'Good riddance': Hegseth praises Army dumping command promotion boards aimed at eliminating bias

Army ends Command Assessment Program designed to reduce bias with psych assessments and peer review in leadership selection after low participation rates among commanding officers.

"Good riddance," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X. "Promotions across [Department of Defense] will ONLY be based on merit & performance." (AP)

Former Army Secretary Christine Wormuth had made CAP an official program of record just before President Donald Trump took office. 

"The battery of psychometric assessments employs several different instruments to measure cognitive capacity, emotional intelligence, conscientiousness, self-awareness, and other behavioral traits," Army documents explaining CAP said. 

Each year, around 2,000 candidates were assessed under CAP for Army leadership positions. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll paused the program and placed it under review last month.  

The program did not generate greater interest in leadership roles. Around 54% of the Army’s eligible senior officers chose not to participate in CAP last year, declining the opportunity to take on a command role. That was up from 40% in 2019. 

HEGSETH TEARS UP RED TAPE, ORDERS PENTAGON TO BEGIN DRONE SURGE AT TRUMP'S COMMAND

The Army will now revert to its prior assessment process,  Centralized Selection Board/List, CSL, for choosing commanding officers. (Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The cancellation comes in alignment with a June 20 memo from the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, which directed a review of military officer evaluations and selection processes.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/good-riddance-hegseth-praises-army-dumping-command-promotion-boards-aimed-eliminating-bias