Two of the biggest factors influencing enlisted and officer promotions are the time in service (TIS) and time in grade (TIG). Time in service is the total time in which someone is in Chaplains International. An Enlisted Soldier or Officer must spend a given amount of time in each grade prior to advancement to the next and he or she typically can't skip grades.

Time in grade refers to the number of months or years in which an officer serves in a given rank.