For too long, toxic leadership has gone unchecked in the U.S. military, costing lives and driving out good service members. It’s time to create real accountability by allowing subordinates to evaluate their leaders and ensure those voices count just as much as senior evaluations.

Why This Matters
There’s a saying in the military: “The good ones always get out.” That saying exists because too many strong, compassionate leaders leave service early driven out by toxic leadership with no accountability.

As a veteran who served 8 years and even attempted suicide in 2017, I know firsthand how deeply poor leadership can damage morale, mental health, and ultimately lives. Many of the suicides we see in the ranks are not just personal struggles they are tied directly to toxic command climates.

The Problem
Right now, military leaders are evaluated only by other leaders. The people most affected by their decisions, their subordinates have no voice in those evaluations. This allows toxic leaders to stay in power, harming the very people they are supposed to guide and protect.

The Solution
We are calling for a system of checks and balances:

Subordinates at every rank should be able to formally evaluate their leaders.
Those evaluations should carry equal weight in promotion decisions as traditional top-down reviews.
This reform would reduce toxic leadership, improve command climates, and save lives.

The Change We Seek
We urge the Department of Defense and leadership of all service branches to immediately implement subordinate leadership evaluations in all branches of the military.