Afghanistan review could lead to change in promotions for NCOs, officers
The Pentagon’s review into the withdrawal from Afghanistan could lead to an overhaul of how young enlisted leaders and officers are evaluated and promoted.
Jeff Schogol
Published Jul 3, 2025 10:52 AM EDT
Abbey Gate
Marines assist with security at an evacuation control checkpoint at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 26, 2021. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla.
The Pentagon’s ongoing review into the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan could prompt the Defense Department to “reform the way that we evaluate and promote young noncommissioned officers and young officers,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell told reporters recently.
“If you think back to my time in Afghanistan as a young commander, giving battle update briefs as a captain to my battalion commander, if I were constantly saying that my area of operations was a disaster, it didn’t have the ammo or troops that I needed to accomplish the mission, the likelihood of me getting promoted was probably not great,” Parnell said Wednesday Pentagon news conference. “So, how do we set the conditions in the [Defense] Department to create a sense of honesty where our officers are reporting what they believe to be accuracy — they’re concerned about maybe their area of operations; they’re concerned about the truth and, maybe, less about their careers.”
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/afghanistan-review-promotions/
