New process replaces written-evaluation promotion boards
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that the Pentagon will replace its traditional written-evaluation promotion boards for general and flag officers with a new “battlefield-style” assessment called the Joint Warfighter Evaluation. Hegseth unveiled the change in a social media post, saying the new process would screen eligible colonels and Navy captains on “their ability to fight, adapt and win” and would “cut bureaucracy and demand true meritocracy.”
“America needs warfighters who can master a chaotic battle space,” Hegseth said. Hegseth did not specify how the Pentagon will measure “joint warfighting ability.” The promotion system being phased out featured boards that considered officers based on written evaluations from their superiors throughout their overall careers.
Stuart Scheller, the deputy chief of staff to the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, will lead the new evaluation effort, Hegseth said. In his announcement, the defense secretary compared the assessment to the Louisiana Maneuvers, a series of military exercises and wargames before the United States entered World War II, and cited leaders who emerged through that endeavor.
The new evaluations will bring “that standard to the modern multi-domain fight,” Hegseth said. “This evaluation is an objective equalizer. The scenario only cares about operational decisions under pressure.”
The change comes as Hegseth has moved to reshape military promotion standards. Hegseth, an Army National Guard veteran, has blocked many Navy, Air Force, and Army promotions to one-star generals or admirals since becoming defense secretary, including those of Black people and women. The defense secretary has previously said the U.S. military promoted too many leaders based on what he deemed the wrong reasons.
“Real toxic leadership is endangering subordinates with low standards,” Hegseth said in an address last year to military leaders. “Real toxic leadership is promoting people based on immutable characteristics or quotas instead of based on merit.” Stars and Stripes, a daily U.S. military newspaper, reported the remarks.