Spc. Henry Bradley rates his peers on well they demonstrate loyalty, respect, selfless service and other intangible Army Values, as well as on what kinds of warriors he thinks they will make. The assessment has spread from Fort Jackson to other Army ...

Basic Combat Training aims to transform civilians into Soldiers by stressing the "Nine Desired Outcomes of a BCT Graduate."

These include physical fitness, operating under stress and being proficient in Warrior Tasks - shooting, ruck marching -- all objectively tested by such assessments as the Army Physical Fitness Test and rifle qualification.

Other outcomes are more difficult to measure:

• understanding and living by Army values and the Army's warrior ethos.

• being a proud member of the Army team.

• possessing self-discipline.

Trainees who do not fare well in these three areas because of a lack of assessment do go on to graduate from basic training, to the chagrin of cadre and their peers.

In December 2014, Command Sgt. Maj. Phillip Blaisdell of the 3rd Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment wondered how these "un-assessables" could be captured and used to create better Soldiers.

He took his ideas to the battalion operations officer at the time, Capt. Grant Wanamaker.

During the next few months, the two - with the approval of Army Training Center Fort Jackson - piloted what eventually would evolve into the Warrior Ethos Assessment, an instrument meant to assess each trainee's transformation into a Soldier who demonstrates the Army values and warrior ethos, and who possesses a character consistent with what the Army requires.

The program has grown from an hourlong session in the bays to a formal process in a professional, classroom environment.

Trainees are instructed to gauge how strongly or weakly their individual squad members demonstrate Army values. They rank each peer on these intangibles, which can be quite difficult for cadre members to gauge.

Allowing them to make such assessments gives an "effective, up-close and personal look into the private's environment," said Sgt. 1st Class Tameka Williams, a drill sergeant. It gives "a chance for privates to voice how they feel."

Capt. Brendan Law, commander of Company C for the 3-13th, calls the program a "rehabilitative tool."

The WEA shines a light on weaknesses drill sergeants don't pick up but fellow Soldiers do, which provides the cadre with more insight on trainee behavior and affords them an earlier chance at improving a trainee before those shortcomings hinder training. After each round of assessments, trainees receive individual counseling.

After completing the first round of the WEA following Red Phase, Spc. Jermaine Afuola noticed a sweeping change in her squad. She said squad members discussed the assessment and used it to improve themselves.

"People volunteered and were willing to help out much more after the assessment as opposed to before," she said. "This change probably wouldn't have happened without the assessment.

"Each and every person is trying to be better leaders."

The cadre also noticed a change after the first assessment - not just at the squad level but at the company level, as well.

Sgt. Connie Johnson noticed a total change in attitude across the company after the first assessment and expects a similar effect after the latest round. A drill sergeant, Johnson thinks the assessment influences trainees to do "the right thing when drill sergeants are not around."

Blaisdell concurred -- the assessment, he said, is "a tool for drill sergeants and also the privates."

The trainees are afforded the opportunity to see themselves through the eyes of their peers. For some, the evaluation is just the spark they needed to adapt to the Army lifestyle.

"It gives them a chance to for them to prove to their peers that they are part of the team," Blaisdell said.

Peer-to-peer conversations that occur after trainees receive assessment results can be as influential as feedback from their drill sergeants - if not more so.

Trainees come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and some have a difficult time believing "their way" is not the "right way." Constructive criticism from peers has a way of sticking with trainees who may be more stubborn than others.

The 360-degree nature of the assessment gives trainees an accurate view of how their battle buddies perceive them.

Most are motivated to become more team focused and to look at themselves a little more critically.

A few, however, do little change their attitude and behavior.

Those few lead the cadre to ramp up their attempts to bring out the best in these soon-to-be Soldiers.

Sometimes, a change of environment - changing squads or platoons - is all these trainees need. At worst, the assessment becomes one of a number of red flags showing that low-achieving trainees don't wish to make the transformation from civilian to Soldier.

At the direction of the commanding general of Initial Military Training, WEA is being used at other basic training brigades, such as Fort Benning, Georgia, and Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

It is quickly becoming a standard in basic training, and it all began as an idea piloted on Fort Jackson.