Officer Management in 2040: Developing Officers like a Winning Major League Baseball Franchise

Officer accessions is the Army’s means to identify, develop, and integrate professional military officers into specific specialties that best accomplish the Army’s core responsibilities. In a global environment characterized by rapid technological modernization, this article examines how the current accession/leader development model prepares officers for the battlefield of 2040.
The authors assert that rising global trends—geopolitical disputes, rapid transformation, and the diffusion of technology—shift the nature of warfare toward a dual domain: machine-centric conflict alongside analog, human-centric conflict. The current officer accessions leader development outcomes remain aligned with the goal of producing officers ready to fight and win our nation’s wars. However, to promote the technical core competencies required of officers to succeed within machine-centric conflict, the authors propose a future force structure taking inspiration from the major league baseball franchise: a small, elite active-duty force operating at the forefront of evolving technologies, and a larger ready-reserve tailored for human-centric warfare, equipped with ample developmental opportunities for transition to active duty. These insights highlight the evolving demands and competencies officers will need to win in future warfare.