Authored by Jackson Richman via The Epoch Times,
The Pentagon is changing its process for promoting generals, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced on Sept. 22.
Hegseth announced the new process, known as the Joint Warfighter Evaluation, in a video posted on X.
Today, I am announcing the Joint Warfighter Evaluation. pic.twitter.com/F0JIfbmEKs
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) September 22, 2026
Its goal is to reduce bureaucracy and ensure meritocracy across senior ranks, he said.
Starting this year, colonels and Navy captains screening to be a one-star general will undergo the assessment, according to Hegseth.
“While the backbone of our military is our NCOs and our petty officers, victory depends on the commanders who lead them,” he said.
“America needs warfighters who can master a chaotic battle space.”
Hegseth cited Gen. George Marshall using the Louisiana Maneuvers, a massive series of military exercises to prepare U.S. forces before entering World War II.
He said that this kind of testing brought out military leaders such as Dwight Eisenhower, who planned and conducted the U.S. invasion of Normandy and led the liberation of Western Europe; Adm. Chester Nimitz, who led Allied air, land and sea in the Pacifi
