US Army Evaluations: A Study of Inaccurate and Inflated Reporting

Abstract : This is a study of the inflation and inaccuracy of U.S. Army evaluations and how they affect Army promotions. Army evaluations have become inflated and have become an ineffective measure of performance and potential for continued service. The author conducted a review of Army evaluations and how they relate to the changes the Army has experienced over the last decade in response to the War on Terrorism. These changes have created tremendous growth to counter the need for more boots on the ground for longer durations. In response to this growth, and the growing demands on the individual leader, Army evaluations have become over-inflated in response to increasing demands for promotions. This inflation of evaluations has made them ineffective measures for potential for continued promotion and increased responsibility in the Army. Based on these findings, current Army evaluations leave too much room for inflated comments that do not inform centralized promotion boards with reliable and accurate information in determining the potential for increased responsibility. Current evaluations should be revised to remove the abundance of inflated reports.