Navy Tests Joint Warfighter Evaluation for Colonels
The Naval War College will design and pilot the evaluation ahead of the Fiscal Year 2029 Active O7 Line selection board.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Military
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The Navy's Naval War College will design and test a Joint Warfighter Evaluation for Chief of Naval Operations approval early next year. The evaluation is intended to assess colonels and Navy captains for one-star positions, following a May memo on joint warfighting ability.
Why it matters
The initiative responds to a May memo directing assessment of service members' ability to wage joint warfare as part of promotion and advancement considerations. The pilot will not replace existing statutory and regulatory requirements for promotion selection boards.
Six assessment versions were developed, one for each of the five military services and one for the Joint Staff. Candidates' scores and final evaluation criteria have not been released, and details will follow in an early 2027 administrative message.
The players
Pete Hegseth
The 46-year-old U.S. Secretary of Defense who announced the Joint Warfighter Evaluation in September as a tool for evaluating colonels and Navy captains for one-star positions.
Naval War College
The Navy's professional military education institution in Newport, Rhode Island, which will design, test, and host the evaluation for Chief of Naval Operations approval.
The details
Candidates receive a secure email with a problem scenario and have several days to draft a Commander's Estimate of the Situation. Officers then complete a one-week temporary duty assignment at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., where they update the estimate and present it before an oral board of active duty, reserve, or retired flag officers.
Timeline
May 2026: Memo initiating assessment of joint warfighting ability issued.
September 2026: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announces the Joint Warfighter Evaluation.
November 4, 2026: Administrative message published announcing the Navy JWE.
Early 2027: Naval War College designs and tests the evaluation; further details scheduled for release.
Fiscal Year 2029: Pilot conducted ahead of the Active O7 Line selection board.
Legal Context
The evaluation operationalizes the May memo that directed assessment of joint warfighting ability for promotion and advancement decisions. It sits alongside existing statutory promotion selection boards, which it is explicitly not replacing.
Colonels and Navy captains being considered for one-star promotions will face a new joint-warfare assessment as part of their advancement review. The evaluation will not replace existing promotion boards, so officers should expect it to supplement current selection criteria.
The takeaway
Officers seeking one-star promotions should prepare for joint-warfare assessment in addition to traditional promotion criteria. Watch for the early 2027 administrative message, which will publish the evaluation's details and review materials.
What happens next
Further details and review materials are scheduled for release in an administrative message in early 2027, and the pilot will be conducted ahead of the Fiscal Year 2029 Active O7 Line selection board.
Further reading
For broader context on how the services are reshaping officer development, see Military.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Stars and Stripes.
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