I am very familiar with this situation first hand during my Navy career.  Back in 1980 I was a Petty Officer First Class and arrived at a new shore command after a successful shipboard tour.  I arrived in July and there were three other First Class Petty Officers already at the command that were very much senior to me.  We got along great for a while, each of us having our own department to supervise.  There was the usual complaining about how the Chief Petty Officers created a "wall" between their subordinates and themselves, but for the most part, I did not perceive this.  Then one day in August our commander called us all in to his office to announce that the promotion board results had just been released and I was the only one selected for promotion to Chief Petty Officer.  Their whole demeanor towards me changed after that.  Shortly after my actual promotion in September, I discovered that the "wall" actually existed, but it was erected by the First Class Petty Officers, not the Chiefs.  Unfortunately, the situation did not get any better until each of those individuals eventually transferred to other assignments.  I later heard that each of them had eventually been promoted themselves.  I only hope their transition was smoother.