Hegseth Adds Combat Readiness Test for One-Star Promotions
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced a new Joint Warfighter Evaluation for colonels and Navy captains seeking one-star promotions. The test is meant to assess whether officers can lead across services in combat, and Hegseth compared it to the Army’s large-scale Louisiana Maneuvers before World War II. The move follows a May memo directing the military to weigh joint-warfare capability in advancement decisions for officers and senior enlisted personnel.
The Joint Warfighter Evaluation stems from a May memo requiring joint-warfare ability to be considered in advancement for officers and senior enlisted personnel. Hegseth tasked Stuart Scheller, his personnel and readiness adviser, with challenging long-standing promotion assumptions. The Pentagon created six assessment versions: one per service plus the Joint Staff.
Some formats use AI-driven opponents reacting to officers’ choices; another places officers in a war college wargame observed by evaluators. The Army expects about 900 eligible colonels to complete a remote written test and then a digital wargame. Hegseth likened the concept to the Army’s 1940–1941 Louisiana Maneuvers.
This change could affect colonels, Navy captains, senior enlisted personnel, and the troops they may lead, by shifting promotion incentives toward joint-warfare and combat-decision skills. Services may adjust training and evaluation schedules, while officers could face new preparation demands. If the assessments work as intended, they may influence readiness and leadership quality; if poorly designed, they could add burdens or uncertainty. The broader public may see effects through military effectiveness and defense spending priorities.