In a joint op-ed for the Wall Street Journal this week, former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and former Missouri Sen. Jim Talent criticized the military's "one-size-fits-all system for recruiting, retaining and promoting troops."
"Even with the U.S. being threatened by enemies near and far who are evolving strategically and technologically, our military still operates with a personnel system designed in 1947 to fight the Soviet Union," they wrote, pointing out shortages plaguing each of the services. The Army is offering bonuses to entice soldiers to stay, the Marine Corps doesn't have enough snipers, the Navy is struggling to keep officers operating the nuclear reactors on ships and the Air Force has a shortage of nearly 1,500 pilots. And all branches are struggling to build up cyber units.
"Once troops are recruited, the Defense Department invests heavily in training them. A new fighter pilot, for example, costs $11 million. To ensure the military does not lose access to trained people who have already volunteered to serve, it must make it easier to make the transition from active duty to the reserve or National Guard," they wrote.
"The military could encourage troops to continue serving by allowing them to compete for promotion. Military promotions today are largely a seniority-based system governed by predetermined timelines. Those not promoted on schedule are kicked out. We recommend placing increased emphasis on merit and allowing individuals to seek promotion when ready. This will allow troops in critical specialties, like cyber, to master their skill sets without racing to meet arbitrary promotion cutoffs. Conversely, high-performing service members, ready for greater responsibility, could be promoted more quickly," they continued.
The pair also argued that service members should have "more say in their career aspirations."
"Some people would prefer to keep flying than have a desk job or become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The military must recognize this. We recommend creating new career paths for those who want to devote their military service to a particular specialty instead of pursuing senior ranking command," they wrote.
"As Congress considers a military buildup, it should include in its agenda bipartisan defense personnel reform to create a 21st century force. To strengthen our military, we must focus not only on new ships, planes and tanks, but also on those who sail, fly and drive them," wrote Panetta, a Democrat, and Talent, a Republican.
Rachael Kalinyak is an editorial intern with Network Solutions.
