Evaluation Reports
Evaluation reports will not be rendered on rated Soldiers for periods during which they are prisoners of war.
This provision exists because the Army evaluation system is designed to assess a Soldier’s demonstrated duty performance, leadership, character, attributes, competencies, and potential while serving under normal or operational military conditions. A Soldier who is classified as a prisoner of war is no longer operating within a standard command environment where rating officials can fairly observe, supervise, counsel, mentor, and document duty performance in accordance with Army evaluation policy.
The absence of a traditional chain of command relationship during captivity makes it impossible to apply the normal standards required for objective evaluation reporting. Rating officials are unable to conduct required counseling sessions, observe mission execution, assess leadership actions, or evaluate adherence to duty requirements and Army standards in a professional setting.
Because of these limitations, evaluation reports covering periods of prisoner of war status are prohibited in order to preserve fairness, accuracy, integrity, and credibility within the Army’s Evaluation Reporting System.
This policy also protects the rated Soldier from inaccurate or incomplete evaluations that could negatively affect future assignments, promotions, schooling opportunities, command selection, retention decisions, or professional reputation.
Effect on Other Personnel Actions
The effect, if any, of a rated Soldier’s status as a prisoner of war on other personnel actions, favorable or unfavorable (such as letters of commendation or reprimand), and on actions under the UCMJ will be governed by the laws and regulations pertaining to the particular action.
This means that prisoner of war status does not automatically determine the outcome of separate administrative, disciplinary, legal, or recognition-related actions. Instead, each matter must be reviewed independently under the policies, standards, procedures, and evidentiary requirements applicable to that specific personnel action.
For example, decisions regarding awards, commendations, administrative investigations, adverse actions, reprimands, or disciplinary proceedings under the Uniform Code of Military Justice must follow the legal and regulatory guidance associated with those actions rather than relying solely on the Soldier’s prisoner of war status.
Commanders, legal authorities, and administrative officials must therefore consider all available facts, circumstances, evidence, operational conditions, and applicable laws before making determinations related to accountability, conduct, recognition, or discipline.
The regulation intentionally separates evaluation reporting policy from other personnel management actions to ensure that Soldiers are treated fairly and consistently under established Army and Department of Defense standards.
In practice, this approach helps maintain both the integrity of the evaluation system and the integrity of broader personnel management processes across the Army.
It also reinforces the principle that evaluation reports are intended specifically for assessing documented duty performance and professional potential within a valid rating relationship, not for making assumptions about conduct or circumstances that occurred while a Soldier was held as a prisoner of war.
By preventing the creation of evaluation reports during captivity while allowing other actions to be governed under their own legal and regulatory frameworks, the Army preserves procedural fairness and ensures that all decisions affecting Soldiers are handled through the appropriate authority and process.