining for emphasis aren't allowed, and you can only use acronyms that appear on the Air Force acronym list.

The rules that matter most at MSgt and SMSgt

These five rules change how a MSgt or SMSgt EPB gets written.

1. Only the senior rater stratifies, and only in the stratification block. Paragraph 4.11.1.3 bans implied stratifications such as "#1 SNCO" and "my go-to SNCO," and it bans stratifications based on career field. Paragraph 4.11.2.7 keeps stratifications out of the performance statements and the HLR comments. The one exception is a joint or DAF stratification, which the HLR puts in the HLR comments.
2. Promotion statements belong to the HLR. They are allowed only when the SNCO is TIG/TIS eligible and meets fitness standards, and only for the next higher grade. The AFI's own example is "The AF needs SMSgt Jacobs as a Chief today." Promotion statements are not allowed on an evaluation for someone already selected for promotion.
3. PME comments are almost entirely off-limits. The only PME items you can mention are selection for an official PME award and completion of the Senior Enlisted Joint PME I or II web-based courses. "Completed SNCO Academy" or "ready for in-residence PME" doesn't belong in the EPB.
4. Decorations count only if they were approved or presented during the rating period. You can't recommend one in the EPB. Board scores and Combined Federal Campaign results are also prohibited.
5. The ratee can and should send the rater inputs, but paragraph 1.6.3.6 says no one can direct a ratee to write any part of their own evaluation. If you're the MSgt, send your rater facts and numbers, not a finished EPB.

How the stratification math works

Senior rater endorsement isn't automatic. The first evaluator who meets the grade requirement to close out the EPB decides whether to forward it to the senior rater. To be eligible, the SNCO must meet the time-in-grade requirement, hold an associate's degree or higher awarded by the close-out date, and be current on fitness and meeting standards.

For Regular Air Force and Reserve SNCOs, the senior rater can stratify up to 25% of eligible SNCOs within each senior rater ID and component. Guard stratification is up to each state's adjutant general.

Grade	Numbered stratification ("#x of y")	Additional "Top 25%" statements
MSgt	Top 10%	Next 15%
SMSgt	Top 20%	Next 5%

Fractions of .50 or more round up, and anything lower rounds down. With 11 eligible MSgts, 10% is 1.1, which allows one numbered stratification. Another 15% is 1.65, which allows two "Top 25% of MSgts" statements. Write the performance statements so they back up the stratification the senior rater gives. Don't try to slip a ranking into them.

MSgt examples: flight-level scope

A MSgt's EPB should show the flight or section they run and what changed because they ran it.

Executing the Mission

Weak:

Outstanding flight chief who ensures mission readiness and sets the standard for the squadron.

Strong:

Rebuilt the flight's shift plan after 6 of 34 maintainers deployed, sustaining 112 sorties over a 3-month surge without a single late takeoff.

The weak version says "flight chief" and "readiness" but describes no action. The strong version shows adaptability: a staffing loss, a decision, and a result someone can check.

Leading People

Weak:

Superb mentor and my go-to SNCO for developing Airmen across the flight.

Strong:

Built a 6-week shift-lead course for 9 SSgts; 7 now run shifts on their own, which let the flight open a third shift without adding a TSgt.

The weak version has the vague-praise problem, and "my go-to SNCO" is the implied stratification the AFI names. The strong version shows a program the MSgt built and what the flight can now do that it couldn't before.

SMSgt examples: squadron-level scope

At SMSgt, the statements should show results at the squadron level, and beyond it when that's true. Accountability is one of the Managing Resources ALQs, so owning a problem counts as much as saving money.

Managing Resources

Weak:

Manages section resources responsibly and supports the professional development of assigned Airmen.

Strong:

Reviewed 41 sustainment contracts and ended 3 that duplicated organic capability, freeing $340K the squadron used to replace 2 failing test stations.

Took ownership of 4 repeat tool-control findings, rewrote the checkout process and briefed all 3 shifts; the next 2 inspections found no discrepancies.

The first strong statement covers stewardship and the second covers accountability. Neither one leans on "responsibly" to do the work.

Improving the Unit

Weak:

Innovative leader who drives positive change and continuous improvement throughout the squadron.

Strong:

Replaced a paper upgrade-training tracker with a shared database, cutting average 7-level upgrade time from 14 to 9 months for 22 trainees; the group adopted it for 3 other squadrons.

The statement names the decision, the time it saved and how far it spread. "Innovative leader" names none of those.

HLR comments for a TIG-eligible SMSgt

Weak:

#1 SMSgt in the group and a proven leader; promote immediately.

Strong:

SMSgt Ortiz cut the squadron's open inspection findings from 31 to 4 in 10 months while leading 3 flights through a deployment cycle; promote to CMSgt, then select for group superintendent.

The weak version puts a stratification in the HLR comments, which paragraph 4.11.2.7 prohibits. An informal ranking like "#1 in the group" isn't an authorized stratification anywhere on the EPB, and "promote immediately" doesn't name a grade. The strong version is a performance statement with a result, followed by a promotion statement and an assignment recommendation. That's the pattern the AFI shows in its own example, "promote to SMSgt, then select for Flight Chief." It only works when the ratee is TIG/TIS eligible. For a MSgt who isn't eligible, assignment recommendations and future roles have to stay at the current grade, such as flight chief or first sergeant.

Common mistakes in senior NCO EPBs

Recycling junior NCO phrasing. "Mentors junior Airmen" was fine for a SSgt. At MSgt, show the training program, the shift leads who came out of it, or the gap they now fill.

Writing about the team's work instead of yours. "Section met every suspense" describes the section. "Restructured the suspense tracker and cut late actions from 9 a quarter to 1" describes what the superintendent did.

Padding the box. White space is authorized. One clean performance statement beats three that repeat each other.

Hiding a ranking in the narrative. "#1 of 6" and "top superintendent in the group" both imply a stratification outside the block where it belongs. Take them out before the HLR sends the EPB back.

If the rating period was quiet, our guide to writing a strong evaluation after a quiet rating period covers how to find material worth writing up.

Draft faster, then check it against the AFI

If you're writing EPBs for a whole flight, RapidEPR's bullet tool has an EPB Section (Enlisted) format. You pick the section and the rated grade, so a MSgt Leading People statement and a SMSgt HLR comment come back as different kinds of writing. It's built to keep stratification text in the stratification section. Check every draft against your own facts and the AFI before you route it.

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