Army Ends Command Evaluation Program

The Army has decided to discontinue its Command Evaluation Program, a system that has been under scrutiny. This initiative was meant to integrate psychological evaluations and address potential biases within leadership roles.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegses expressed his approval of the cancellation on social media, emphasizing the importance of judging individuals solely on their merit and performance.

Launched in 2020, the program aimed to mitigate conscious and unconscious biases through peer assessments and behavioral analyses for identifying candidates for command posts. However, there wasn’t much enthusiasm for it. In fact, last year, about 54% of eligible senior officers opted out of the evaluation, a noticeable increase from 40% in 2019.

Ironically, just prior to President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the former Army Secretary, Christine Warms, had elevated this program to an official record status. It included a variety of psychometric assessments designed to measure cognitive abilities and emotional intelligence, among other traits.

Last month, Secretary of War Dan Driscoll placed the program under review and halted its activities. In response to declining interest and participation, the Army will revert to the previous selection system known as the Intensive Selection Committee/List (CSL). This older method focuses on assessing candidates based on their past performance and potential.

The integrity of the Command Evaluation Program had already been called into question following the dismissal of Army Materials Commander General Charles Hamilton, who faced allegations of inappropriately influencing the selection process. This led to further investigations that revealed misconduct within the program.

The termination of the Command Evaluation Program aligns with a recent memo from the Secretary of Defense, which initiated a comprehensive review of how military officers are evaluated and selected.