This is very troubling. The reasons listed are valid but not listed is the PC command climate coming from DEI/wokeism which all of us know must be a big factor in opting out of what used to be a plum—selection for battalion command. We seriously doubt that the surveys asking why LTCs did not want to command included anything about the woke environment—don’t ask the question if you don’t want to hear the answer.
(Military.com) More than half of the Army’s senior officers are turning down opportunities to command, choosing instead the stability of staff roles over the high-stakes demands of leadership, or retiring, according to internal service data.
The Battalion Command Assessment Program, or BCAP, a cornerstone of the Army’s effort to evaluate leadership readiness, assesses 800 to 1,000 lieutenant colonels annually through interviews, psychological tests and physical fitness evaluations.
Historically, 85% of those participants have been deemed fit for command. Yet this year, 54% of eligible officers voluntarily chose not to participate — a significant uptick from the 40% average opt-out rate seen since 2019.
“The predominant reasons were personal and family circumstances, such as retirement eligibility and family stabilization,” Maj. Heba Bullock, an Army spokesperson, told Military.com in a statement.
The rank of lieutenant colonel carries unique prestige, offering officers the chance to command units of roughly 1,000 troops and to play pivotal roles in Pentagon plans for preparing forces for war. The position sits at the intersection of the Defense Department’s big picture and the daily life of rank-and-file troops.
But while a command position is extremely high-profile, it also comes with endless work hours.
Instead, some officers are drawn to staff positions — less-visible, lower-pressure roles that promise stability for the same pay. Those jobs lack the excitement of leading troops but offer something many midcareer officers might crave: a break from the relentless grind of command.
In other cases, lieutenant colonels are reaching the retirement mark of 20 years and have to decide whether they’re going to seek the rank of general or retire.
However, it was unclear what drove the recent spike in senior officers walking away from potential command opportunities.
The command selection process itself has recently become mired in scandal.
Gen. Charles Hamilton, the former head of Army Materiel Command, was fired this week after he inappropriately intervened in the BCAP evaluation process for a subordinate who had been deemed unfit for command and ranked among the lowest-performing candidates in her cohort. . . . (read more on Military.com)
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