Pentagon Introduces Battlefield-Style Evaluations for General Promotions
The Pentagon is implementing a new assessment method for promoting senior military officers to generals. This new approach, known as the Joint Warfighting Evaluation (JWE), aims to test officers on solving complex military challenges under simulated combat conditions. This marks the first major change in promotion criteria across all military branches in decades.
According to internal documents reviewed, each military service has developed its own version of the JWE. The evaluation will assess operational planning, decision-making, and leadership skills. Starting in the fiscal year 2027, the JWE will be an additional metric considered by promotion boards. This effort is part of an overhaul led by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, focusing on identifying officers skilled in combat over career-building.
“People figure out they don’t have to be the best at their job, but they have to be the best at making sure their boss thinks they’re the best,” noted Stu Scheller, the senior Pentagon adviser leading this initiative.
Currently, officer evaluations rely on superior reports accumulated over their careers. Scheller emphasized that while performance reports remain crucial, the JWE will offer a separate gauge of an officer’s capability in potential military scenarios.
The new assessment will differ across services. The Pentagon has six versions: one for each military service and one via the Joint Staff. These range from online simulations to in-person wargames. In some scenarios, officers face military problems with AI-powered adversaries reacting to their decisions.
In detail, the Army plans a remote written test followed by a digital wargame for around 900 colonels. The Air Force has a two-hour online analysis test with an interactive simulation for roughly 1,330 colonels. Space Force will employ a similar format for about 125 officers.
The Navy’s evaluation is more rigorous, with 308 captains taking a three-hour written test and a wargame session. The Marine Corps plans an eight-hour remote evaluation combining written and judgement tests for up to 175 colonels. Scheller acknowledged the limits of these exercises, stating they can’t fully replicate combat pressures, adding that adjustments will be made as required.
“Ultimately, there’s no one task that’s going to perfectly replicate war,” Scheller said.
Scheller stressed that the existing promotion system remains intact. Although the JWE provides extra data, an officer’s career record still holds weight. The weighting of the new data point remains undetermined.
The initial evaluations for eligible O-6s will occur between February and June 2027, preceding the promotion boards for O-7s from July to September. The Pentagon plans to analyze the first cycle’s outcomes to decide the future influence of the JWE and necessary adjustments.
Under Secretary Hegseth, the Pentagon’s strategy involves a comprehensive overhaul of senior military leadership promotions, evaluations, and retention policies. Hegseth has also directed reductions in active-duty four-star and general officer positions and has played a more direct role in promotions based on merit. This approach has drawn criticism over political influence concerns, amid significant turnover in military leadership.