Friday, December 6, 2019
What is it?
The Battalion Commander Assessment Program (BCAP) is the U.S. Army’s new process to assess an officer’s fitness for battalion command. Officers selected on the Lieutenant Colonel Centralized Selection List (CSL) are invited to attend the BCAP to continue to pursue battalion command.
During the BCAP, officers will take a series of cognitive, non-cognitive, physical, verbal, and written assessments. They will also conduct an interview with a panel of senior Army officers. Officer BCAP scores, combined with an officer’s standing on the CSL order of merit list will inform a new order of merit list.
What are the current and past efforts of the Army?
The intent of the BCAP is to expand the Army’s understanding of each officer’s talents and assess their potential and fitness for command. The information gathered during this process can be used to refine the Army’s ability to more precisely match the strengths of its developing leaders against the array of critical responsibilities and missions the Army faces today, and in the future.
During summer of 2019, 27 lieutenant colonels whose names appeared on the fiscal year (FY) 2020 lieutenant commander alternate command select list participated in the BCAP pilot. The results of the pilot informed changes to the implementation of the BCAP to include incorporating a verbal assessment and accounting for an officer’s past performance in overall scoring.
What continued efforts does the Army have planned?
All officers selected for the FY 2021 Army Competitive Category (ACC) Battalion Command CSL will participate in the BCAP from Jan. 15 - Feb. 9, 2020 at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The Army will use the BCAP results to determine the battalion commander selection of: principal command selects as well as alternate command selects. The Army will also use the BCAP results for the removal of officers from command consideration starting with the FY21 ACC CSL.
Why is this important to the Army?
Selection for battalion command-level positions from the ranks is one of the most important personnel decisions the Army makes. BCAP expands the Army’s understanding of each officer’s talents and assesses their potential and fitness for command. Officers leading at this level are critical to the accomplishment of the Army’s mission and play a crucial role in the retention of the officers and non-commissioned officers.
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When you go out there and talk to industry leaders about the management of their people they will say that they are in a war for talent. That ‘war on talent’ is going to be a decisive factor on how we fight future wars. One of [the Army’s] strengths is the people that we bring in and the leaders that we develop.
- Maj. Gen Joseph P. McGee, director, Army Talent Management Task Force, speaking at an Institute of Land Warfare breakfast, Nov 14, 2019
‘War for Talent’ to be factor in future fights, says task force director