We spend weeks selecting privates for Ranger school and an average of 2 minutes selecting a battalion commander.
And it really makes no difference which service they are selected for. An Army or Marine battalion, an Air Force squadron, or a position held by a Navy Commander, they are the very backbone of the military.
They are is trying to get the best candidates by using something called the Battalion Commander Assessment Program. It includes measurements of physical fitness, written and oral communication ability, and cognitive and non-cognitive skills.
And, not all officers want the awesome responsibility of command.
BCAP is not an indictment of the centralized selection process or anyone who is a product of it. BCAP is an acknowledgment that modern data and assessment techniques can and should inform our selection of commanders. Good is not good enough. We must select the best commanders possible, and BCAP is part of how we will do that.
According to General McConville, the US Army Chief of Staff; For all the reasons we have laid out here, we made the decision to have all officers competing for battalion command complete BCAP beginning in January 2020.
I think it’s a good idea.
More @ Battalion Commanders Are the Seed Corn of the Army - War on the Rocks
