What is DD Form 2603? It is a Department of Defense form titled DD Form 2603, Officer Promotion Rate Comparisons, July 1998, and its job is straightforward: Officer Promotion Rate Comparisons. That single line covers most of what people want to know before they download it.
Is there a version specific to your service? No. A DD number is issued at Department level, which is the whole point of the prefix — every military department and defense agency works from one identical document. Looking for a branch variant wastes time you do not have.
Where does the requirement come from? From not stated, with not stated responsible for the document itself. Those are the names to cite if anyone asks under what authority you filed.
How current is this? Edition not stated, publisher status not stated. That is the version described throughout this page.
What the form asks for
- 1. Service.
- 2. Reporting period. a. From (4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day).
- 2.b. To (4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day).
- 3. Promotions. (1) To grade O-8. (a). Acquisition Corps. c. Total screened in zone.
- 3. (1) (a)d. Total number promoted in zone.
- 3. (1) (a)e. Percent promotion/selection rates. (i) In zone.
- 3.(1)(a)e. Percent promotion/selection rates. (ii) Below zone.
- 3.f. Remarks.
- 3.(1) To grade O-8. (b) Non-acquisition Equivalent/Line Officers. c. Total screened in zone.
- 3. (1) (b)d. Total number promoted in zone.
- 3. (1) (b)e. Percent promotion/selection rates. (i) In zone.
- 3.(1)(b)e. Percent promotion/selection rates. (ii) Below zone.
- 3.f. Remarks.
- 3.(1) To grade O-8. (c) Total Acquisition and Non-acquisition Equivalent/Line Officers. c. Total screened in zone.
- 3. (1) (c)d. Total number promoted in zone.
- 3. (1) (c)e. Percent promotion/selection rates. (i) In zone.
- 3.(1)(c)e. Percent promotion/selection rates. (ii) Below zone.
- 3.f. Remarks.
- 3. Promotions. (2) To grade O-7. (a). Acquisition Corps. c. Total screened in zone.
- 3. (2) (a)d. Total number promoted in zone.
- 3. (2) (a)e. Percent promotion/selection rates. (i) In zone.
- 3.(2)(a)e. Percent promotion/selection rates. (ii) Below zone.
- 3.f. Remarks.
- 3.(2) To grade O-7. (b) Non-acquisition Equivalent/Line Officers. c. Total screened in zone.
Download the form
What can you download? The available set is PDF. How big is the job? The form runs 1 pages with roughly 64 fields to complete.
What is the difference between fillable and printable? A fillable pdf has real field boxes that accept typed text and hold it inside the file. A printable pdf is a flat blank with no fields at all, intended for a printer and a pen. Which one you have determines how you complete the form, so it is worth checking first.
Is handwriting acceptable? Yes, but it is the weaker choice. Scanning flattens pen strokes and reproduction blurs them, while typed characters survive the whole chain intact. Print in capitals if you are working from a paper blank.
What opens an xfdl file? IBM Lotus Forms Viewer, or a compatible client. Will your pdf reader do it? No, and it will likely report the file as damaged. Xfdl was the Defense standard for electronic forms for years, which is why it still appears in the set.
Do you pay for these? No. Free download, every format. What should you avoid? Filling the form inside a browser tab; the fields frequently do not save.
Can you skip around the form? Better not to. The layout runs identification, then content, then certification, and entries near the bottom frequently take their meaning from what sits above them.
Why does the edition matter so much here? Because DD forms are revised centrally. When the Department reissues one, it reissues it for all branches simultaneously, and the field layout can shift. Compare the printed date against not stated before you type anything.
What if a specific field still puzzles you? Read the instructions printed on the form, then not stated. Which wins if they differ? The directive.
What happens after you finish? It routes to the office specified in not stated or in local guidance. And your own record? Save a duplicate first; nobody regrets having one.
What if DD Form 2603 points to another form? Search the series and number. Because the DD sequence is common to every military department, no branch qualifier is needed to land on the right file.
Why do some instructions cite both a DA and a DD form? Because the procedure touches both systems, not because the forms are related. Service forms answer to a service proponent; DD forms answer to not stated or another Department office. The sequences were never aligned.
How often does a form like this change? Unpredictably — revision follows directive changes, altered collection requirements and updated notice language. What is the practical defence? Verifying not stated every time you download rather than trusting a saved copy.
Is any of this advice? No. This page distributes a published Defense form and explains its contents, which is a different thing from telling you whether your circumstances qualify or whether a reviewer will accept your copy. Direct questions of eligibility, applicability and procedure to not stated, to your servicing personnel office, or to the office designated in not stated.
Questions and answers
- What is DD Form 2603?
- DD Form 2603, Officer Promotion Rate Comparisons, July 1998
- Which edition is current?
- Not stated by the publisher
- Who is responsible for this form?
- Not stated
- In which formats can it be downloaded?