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The Army announced the cancellation of its flagship officer selection program on September 2 after officials of Defense Secretary Pete Hegses ordered the review.
A high-ranking defense official who is well versed in CAP but is not permitted to speak publicly told USA Today that Hegseth’s office ordered the cancellation without meaningful consultation with the Army.
The Army Command Evaluation Program, known as CAP, is an NFL combine-style program that placed battalion and brigade commanders through a series of physical and mental tests and was cancelled to “activate immediately,” Army spokesman Travis Shaw confirmed.
Hegseth welcomed the program’s end in a September 3rd post, saying, “Good Riddance.”
The rigorous programme began with Trump’s first term
Cap was a trial for officers who were trying to command battalions and brigades, demanding roles that would create or destroy the officer’s careers.
Cancellation comes as part of a Pentagon review of executive personnel processes, among other career milestones, from ratings to promotions and command selection.
Stuart Scheller is a former Marine colonel who was convicted in court and was forced to step down from public criticism of his leaders during the tragic evacuation in Afghanistan in 2022, leading the review. Scheller did not respond to emails from USA Today.
A high-ranking defense official who is well versed in CAP but is not permitted to speak publicly told USA Today that Hegseth’s office ordered the cancellation without meaningful consultation with the Army.
Unrelated to the executive promotion system, CAP began during President Donald Trump’s first administration and became a permanent program in early 2025 after a pilot period of more than five years. The programme was modelled on how military special operations units evaluate and select members and leaders.
Participants complete physical fitness tests, measure body fat, receive psychological evaluations, receive leadership evaluations from their former peers and subordinates, and complete oral and written communication assessments.
“Crown Jewel”
The interview panel anonymously determines candidates’ communication skills based on their performance in the interview settings. Officers deemed “ready” by the panel will be ranked for command opportunities based on Cap’s performance and review of HR files.
The program was “Crown Jewel” of the service’s extensive talent management reform, according to Michael Arnold, who led cap development during his nearly six years’ term as assistant director of the Army Talent Management Task Force. The program was designed to find talent that is often overlooked, while also preventing toxic and abusive leaders from assuming a position of power.
“Political appointees absolutely have all the rights to reconsider the (command selection) process,” says Arnold, a fellow at the conservative Hoover facility think tank. “But to cancel the best they’ve done in terms of modernizing the way they choose us…it’s a bit myopia.”
Before the CAP, the Army Battalion and Brigade Command selection process consisted simply of reviewing paper files. The executive’s “board” examines and grades officer personnel files, then ranks the order’s role assignments. There was no face-to-face verification.
Kate Kuzminski, a military expert at the new American security center, told USA Today that the old paper-based selection process “begins in 1975.”
Shaw, an Army spokesman, said the service is back to its “long-aged” process.
Arnold insisted that the move to cancel was pointless. “Bringing back to the old system is contrary to what I think the administration is trying to do — picking people based on their merit,” he said.
Contributor: Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today
