Carter proposes changes to ‘up or out’ promotion system

WASHINGTON — U.S. military troops may be able to sidestep the Pentagon’s entrenched, 100-year-old “up or out” promotion system under sweeping new proposals unveiled Thursday, aimed at keeping high-tech experts or other specialists on the job.

In announcing the plan, Defense Secretary Ash Carter marked the third — and most dramatic — installment in his campaign to modernize the military’s antiquated bureaucracy.

Military leaders have expressed varying degrees of support for the promotion changes, noting that in some fields — such as fighter pilots or certain combat command positions — the strict advancement system may make more sense.