GovernmentExecutive.com

USA Today reports on Cmdr. Mark Russell, who says the Navy's trying to run him out because he has criticized the military's mental health care system. Russell has filed a complaint with the Defense Department inspector general alleging that he received negative job reviews this year and last after speaking out.

A Navy spokesman says the drop in ratings of Russell's advancement prospects from "early promote" to "promotable" doesn't mean that he couldn't advance to captain someday. But a former Navy public affairs officer calls the two "promotable" ratings a "kiss of death" and "career-ender."

It seems clear from this RAND report that "promotable" ain't much of a rating. Here's the full scale of rankings, from the bottom to the top: “not observed,” “significant problems,” “progressing,” “promotable,” “must promote,” and “early promote.”