JavaScript Required

Jumpseat Aerospace News requires JavaScript to function. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings to continue.

DIA Unveils Framework to Measure Military Will to Fight

September 30, 2026

2 min read

Key Takeaways

DIA releases framework to analyze a military's will to fight.
Framework assesses dynamics at all levels of power.
Methodology aims to quantify the unquantifiable.
Will to fight can change quickly over the course of a conflict.

Silver membership required Upgrade to Silver to access Key Takeaways.

Upgrade

Strategic Implications

The DIA's new framework may indicate a shift in how the US intelligence community approaches military capability analysis, suggesting a greater emphasis on intangible factors like will to fight. This could lead to more nuanced assessments of foreign militaries, which may inform US national security decisions and potentially reduce the risk of surprise, as seen in Afghanistan and Ukraine.

Silver membership required Upgrade to Silver to access Strategic Implications.

Upgrade

What Happened

Intelligence Agency Releases New Methodology for Assessing Combat Readiness

The Defense Intelligence Agency has released a new framework for analyzing a military’s ‘will to fight’, a key but difficult-to-quantify aspect of military capability. The framework, shared exclusively with Breaking Defense, assesses dynamics at all levels of power, from national leadership to individual soldiers. The DIA developed the framework in response to errors in predicting the collapse of Afghan forces and the resilience of Ukrainian forces. The agency hopes the new methodology will enable more accurate assessments of foreign militaries and inform US national security decisions. This development was first reported by Breaking Defense.

Source | Originally Published: September 1, 2026

Companies Mentioned