WORKFORCE
“Te Army initially developed assessments to aid in determining the right basic branch for cadets, but we evolved to make these assessments available for functional areas,” said Jason Pitts, acqui- sition workforce proponency chief in the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center’s Director of Acquisition Career Management Office. “Our focus is now on ensuring that officers can make informed decisions about their careers, especially after complet- ing their company command.”
Te C3AB-R, developed by the Army Research Institute, aligns with the Army Talent Attribute Framework and measures key knowledge, skills and behaviors (KSBs) identified through an Army-wide job analysis. Te assessment provides a predictive tool to identify officers’ fitness for functional areas and assists in their recruitment and Volunteer Transfer Incentive Program decisions.
A STRATEGIC TOOL FOR BETTER PLACEMENT Te C3AB-R will assess captains, particularly around their six- to-eight-year mark of service. Tis timing coincides with their attendance at the Captains Career Course—a critical point for professional development. Te assessment evaluates key factors like job fit, satisfaction and performance prediction within a specific functional area.
“Historically, officers transitioning into a new functional area like acquisition had limited information about their potential success or satisfaction,” Pitts explained. “Te C3AB-R changes that by offering data-driven insights, allowing both the Army and the officers to make better, more informed decisions.”
Te assessment groups FAs into clusters based on KSB impor- tance ratings. For example, FA 51 is evaluated based on critical KSBs like communication, analytical thinking and critical thinking. Te assessment measures cognitive, non-cognitive and communication skills, providing a holistic profile of each offi- cer’s strengths and fitness for these FAs.
VALIDATION AND IMPLEMENTATION Te validation of the C3AB-R involved extensive data collec- tion, where current FA officers completed the assessment and provided feedback on their satisfaction and fit within their roles. Supervisors also contributed by rating the officers’ performance across 17 dimensions. Te results demonstrated that the C3AB-R effectively predicts officer fitness for FAs, supporting its use as a reliable tool for talent management.
Following the successful validation, the Army plans to roll out the C3AB-R as the Occupational Aptitude Battery (OAB) starting in
https://
asc.ar my.mil 101
2025. Tis transition will include integrating scoring algorithms into automated tools, finalizing feedback reports for Captains Career Course students, and establishing data pipelines to ensure seamless communication of results to functional area proponents.
CONCLUSION Te Army’s implementation of the OAB is not just about enhanc- ing the officer selection process; it’s also about future-proofing the Army’s talent management strategies. By 2025, the OAB will be a standard component of the Captains Career Course, with the potential to influence a wide range of FAs beyond FA 51.
Moreover, efforts are already underway to develop a simi- lar predictive assessment for noncommissioned officers within Military Occupational Specialty 51 (Contracting), reflecting the Army’s commitment to expanding cognitive assessments across different ranks and roles.
“By introducing these assessments, we’re not only improving our selection process but also providing our officers with the tools they need to succeed in their chosen careers,” Pitts emphasized. “Tese assessments empower officers to make informed decisions about their future, which is crucial for retaining the talent the Army needs to stay mission ready.”
As the Army prepares for the full rollout of the OAB, the program promises to bring a new level of precision and personalization to the Army’s talent management efforts, ensuring that officers are placed in roles where they can thrive and contribute most effec- tively to the Army’s mission.
For more information, email Jason Pitts at
jason.r.pitts.civ@
army.mil.
ANGELA SANSON is a communications analyst in the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center’s Director of Acquisition Career Management Office. She has worked in strategic communication and public affairs for the U.S. Army for more than a decade. She holds an M.A. in public communication from American University and a B.A. in strategic communication from Te Ohio State University.
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