Building Agile Military Leaders: What the NFL Can Teach Modern Warfare

From the NFL Combine to the Battlefield

Every February, the NFL Combine tests the best college football players in speed, strength, intelligence, and adaptability. Teams seek athletes who not only excel physically but also think fast, pivot under pressure, and execute in unpredictable situations. This same approach can revolutionize military talent development, accelerating the speed of team formation and increasing mission impact.

A "Military Combine" could assess soldiers, cyber specialists, and intelligence officers beyond technical skills—evaluating cognitive agility, leadership under stress, and adaptability in extreme conditions. By integrating the Innovation Code—a framework used by elite organizations to create high-performing teams—with Human Performance Optimization (HPO), the military can develop leaders who are not just resilient but also rapidly adaptable to dynamic threats.

Smarter Talent Identification: The Military Combine

NFL scouts don’t just evaluate strength; they assess how players respond to chaos. The military, undergoing structural transformation, could adopt a similarly holistic talent assessment model, incorporating:

• AI-Powered Mindset Assessments – Categorizing individuals using the Innovation Code Quadrants to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses.

• Scenario-Based Testing – Simulating battlefield conditions to measure stress responses and decision-making speed.

• Cognitive and Emotional Profiling – Using neuroscience and sports psychology to evaluate resilience, problem-solving, and adaptability.

A data-driven approach ensures warfighters can perform under high-stakes conditions, enabling faster, more strategic talent deployment.

Training for Adaptability and Rapid Development

In the NFL, raw talent alone isn’t enough. Players undergo targeted training to refine weaknesses and amplify strengths. Quarterbacks drill relentlessly on footwork, while receivers use VR simulations to master routes. The military can apply this methodology by structuring training around the four Innovation Code Quadrants:

• Control (Hierarchy): Helping cybersecurity specialists execute structured operations effectively.

• Create (Adhocracy): Training logistics officers to navigate ambiguity and innovate under constraints.

• Compete (Market): Strengthening squad leaders’ ability to make split-second tactical decisions.

• Collaborate (Clan): Teaching leaders how to build cohesive, high-trust teams for complex missions.

By accelerating training cycles, the military can shorten the time from recruitment to operational readiness, ensuring that teams are prepared to respond faster and more effectively to emerging threats.

Thriving in Chaos: The Adaptive Mindset

Future conflicts will not follow a predictable script. Asymmetric warfare, shifting alliances, and technological advancements require leaders who can operate with agility. Mastering paradoxical thinking—balancing structure with improvisation and order with flexibility—will be critical.

A high-performance military must optimize:

• Mind – Cognitive agility, strategic foresight, and real-time decision-making.

• Body – Physical endurance, biometric tracking, and performance optimization.

• Spirit – Ethical leadership, mindfulness, and resilience in combat stress scenarios.

The OODA Loop and Military Cognitive Agility

Colonel John Boyd’s OODA Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) transformed modern combat strategy. A Military Combine could integrate AI-driven assessments to:

• Measure adaptability under stress.

• Identify gaps in decision-making speed and accuracy.

• Track problem-solving effectiveness under battlefield conditions.

Embedding cognitive agility training into recruitment and leadership development enables rapid-response capabilities necessary for modern warfare.

Drafting the Right Teams, Not Just the Best Individuals

NFL teams don’t just pick the best players—they build the right teams. A pass-heavy offense prioritizes precision-route receivers, while a run-heavy scheme values dominant linemen. The military must adopt a similar strategy, using AI-driven assessments to assemble mission-ready teams based on complementary skill sets.

Instead of rigid assignments based solely on rank and MOS, a flexible, performance-based model would integrate:

• AI-Driven Team Matching – Pairing structured thinkers with creative problem-solvers for mission-specific effectiveness.

• Real-Time Performance Simulations – Stress-testing teams in dynamic scenarios.

• Data-Driven Adaptability Scores – Continuously tracking individual and unit progress.

Case Study: Special Ops in Urban Warfare

A 2022 NATO exercise demonstrated that hybrid teams—integrating tech specialists, psychological warfare experts, and logistics officers—outperformed traditional special forces in urban combat. The lesson: cross-functional teams create a decisive edge in complex environments.

Rethinking Military Testing for the Future Fight

The NFL Combine doesn’t just measure strength; it evaluates intelligence, reaction time, and resilience. The military must evolve beyond traditional fitness tests to assess adaptability and leadership under pressure. A modernized military testing model would emphasize:

• Cognitive Adaptability – Rapid strategy shifts in uncertain conditions.

• Leadership Resilience – Effective decision-making under extreme pressure.

• Stress Response – Maintaining peak performance under exhaustion and adversity.

Quadrant-Based Military Readiness Metrics

Quadrant

Key Military Testing Metrics

·      Create: Rapid decision-making in ambiguity

·      Control: Structured execution under pressure

·      Collaborate: Conflict resolution and team leadership

·      Compete: Tactical decision-making in high-stakes environments

By integrating biometric wearables, AI-driven cognitive assessments, and stress inoculation drills, commanders gain real-time insights into readiness and deployment suitability.

Example: The USAF’s Cognitive Readiness Initiative

The U.S. Air Force has begun incorporating cognitive-based evaluations, such as the "Accelerated Learning for Adaptive Minds" program, training pilots and intelligence officers to process information faster under combat conditions. These assessments track:

• Reaction time – Speed of decision-making.

• Stress resilience – Ability to function under pressure.

• Adaptability – Performance in complex scenarios.

The Future of Military Talent Development

In the NFL, every inch matters. In warfare, every decision does. By implementing a Military Combine, the U.S. military can ensure its warriors aren’t just strong—they’re the smartest, fastest, and most adaptable leaders on the battlefield. Increasing the speed of talent development and enhancing mission effectiveness will be critical to future success.

Jeff DeGraff: Clinical Professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and co-founder of the Innovatrium Institute for Innovation. Co-author of The Art of Change: Transforming Paradoxes into Breakthroughs (April 2025).

J. William "Bill" DeMarco: Colonel, USAF (Ret), Professor, and Director of Innovation Development at Air University (AUiX). Founder of the Eagle Institute.