An Army pilot program that requires soldiers to appear before selection boards to determine if they are ready for command will now be permanent. The program involves board panelists looking at peer reviews of each candidate.
First established in 2020, the Army Command Assessment Program, or CAP, evaluates sergeants major, lieutenant colonels, and full-bird colonels for command assignments. CAP was originally established as a pilot program. Candidates for the Army’s command selection list appear before boards, which look at anonymous peer reviews submitted by soldiers who work with the candidates. The board members consider the peer reviews when deciding whether a candidate is ready for command.
Peer and subordinate reviews are one component of a candidate’s overall CAP score, which evaluates soldiers on their written communication, verbal communication, physical fitness, and strategic potential skills, Army spokeswoman Maj. Heba Bullock told Task & Purpose.
“The Peer and Subordinate Feedback score and Army Comprehensive Talent Interview (ACTI) score make up the Leadership Strength Spectrum in equal parts,” Bullock wrote in an email to Task & Purpose. “As a result, for both brigade and battalion levels of command and key billets, peer and subordinate feedback has a 5% weight on a candidate’s [Order of Merit List] score.”
Now, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth has issued a directive that establishes CAP as an enduring program within the centralized selection board process for command and key billets, the Army announced on Thursday.
In addition to making CAP a permanent program, the Army will also launch a review into how to “better understand how to retain the best talent while maintaining objectivity within the centralized selection process,” an Army news release says.
The review will include looking at demographic trends both before and after CAP was introduced along with policy and program changes and their effects on officer retention, according to the news release.
Another issue the review will examine is why field grade officers are opting out of command opportunities, a source with knowledge of the matter told Task & Purpose.
Military.com first reported in December that 54% of eligible officers decided not to participate in the Battalion Command Assessment Program last year. Until then, the opt-out rate had averaged around 40% since 2019.
“The Army has and will continue to survey eligible officers who chose not to be considered for battalion and brigade [Command Selection List],” Bullock said. “In a 2024 survey of eligible officers who chose not to be considered for battalion and brigade CSL, the predominant reasons were personal and family circumstances, such as retirement eligibility and family stabilization.”
The Army’s decisions to make CAP a permanent program and launch the review come after Army Gen. Charles Hamilton was relieved last month as the commander of Army Materiel Command following an investigation that found he had attempted to use his authority to get a subordinate selected for battalion command.
However, Army spokeswoman Col. Randee Farrell said the service’s changes to CAP are not a response to the investigation into Hamilton.
“The investigation found the Command Assessment Program process withstood attempted interference,” Farrell told Task & Purpose. “It remains strong and transparent. Codifying CAP in an Army directive strengthens the program’s resiliency, legitimacy, and transparency across the Army.”
Retired Army Col. Joe Buccino, who is familiar with the Hamilton Case, noted that CAP began as a pilot program, so it was always due to be reviewed.
“This has nothing to do with Hamilton,” Buccino wrote in a statement to Task & Purpose. “This began before all that. Hamilton’s case/involvement was fully investigated and that investigation looked into the possible nefarious influence of senior leaders into the program. Secretary Wormuth should be lauded for taking a hard look at the program and making critical changes where needed.”
Update: 1/17/2025; This article was updated after publication with additional information from the Army breaking down the scoring criteria for CAP.
The latest on Task & Purpose
- Storied Marine infantry battalion to be transformed into Littoral Combat Team
- Soldiers are turning to social media when the chain of command falls short. The Army sees it as a nuisance.
- Marine recruit uniforms were photoshopped on at boot camp
- Army doctor pleads guilty on first day of trial in largest military abuse case
- Air Force ‘standards update’ includes more inspections and review of ‘waivers and exceptions’