War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the latest development in his mission to bring more merit-based standards to the U.S. military on Tuesday, rolling out what he is calling a “Joint Warfighter Evaluation” for select general promotions.
“Starting this year, eligible O-6s — that’s colonels and Navy captains — screening for one star will undergo this assessment to stratify their ability to fight, adapt, and win,” Hegseth said in the announcement. “While the backbone of our military is our NCOs and our petty officers, victory depends on the commanders who lead them. America needs warfighters who can master a chaotic battle space.”
The evaluation assesses the O-6s’ abilities to perform, lead, and problem-solve in combat-like scenarios. The new metric for selecting the one-star generals will be added to the Pentagon’s policies starting in fiscal 2027, according to Fox News. Hegseth classified the policy as an “objective equalizer” that “only cares about operational decisions under pressure.”
The aim of the Joint Warfighter Evaluation is to ensure that applying commanders receive their promotions based on their combat preparedness and leadership readiness, not just on their good-natured relationships with superiors.
“Our troops deserve commanders chosen by proven competence, not paper credentials. The Joint Warfighter evaluation ensures our flag is carried by our most lethal and most adaptable leaders,” Hegseth said.
Stuart Scheller, the War Department’s chief of staff for personnel and readiness, told Fox News that the current promotion system at the Pentagon doesn’t have an exam that can “truly assess the best military commanders on the battlefield” and that this evaluation fills that gap.
There are six different variations of the evaluations, with one for each military branch and one for the Joint Chiefs level, according to the outlet.
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The evaluation is the latest personnel-related change Hegseth has implemented since taking the helm of the Pentagon and waging war on diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring measures.
Hegseth has prioritized lethality and war-fighting capabilities in his department’s soldiers since the start of the second Trump administration, telling graduating cadets at West Point this year that “we must train exactly like we fight — and that means real, practical warfighting skills. It means lethality.”
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
