Let's face the facts, my friends.
With force management (i.e. layoffs) being implemented, one should take the awards and kudos one can get.
The force management board (i.e. the guys that decide upon the layoffs) might have to choose between an E-6 that does have a BSM, and an E-6 that doesn't.
With a situation like this, take a guess as to who will get to stay around, and who will be handed the outprocessing checklist?
With the way things are now, a decision will come down to 'how high is' your physical fitness test score, or how good/not good do you look in your official photo....