Colonel to army captain
A colonel already meets 68% of what the army captain role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.
32.1/ 100
1 How much of what an army captain is expected to do is already part of a colonel’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the army captain role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An army captain role treats 9 of its required skills as things a colonel already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise superiors on military operations
- defend human rights
- devise military tactics
- manage troop deployment
- military code
- military combat techniques
What stands in the way is 3 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 19 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An army captain role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a colonel background worth leading with.
- already held analyse potential threats against national security information skills
- already held advise superiors on military operations communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held defend human rights communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held monitor military equipment use information skills
- already held train military troops communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held devise military tactics management skills
All 19 carried skills, including the 9 the army captain role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 11 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn assist in military logistics required
- optional, not held coordinate humanitarian aid missions optional
- optional, not held give battle commands optional
- still to learn analyse logistic needs required
- optional, not held assess danger in risk areas optional
- optional, not held test safety strategies optional
- still to learn military logistics required
- optional, not held supervise the maintenance of military equipment optional
- optional, not held coordinate patrols optional
- optional, not held coordinate rescue missions optional
- optional, not held perform military operations optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an army captain role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 analyse logistic needs practise this
- 02 assist in military logistics practise this
- 03 military logistics study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 19 skills that carry over
- already held advise superiors on military operations skill
- already held defend human rights skill
- already held devise military tactics skill
- already held manage troop deployment skill
- already held military code knowledge
- already held military combat techniques knowledge
- already held military drill knowledge
- already held military weaponry knowledge
- already held monitor military equipment use skill
- already held analyse potential threats against national security skill
- already held ensure compliance with types of weapons skill
- already held ensure equipment availability skill
- already held ensure information security skill
- already held geographic information systems knowledge
- already held lead military troops skill
- already held maintain operational communications skill
- already held train military troops skill
- already held use geographic information systems skill
- already held write situation reports skill
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held supervise the maintenance of military equipment optional
- optional, not held assess danger in risk areas optional
- optional, not held coordinate humanitarian aid missions optional
- optional, not held coordinate patrols optional
- optional, not held coordinate rescue missions optional
- optional, not held give battle commands optional
- optional, not held perform military operations optional
- optional, not held test safety strategies optional
9 held skills the army captain role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role camouflage knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with policies skill
- not needed by the target role identify security threats skill
- not needed by the target role identify terrorism threats skill
- not needed by the target role investigation research methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage administrative systems skill
- not needed by the target role manage security clearance skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role perform resource planning skill
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn military logistics required
Common questions about this move
Can a colonel become an army captain?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A colonel already covers 68% of what an army captain is expected to do: 19 skills carry over, 9 of which the army captain role treats as required.
What skills does a colonel need to become an army captain?
3 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is analyse logistic needs.
How hard is the move from colonel to army captain?
Its learning distance is 32.1 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.