[House Hearing, 113 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.A.S.C. No. 113-73]
FUTURE RECRUITING CHALLENGES
IN THE FISCALLY CONSTRAINED ENVIRONMENT
__________
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY PERSONNEL
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
HEARING HELD
JANUARY 16, 2014
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TONGRESS.#13
______
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SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY PERSONNEL
JOE WILSON, South Carolina, Chairman
WALTER B. JONES, North Carolina SUSAN A. DAVIS, California
JOSEPH J. HECK, Nevada ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania
AUSTIN SCOTT, Georgia MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO, Guam
BRAD R. WENSTRUP, Ohio DAVID LOEBSACK, Iowa
JACKIE WALORSKI, Indiana NIKI TSONGAS, Massachusetts
CHRISTOPHER P. GIBSON, New York CAROL SHEA-PORTER, New Hampshire
KRISTI L. NOEM, South Dakota
Craig Greene, Professional Staff Member
Debra Wada, Professional Staff Member
Colin Bosse, Clerk
C O N T E N T S
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CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF HEARINGS
2014
Page
Hearing:
Thursday, January 16, 2014, Future Recruiting Challenges in the
Fiscally Constrained Environment............................... 1
Appendix:
Thursday, January 16, 2014....................................... 27
----------
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2014
FUTURE RECRUITING CHALLENGES IN THE FISCALLY CONSTRAINED ENVIRONMENT
STATEMENTS PRESENTED BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
Davis, Hon. Susan A., a Representative from California, Ranking
Member, Subcommittee on Military Personnel..................... 2
Wilson, Hon. Joe, a Representative from South Carolina, Chairman,
Subcommittee on Military Personnel............................. 1
WITNESSES
Andrews, RDML Annie B., USN, Commander, Navy Recruiting Command,
U.S. Navy...................................................... 7
Brilakis, MajGen Mark A., USMC, Commanding General, Marine Corps
Recruiting Command, U.S. Marine Corps.......................... 6
Grosso, Brig Gen Gina M., USAF, Director, Force Management
Policy, U.S. Air Force......................................... 8
Penrod, Virginia S. ``Vee,'' Deputy Assistant Secretary of
Defense for Military Personnel Policy, Department of Defense... 3
Seamands, MG Thomas C., USA, Director of Military Personnel
Management, U.S. Army.......................................... 4
APPENDIX
Prepared Statements:
Andrews, RDML Annie B........................................ 57
Brilakis, MajGen Mark A...................................... 49
Grosso, Brig Gen Gina M...................................... 69
Penrod, Virginia S. ``Vee''.................................. 33
Seamands, MG Thomas C........................................ 41
Wilson, Hon. Joe............................................. 31
Documents Submitted for the Record:
Letter from LTC (Ret.) Margaret Stock to Mr. Coffman
supporting H.R. 435, The Military Enlistment Opportunity
Act........................................................ 81
Witness Responses to Questions Asked During the Hearing:
Mr. Coffman.................................................. 109
Mr. Scott.................................................... 107
Ms. Tsongas.................................................. 107
Questions Submitted by Members Post Hearing:
[There were no Questions submitted post hearing.]
FUTURE RECRUITING CHALLENGES IN THE FISCALLY CONSTRAINED ENVIRONMENT
----------
House of Representatives,
Committee on Armed Services,
Subcommittee on Military Personnel,
Washington, DC, Thursday, January 16, 2014.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:05 a.m., in
room 2118, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Joe Wilson
(chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOE WILSON, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM
SOUTH CAROLINA, CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY PERSONNEL
Mr. Wilson. Ladies and gentlemen, the hearing will come to
order.
I would like to welcome everyone to a meeting of the House
Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
Even before we begin, there is someone who is not here. The
late John Chapla, who was one of our lead personnel, and just a
real champion for our military service members, military
families, and veterans. And I am just so grateful that all of
us--yesterday, we had a tribute to John. And it was a real
tribute to a person who has made a difference on behalf of our
military. And, in particular, I am very grateful, as I became
chairman of this subcommittee, succeeding now-Secretary of the
Army, John McHugh. Wow. It was huge shoes to fill, except that
John Chapla was there. And so, he was an extraordinary person.
Additionally, he had a great talent in recruiting
professional staff to work with him, with Jeanette James and
Craig Greene. And just, so appreciative--David Giachetti and
Colin Bosse. So, we have got good people. And then yesterday,
too--and many of you were there--but what a tribute for his
wife, Leah--to know how much people appreciate, and also, his
daughters, Maren and Marie.
So, as we begin today, we truly are working on issues that,
indeed, were established by John Chapla.
Today, the subcommittee will examine the future recruiting
challenges in a fiscally constrained environment, as well as
discuss whether or not there is a need to expand the eligible
population available for service in the military.
Historically, after major conflict or war, the military
goes through a period of reduction and change to include
smaller budgets. The next several years will be no different,
except the Budget Control Act of 2011 will have a greater
impact on budget reductions.
The committee has heard from the Department of Defense and
the military services over the past year on the impacts of
military sequestration on end strength, readiness, and
procurement. But equally important is the impact on the ability
to recruit an All-Volunteer Force.
Regardless of the size of the military, it must still be
able to attract eligible and qualified individuals to serve.
With the percentage of eligible youth between the age of 17 and
24 shrinking, it will remain a challenge for the services to
recruit the best and brightest qualified candidates. I
personally believe service in the military creates opportunity.
And as many people as possible should have that opportunity to
serve, as long as they meet the required qualifications. I
myself cherished the opportunities it has provided to me and my
family, all credit to my wife. And so, four sons serving today,
thanks to efforts that all of you have made.
I would like to welcome our distinguished witnesses.
Ms. Vee Penrod, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
for Military Personnel Policy.
Major General Thomas Seamands, Director of Military
Personnel Management, U.S. Army.
Major General Mark A. Brilakis, the Commanding General of
Recruiting Command, U.S. Marine Corps.
Rear Admiral Annie B. Andrews, Commander, Navy Recruiting
Command, U.S. Navy.
Brigadier General Gina Grosso, Director of Force Management
Policy, U.S. Air Force.
Mrs. Davis, Ranking Member, do you have any opening
remarks?
[The prepared statement of Mr. Wilson can be found in the
Appendix on page 31.]
STATEMENT OF HON. SUSAN A. DAVIS, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM
CALIFORNIA, RANKING MEMBER, SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY PERSONNEL
Mrs. Davis. Yes, thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I certainly
want to acknowledge with you the many, many contributions in
the service to this committee, and through this committee to
the men and women who serve, and particularly, their families,
as well. It was heartwarming to see the response and all the
eulogies, all the wonderful things that people had to say. And
I know the family appreciated that.
Today's hearing on future recruiting challenges in a
fiscally constrained environment is certainly timely. And I am
pleased that we are starting early with these hearings, given
the recent news that unemployment rates have recently fallen
below 7 percent, and the first since 2008. That said, we know
that we still want to see our economy improve, but we know that
it has an impact, as well, on the services.
Recruiting and retention efforts of the services are a
complex issue that needs to be continuously overseen and
properly managed in order for the services to achieve our All-
Volunteer Force.
And the economy, the propensity to serve, the support of
influencers, patriotism, the ability to serve are just a few of
the factors that impact recruiting and retention.
The passage of the Budget Control Act and sequestration has
had an impact on the services, clearly. And although there is a
budget agreement for the next 2 years that will provide some
stability, available resources will significantly diminish over
the next several years. And so, attracting and retaining
qualified candidates to serve in the Armed Forces will continue
to place demands on limited resources.
The decisions that the services and the Department make
today will have years of repercussions. So, it is important
that we understand where the services are in their recruitment
and retention efforts, what efforts they are taking to meet
their goals in these very uncertain fiscal challenges to ensure
that they are bringing together, that we are finding, and that
we are retaining the right people with the right skills,
education, and experience for the right jobs.
So, thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I look forward to hearing from all of our witnesses. And
thank you all so much for the contributions that you all make.
Thank you.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you, Mrs. Davis.
I now ask unanimous consent that Congressman Mike Coffman
from Colorado and Congressman Jeff Denham from California be
allowed to participate and ask questions after all members of
the subcommittee have had the opportunity to question the
witnesses.
Without objection, so ordered.
Ms. Penrod, we will begin with your testimony. As a
reminder, please keep your statements to 3 minutes.
We have your written statements for the record. Following
your testimony, each subcommittee member will participate with
questions in rounds of 5 minutes each until adjournment.
STATEMENT OF VIRGINIA S. ``VEE'' PENROD, DEPUTY ASSISTANT
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL POLICY, DEPARTMENT
OF DEFENSE
Ms. Penrod. Thank you.
Chairman Wilson, Ranking Member Davis, and distinguished
members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to
provide testimony today.
The All-Volunteer Force continues to perform remarkably
well as it enters its fifth decade. It continues to be the
strongest and most well-respected military force in the world.
Our new recruit quality is at an all-time high, and in
almost every category, we continue to achieve the numbers of
volunteers required to sustain this professional force.
We know the continued success of our All-Volunteer Force
begins with recruiting the best and the brightest of America's
youth. These young men and women are diverse and are
representative of our society.
We rely on and appreciate the continued support of the
Congress, which has contributed greatly to our ability to meet
our recruiting and retention goals, especially in our more
challenging times.
Despite our recent recruiting success, the process has
inherent challenges. The size of our youth market is finite.
Today, nearly 75 percent of our youth are not qualified for
military service. There are a number of reasons for this, but
the main reason among them is health and fitness issues.
In addition, since 2004, the percent of youths who
associate military service with an attractive lifestyle is down
approximately 20 percent.
We also know that our recruiting efforts are often shaped
by the health of the economy and world events.
The last couple of years of relatively high youth
unemployment has been a driver for more people to consider
military service.
As the economy improves, however, we expect youth interest
in military service as an employment option to decline.
To expand the recruiting market, the Department has long
supported the enlistment of non-citizens, to the extent
permitted by law, subject to these individuals being otherwise
qualified for service in the United States Armed Forces.
The Department of Defense is conducting a comprehensive
review of immigration issues as they relate to service in the
Armed Forces.
Upon completion of the review, we will share the results
with you.
Fiscal realities also impact recruiting, requiring the
services to continuously adjust recruiting programs
accordingly. The Department will pay close attention to these
adjustments.
To overcome potential challenges that may lie ahead, we
must ensure our recruiters are trained and the appropriate
recruiting resources are available to meet these challenges.
I will leave it to my colleagues to address the efforts
they have taken in the respective services.
Mr. Chairman, in conclusion, I want to thank you and the
members of the subcommittee for your advocacy on behalf of the
men and women of the Department of Defense.
In particular, I would like to take the opportunity to
publicly thank and recognize the significant contributions of
John Chapla to the Department of Defense, and I offer my
sincere condolences on his passing.
I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Penrod can be found in the
Appendix on page 33.]
Mr. Wilson. Thank you very much, Ms. Penrod
General Seamands.
STATEMENT OF MG THOMAS C. SEAMANDS, USA, DIRECTOR OF MILITARY
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, U.S. ARMY
General Seamands. Chairman Wilson, Ranking Member Davis,
distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for the
opportunity to appear today on behalf of America's Army.
I would like to echo the comments already made about John
Chapla. John was an Army veteran, a friend, and he always
reminded us, at the end of every legislation, every action, was
a soldier and their family.
I appreciate your steadfast commitment to ensure the needs
of the All-Volunteer Force are met. Through your support we are
able to balance needs of our soldiers, their families, and our
civilian workforce.
Our Army is now made up of the highest quality, best
trained, most experienced, and highest skilled soldiers ever.
Our ability to meet the challenges of the current and the
future operational environment depends on our ability to
recruit great citizens and retain great soldiers.
As we go through the drawdown, though the recruiting
missions will be lower, we will continue to bring in high-
quality men and women into the force to grow future leaders.
In fiscal year 2013, the Active Army met its recruiting
mission. The Army National Guard and Army Reserve fell short of
their fiscal year 2013 mission, primarily due to the need to
recruit to specific geographic areas.
We must retain the most talented soldiers with the
experience and skills necessary to meet our future needs.
Despite the challenges of the ongoing conflict, future
drawdown plans, and the budgetary constraints, the Active and
Reserve once again exceeded their enlistment retention missions
for fiscal year 2013.
The National Guard achieved 86 percent of its assigned
mission. The total Army percentage newly enlisted soldiers with
a high school diploma was 98 percent, well above historic
rates.
Additionally, the Army achieved 99 percent for each of its
military occupational specialties. However, recruiting is
expected to become increasingly more difficult due to tough
recruiting environment and the impacts of the budget.
These will likely cause a decline in the entry pool.
The continued support of Congress for competitive military
benefits and compensation, incentive bonuses for our soldiers,
and marketing to help us tell our story will remain critical to
the All-Volunteer Army's effort to recruit, retain, and support
the highest caliber soldier.
While we transformed to a smaller Army, we remain dedicated
to improving readiness and building resilience in our soldiers,
civilians, and families. The well-being of our force,
regardless of the size, is absolutely dependent upon your
tremendous support.
The Army is proud of the high caliber men and women whose
willingness to serve is a credit to our Nation.
Chairman Wilson, Ranking Member Davis, and members of the
subcommittee, we thank you again for your generous and
unwavering support of our outstanding soldiers, civilian
professionals, and family.
Army strong.
[The prepared statement of General Seamands can be found in
the Appendix on page 41.]
Mr. Wilson. Thank you, General, and thank you, too, for
referencing John Chapla. He was such a proud Army veteran,
Vietnam veteran. He, I believe, fulfilled his commitment as a
Virginia Military Institute gentleman, serving God and country.
Thank you very much.
And General Brilakis.
STATEMENT OF MAJ GEN MARK A. BRILAKIS, USMC, COMMANDING
GENERAL, MARINE CORPS RECRUITING COMMAND, U.S. MARINE CORPS
General Brilakis. Brilakis, sir, thank you very much.
Good morning, Chairman Wilson, Ranking Member Davis, and
distinguished members of the subcommittee. Thank you for your
continuously strong support for your Nation's military forces
and our recruiting efforts.
I am pleased to appear before you today, to answer
questions about the state of Marine Corp recruiting.
And before I go on, on behalf of the men and women of the
United States Marine Corps, I would like to echo Ms. Penrod's
sentiments with respect to Mr. John Chapla and his passing, and
recognize his long service, both to the committee and to the
Nation.
The Marine Corps remains faithful to our responsibility to
you and to the American public to recruit quality people who
meet the standards that we expect of marines.
We also remain committed to our process of transforming our
youths into marines, winning our country's battles and
returning quality citizens back to their communities, citizens,
who, once transformed, will be marines for life.
As our Commandant has recently stated to the full
committee, the corps has been a people-intense force for more
than 238 years. The individual marine is the bedrock of our
corps.
The Marine Corps has succeeded for more than four decades
to attract superb young men and women from all of America's
communities. However, today's recruiting force continues to
face many challenges. Our recruiters work long hours to find
eligible and physically qualified candidates, with the ambition
or propensity to serve their country.
Additionally, our recruiters find they must invest
considerable time with parents, teachers, guidance counselors,
and others who influence today's youth as they consider their
post-high school opportunities.
During the past fiscal year, the Marine Corps achieved its
recruiting objectives in both quality and quantity. There was
also continued progress with recruiting applicants from a wide
and diverse background, across all the States and territories.
This was the result of the hard work performed by those
marines assigned to the recruiting duty and committed to
accomplishing that mission.
I attribute the success we achieved this past year to the
strong, positive image our corps enjoys with the American
people, and to a quality recruiting force, one that is staffed,
screened, well-trained, and properly resourced to meet mission
requirements.
We are currently meeting our objectives for both enlisted
and officer recruiting in fiscal year 2014. And while
recruiting is beset with uncertainties, we anticipate that we
will achieve our assigned mission in this current year.
Thank you again for this opportunity to appear before you.
We will continue to work hard to find and recruit quality
volunteers to ensure the Marine Corps remains ready to defend
our country today and tomorrow, wherever and whatever the
mission might be.
Mr. Chairman, on a personal note, I would like to thank you
and your family for their service to our country. Thank you,
and I am prepared to answer your questions.
[The prepared statement of General Brilakis can be found in
the Appendix on page 49.]
Mr. Wilson. General Brilakis, thank you very much for your
testimony.
Admiral Andrews.
STATEMENT OF RDML ANNIE B. ANDREWS, USN, COMMANDER, NAVY
RECRUITING COMMAND, U.S. NAVY
Admiral Andrews. Chairman Wilson, Ranking Member Davis, and
distinguished members of the committee, thank you for holding
this important hearing and for the opportunity to discuss the
challenges facing Navy recruiting in a fiscally constrained
environment.
On behalf of our Navy family, I would like to echo Ms.
Penrod's expression of sympathy to Mr. Chapla's family,
friends, and colleagues.
Navy continues to work hard to attract the best and
brightest to serve in the United States Navy. Last year, and so
far this year, we have achieved all Active Component officer
accession goals and all Active and Reserve enlisted accession
goals.
In general, the pace of economic growth, coupled with high
unemployment, has contributed to a favorable recruiting market,
permitting a proportional reduction in recruiting resources.
As the economy continues to improve and the recruiting
environment becomes more challenging, we must continue to
adequately source recruiting efforts to continue meeting
accession goals.
As long as Navy recruiting is funded, consistent with the
President's budget request, I am confident that we will not
experience any insurmountable difficulties in marketing and
advertising, sustain recruiter training and high-quality
recruiting force, or meeting accession requirements for high-
demands, low-density rating.
As private sector career opportunities increase, use of
incentives such as enlistment bonuses will help attract
recruits with the characteristics necessary for Navy service,
as means of getting the right sailor with the right skills to
the right place at the right time.
Additionally, effective marketing and advertising is a
force multiplier, crucial to lead generation and accession of
the right sailor. In fiscal year 2012, Navy obtained the
highest historical recruit, with quality of 99 percent of
accessions entering as high school diploma graduates.
Last year saw a slight decline in recruit quality, which,
while still well above DOD [Department of Defense] and Navy
standards, bear watching for leading indicators. We remain
committed to sustaining recruit quality as a means of
maintaining our technological edge. We are America's Navy.
We will continue to recruit the best and most qualified
youths in the Nation to meet current and emerging requirements
while tackling the challenges of an increasingly competitive
marketplace and an improving economy.
On behalf of Navy leadership, the men and women of the
United States Navy and their families, I thank you for your
commitment and unwavering support. I look forward to your
questions.
[The prepared statement of Admiral Andrews can be found in
the Appendix on page 57.]
Mr. Wilson. Thank you very much, Admiral Andrews. General
Grosso.
STATEMENT OF BRIG GEN GINA M. GROSSO, USAF, DIRECTOR, FORCE
MANAGEMENT POLICY, U.S. AIR FORCE
General Grosso. Chairman Wilson, Ranking Member Davis,
distinguished members of the committee. It is my honor to
testify before you today representing all airmen serving in the
United States Air Force.
I would like to echo my colleagues' condolences on the
passing of Mr. John Chapla. We offer our deepest sympathies to
his family and friends during this difficult time and would
like to recognize his tremendous service to our Nation.
A strong recruiting program is vital to the Air Force's
ability to provide airspace and cyberspace power to the Nation.
A weak economy in recent years, coupled with the talented and
adequately resourced recruiting force, produced the highest
quality recruits in Air Force history.
However, we recognize this trend will be unsustainable as
the economy continues to improve and competition to draw
recruits from the small, qualified talent pool, who are
alarmingly less inclined to choose military service as a
career, increases dramatically.
With this in mind, we must remain focused on recruiting,
assessing, and retaining qualified and motivated airmen to meet
today's and tomorrow's security challenges.
This will require continued investment in our recruiting
forces with a focus on maintaining a right-sized and
appropriately trained recruiting force.
It will also require a sustained and robust advertising and
marketing campaign to support our recruiters' efforts to assess
hard-to-reach markets and effectively sway youth towards
military service.
And finally, it will require an adequate initial enlistment
bonus program, which has demonstrated a strong return on
investment by inducing non-propensed recruits to volunteer for
our most hard-to-fill specialties.
In spite of recent budget reductions, we will continue to
strongly advocate for recruiting resources needed to ensure we
do not miss annual recruiting requirements. Thank you for your
interest in the Air Force's recruiting program. I look forward
to your questions.
[The prepared statement of General Grosso can be found in
the Appendix on page 69.]
Mr. Wilson. Thank you very much, General.
And now that I will proceed into the 5-minute rounds and we
will have a person above reproach, Craig Greene, to maintain
the 5-minute rule, including on me. And so that we can get to
everyone here.
As we begin again, I indicate in my opening statement that
what I see you doing is obviously protecting our country, our
freedoms, our liberty, civil order, but you are providing
opportunity.
And our families lived it. My dad was in the 14th Air Force
Flying Tigers. That was the highlight of his life. And I am
very grateful to have a nephew in the Air Force.
And then the Navy--I grew up in the extraordinary city of
Charleston, South Carolina, the Navy base. I was a sea cadet. I
am very grateful to have a son who is in the Navy.
The Marine Corps, General Brilakis, I will always cherish--
I represent Parris Island. And to see the positive
transformation of young people, it was extraordinary to see
these young people speaking to their family members, trying to
explain--it is me. And there was an extraordinary physical and
presence change that truly was extraordinary and very
uplifting.
And then, General, I am very grateful to have three sons in
the Army, currently, and I have the privilege of seeing what
you do.
And that is, as I fly into Columbia Airport, which I will
do later today, there will be young people there with brown
envelopes and manila envelopes. I know why they are there.
The Columbia midlands community greets them as royalty with
the USO [United Service Organization] right there. First thing
they do, and then the drill instructors get them back on the
bus.
But thank you for providing opportunity and safety. In the
past the services have reduced the number of recruiters to cut
cost and try to use other tools to mitigate the impact, such as
social media, technology, and putting civilians in recruiting
offices.
For each of our military witnesses, and beginning with
General Seamands and we will go right, I am concerned that
history will repeat itself again. And the services will reduce
the number of recruiters based on the budget and not mission
requirements.
As some of you have stated in your testimony, recruiters
are working 60-hour weeks with the stress of the job impacting
their mental health and family life.
What are each of you doing to ensure that you have enough
recruiters to meet your missions?
General Seamands. General Wilson, thank you for the
question.
What the Army is doing is taking a long-term view of the
issue. If you look at our accessions mission for 2014, there
was a reduction from 2013. What we opted to do is leave the
recruiting force into the communities.
We feel that what recruiters do and so much of what you and
I do every day is built on trust. And you need to keep the
recruiters in the high schools, in the communities, in the
cities, to have that relationship and that trust.
So we have maintained roughly the same level of support
despite a reduced mission out in the recruiting force.
General Brilakis. Mr. Chairman, thanks for the question.
In 2012, after a lot of research and work was done, we
determined the current size of recruiting force is adequate to
meet our requirements now into the future, and the Commandant
approved 3,760 recruiters in support of that active mission.
He has also directed that that number be filled at 100
percent. You are well aware that, across the board, there are
certain units that get their full complement and some that get
a little bit less depending upon the availability of manpower.
Ours are being filled at 100 percent which allows us to put
marines across the globe, across the country, and in some of
the territories. So we are actively recruiting across every
aspect of our Nation.
On the resource side, with respect to dollars, we have
been--we did take a reduction with respect to our advertising
and recruiter operations dollars given the scope and the size
of the sequestration reduction that was coming in 2014.
However, we have taken a hard look at that. We have made
economies. And we feel very comfortable where we are at,
understanding that in the future there will be a challenge with
some of the adjustments we have been made.
And so we are looking at that very closely to determine
exactly where we will have to go back to leadership and ask for
a little bit more to make sure that we are in a good position
to take advantage of whichever way the demographics go.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you.
Admiral Andrews. Mr. Chairman, for the Navy, the recruiting
budget for this year's accession is favorable. We concern
ourselves as well as far as making sure that we have all the
recruiters dispersed across the Nation giving them time for
their families.
For the number of accessions that we have for this year, we
are very comfortable. We concern ourselves within the coming
years if those numbers and accession numbers go up that we want
to make sure that we have all the right recruiters out there in
all the places making sure that they remain ambassadors for the
Navy, going into schools, into communities, and being there and
spending their time with their families. Thank you, sir.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you.
General Grosso. Mr. Chairman, our recruiting force is sized
by the number of accessions that we have and has come down
slightly as the force has gotten smaller. We have no plans to
reduce recruiters further and we, too, like the Marine Corps,
have changed our assignment policy such that all of our
positions will be filled.
Mr. Wilson. And that is very encouraging. And, as I
conclude, I also want to commend you working with JROTC/ROTC
[Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps/Reserve Officers'
Training Corps] units.
As a product of ROTC myself and as I travel through the
district I represent, educators are just so pleased with what
JROTC means to the school, the spirit of the school. It just
has such a positive impact. But, also, certainly can introduce
young people to the benefits of military service.
So I want to thank you all for work with the--particularly
the JROTC units.
And, now, we shall turn to Congresswoman Davis.
Mrs. Davis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And I wonder if you could just highlight a major challenge
or two. One of them that we were aware of over the past decade,
of course, is medical professionals, mental health providers, a
whole group of individuals who are vastly needed throughout the
country, more so in rural areas, small towns, as opposed to big
cities perhaps, but we know that that is a real need.
So if you could include that among other highlights of, you
know, particular challenges.
I think that you also both, I think, General Grosso and
Admiral Andrews, that there has been some decline in quality
that you suggested and we know from the reports too that
students of--have more high academic scores are less inclined
perhaps now. So if you could help us out with those issues that
would be very helpful.
Ms. Penrod, do you want to speak to that or we will just
let the services or--go ahead.
Ms. Penrod. I will defer to the services----
Mrs. Davis. Okay, thank you.
Ms. Penrod [continuing]. On their particular programs.
Mrs. Davis. General Seamands.
General Seamands. Ma'am, I think one of the indications,
and you asked about major challenges, as we look at our delayed
entry pool, we see that decreasing. We see that as kind of a
canary in the coal mine in terms of warning about a tough
environment ahead. If you were to go back in time about a year
ago, we would have had almost half our mission in the delayed
entry program. If you look at it now, it is about a third so it
is going down which is one of the things we are looking at.
In terms across the board, we do fairly well with our
medical professionals coming in. One of the challenges we have
is the cyber piece as we train for the Army cyber force making
sure we have the right soldiers with the right skill set in
that area.
Mrs. Davis. Yes. Thank you.
General.
General Brilakis. Ma'am, as I take a look at resources and
one of the questions--you asked about rural recruiting. There
is always a challenge. There is time involved.
I was just up in Buffalo at the beginning of the week and
outside of Buffalo, dairy country, a lot of small high schools,
a lot of time required to get to a small high school with 25 to
50 graduates, to get allowed into that school and have that
dialogue with those students.
You know, the toughest thing that we deal with probably
right now, resource-wise, that nobody can help me with, is
time. There is never enough time.
But we are making the effort and we have people across the
country and we are in every market and we are actively
recruiting in those small schools because it is important to
the Commandant to have representation across our Nation in the
Marine Corps.
On the quality issue that you talked about, our quality is
as high as it has ever been. The young men and women we are
assessing are exceptional. They are dedicated, they are bright
and they are doing really hard things very, very well.
I think part of the challenge that has been identified is
the number of those individuals is dropping a little bit, but,
more importantly, the propensity of those individuals is going
down.
And so while there might be a good, sustainable population,
their propensity is getting smaller and so there is a smaller
number.
Mrs. Davis. Yes.
General Brilakis. You know, the 30-some million 17- to 24-
year-olds that we have out there, by the time you get all the
way down to those that are qualified and propensed, you are
down to less than a million young Americans, which means we
have to work--that is an area we like to work in.
But we also have work in that qualified not necessarily
propensed. How do we get in and show them the value of service?
And so that is one of the things that's very difficult for us
right now and we are continuing to work that.
And the last thing I would talk about are concerns for me
are dollars. Just with respect that we all understand that a
decision we make today in the recruiting effort, whether it be
manpower or in dollars, can boomerang very badly a year or two
from now.
The lagging indicators are the things that are probably the
toughest to indicate and as the employment numbers start to get
better, and we are all happy about that, those challenges are
out there.
Mrs. Davis. Thank you.
Admiral Andrews. For managing time, the recruiters spend a
lot of time making sure that they are out there in those
schools and places and being visible. Along with their time,
they are doing a lot of mentoring, they are training, they are
in schools, they are talking with parents, and they are doing
administrative work.
For quality, we have seen quality high and we have the
luxury of that for the last couple of years, but we are also
looking to make sure that we can keep that quality.
While the ASVAB [Armed Services Vocational Aptitude
Battery] scores have been high for those that we are accepting,
our concern would be when quality change and look at those
trends as the economy improves. And we will know that by
looking at time it takes to get recruiters in, time it takes to
get them at least accepted into the Navy.
As far as medical, for the Reserve, we have had our
challenges for getting those medical and that was due to, one,
high retention within the Active Duty, not going into the
Reserve, and the others because of the medical practice, some
are concerned with losing their own private practices and also
concern about long deployment.
The concern I have is with the--making sure we have dollars
so we continue to be out there to advertise. It takes a long
time for--if we lose our sight out there in the community to
gain that again. So keeping those dollars for advertising and
making sure we are where we need to be where it matters so we
can get there.
General Grosso. Ma'am, our major challenge is promoting
airmen that work typically with the Army and the special ops
forces. We call them battlefield airmen. We don't have big
recruiting numbers, but that is exactly where we target our
initial enlistment bonus. And we have found that to be very
effective and we have not seen a drop-off in quality yet.
In fiscal year 2013, we finished the year with 98 percent
of the force at 50 percent or above in the percentile. And
right now the young folks we have in our delayed enlistment
program are at 97 percent. So we haven't seen a drop-off yet.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you, Mrs. Davis.
And we now proceed to the newly named--just-named chairman
of the Oversight and Investigation Committee, Congressman Dr.
Joe Heck.
Dr. Heck. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you all for being
here and thank you for what you are doing in trying to make
sure that we are able to maintain the All-Volunteer Force.
Ms. Penrod, I am going to direct my questions to you
because I think they are kind of overarching across all the
services. The first one is that in a time of decreasing
resources, I think we see every time the NDAA [National Defense
Authorization Act] or a defense appropriations bill comes to
the floor there are amendments offered to try to micromanage
recruiting budgets, what you can and can't spend your money on.
Can you briefly tell me what the impact of that is by
saying let's say you can't sponsor NASCAR, you know, based on
what you think as a service are the best use of your dollars?
Ms. Penrod. Yes, Dr. Heck. We believe that the services are
really in the best position to determine how to spend
recruiting dollars. They understand their force. They know
their requirements. They understand the culture.
When the services are directed or not directed to spend
recruiting dollars, it is, we believe, a misdirection of funds.
So we absolutely believe the decisions should be left to the
services, and we provide oversight to ensure that they follow
policy and law.
Dr. Heck. Thanks for allowing that to get on the record.
Second question. Even though--and the chairman mentioned the
impact of JROTC units, and I try to get to visit all of the
JRTOC units that are in my district. And knowing that the
mission is really to build leadership, not necessarily a
recruiting tool, is there a number--do we track how many
accessions we get from JRTOC programs?
And I know that in greater discussion about DOD budgets one
of the things that's potentially on the chopping block are
JROTC programs. Is there a concern amongst the recruiting
community if we start cutting JROTC and what that might to do
to the recruiting pipeline?
Ms. Penrod. Dr. Heck, you are absolutely correct. Junior--
JROTC is an assistantship program and not a recruiting program.
There are 3,400 units currently in JROTC. The services are
struggling with their budgets to maintain those units. And they
do understand the citizenship aspect of those programs.
We do not collect or maintain data on the number of
individuals that would be encouraged by participating in junior
ROTC that come into the military.
Dr. Heck. I would just throw out there that might be a
number that is worth trying to track to see whether--because I
think that may help actually make an argument to continue JRTOC
as a funded program if we can show that we are getting a fair
number of accessions from them participating in those programs.
Next question is as we all see that--we are seeing that
decreased propensity to assume a military lifestyle, and we are
certainly seeing a decrease in the number of folks that are
either academically or physically and medically qualified to
come into the service.
You know, over history we have had changes in entry-level
requirements to try to meet the demands. Sometimes those
haven't always worked to the benefit of the services. Curious
as to whether or not--I know it is still early because of the
current changes in the market--but whether or not there is any
consideration being given to changing accession requirements in
order to meet the mission.
Ms. Penrod. Dr. Heck, again, All-Volunteer Force is in the
fifth decade. And even in times of difficult recruiting we have
never lowered the standard of 90 percent high school diploma
graduates or 60 percent in categories I through IIIA. It is
very important that we bring in a quality force to maintain our
readiness and the requirements of the services.
Dr. Heck. I am going to run out of time soon. I got a list
of questions. The other one I want to ask is how are we doing
on getting access to the high schools? Are we seeing continued
problems with getting access in certain communities or certain
areas? Are we getting access to our potential recruits?
Ms. Penrod. We have outstanding access. We are not seeing
problems at this time.
Dr. Heck. Since I have some time left, I am going to change
to Major General Seamands. I will let you off the hook, Ms.
Penrod.
With the issue that we are seeing in meeting the Guard and
Reserve recruitment missions, what steps are being taken to try
to convince those that are separating from Active Duty to
continue their service in either the COMPO [Component] 2 or 3?
General Seamands. We have developed a great partnership
with the Reserve and the Guard and work hand in hand with them
as we identify and downsize the armed--the Active Component. If
you were to take a look at the Active Component to Reserve
Component transition the last couple years, we have exceeded
157 percent 2 years ago and we have raised the standard or the
goal for that across the board.
My counterparts in the Guard and the Reserve understand how
our--what our process is. One of the things we have done is
with the Reserve recruiters we have moved their engagement with
the Active force to the left so they are engaging them earlier.
So it becomes part of their thought process about getting out,
going to Reserves and Guard.
We talk about soldier for life where you continue to be a
soldier after you leave the service. We don't like using the
word separation of service. It is really a transition whether
you go to civilian or go into the Reserve Component, but we are
encouraging that across the board from the Chief of Staff of
the Army all the way down.
Dr. Heck. Great. Thank you very much. Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Yield back.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you, Chairman Heck. We would proceed to
Congresswoman Niki Tsongas. She has had to depart for a vote.
And so we will now go to Congressman Austin Scott of Georgia.
Mr. Scott. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And Congressman Heck
asked a lot of my questions. Access to ROTC and the--I would be
interested in the number of people who are in ROTC and enlist
in the military and maybe the average duration because I think
that is an extremely valuable program.
I guess I will move to a different question. Maybe you can
answer this. The issue of dwell time. And when I first got to
Congress, one of the goals of the leadership at the DOD was to
increase the dwell time because they felt like that was having
a tremendous impact not only on the retention of people but on
the ability to bring new people in, especially if it wasn't
somebody who was 18 but somebody who maybe was a little older
than your traditional recruit.
It seems to me that some of the policies with reducing the
size of the force as we are engaged in more and more conflicts,
granted some of them may be smaller, is inconsistent with
increasing the amount of dwell time the men and women in
uniform have.
And I just wonder if each of you could speak to that issue
of dwell time and the impact that it has on recruiting.
General Seamands. I believe there is a direct correlation
because--not only on recruiting, sir, but also on retention. I
will take it for the record to get you the exact numbers. I
believe we are about one to two right now in the Active
Component force.
Part of it is a math problem. So as the number of
requirements to deploy goes down, the dwell time obviously goes
up. However, if the number of deployments goes up, that will go
in the opposite direction.
It has been a concern of the past couple Chiefs of Staff
that we get it for quality of life as well as for retention. So
I will take that for the record and get you the exact number.
[The information referred to can be found in the Appendix
on page 107.]
General Brilakis. Sir, as a commander of our recruiting
forces, the issue of dwell is more, as General Seamands
mentioned, more a career and retention issue.
With respect to the Marine Corps, it is not necessarily the
number of individuals in the service. It is the number of
units. Because by and large, we redeploy as units.
So there are some reductions based on the overall drawdown
of my service and some of the other services as well that will
affect dwell. But there is nothing really--with respect to what
we are doing, there are some retention issues. But as our
recruiting commander, I am not in a position to be able to
comment.
Mr. Scott. As we go forward, one of the other questions I
have, has the average age of a recruit changed or has it stayed
the same? Has the economy had an impact on people who are say
25, 26 looking to get into the service more so than they have
in the past?
General Brilakis. With respect to the Marine Corps, about
50 percent of our enlistees are coming out of high school. We
have focused and have been focused for years on a high school
market where we get good quality, highly propensed and
motivated young Americans to come and be marines.
Outside of--that other 50 percent then is what we call the
grad market, or those that you--were once--at one point in time
in high school and now are looking for an opportunity and a
challenge. That age has increased a bit, not substantially. But
I would have to take that for the record and get back to you on
specifics.
[The information referred to can be found in the Appendix
on page 107.]
Mr. Scott. Thank you.
General Grosso. Sir, the average of an Air Force recruit is
about 20\1/2\ years of age. And if you look at the 10-year
average it is 20, so it has slightly gone up in the last couple
of years.
Mr. Scott. I represent Robins Air Force Base and Moody. So
if you are down there, please let me know.
Admiral Andrews. Sir, for the Navy, the average age is
about 19 years old, but we have seen a lot that are coming in
due to the economy that we get them in a little older. And some
have at least a high school diploma as well as from junior
colleges.
In reference to your question on dwell time, we are at this
present time rolling out what is known as the Optimized Fleet
Response Plan to create a better predictability. And I would be
more than happy to take this back and get some data for you,
sir, and take this one for the record.
[The information referred to can be found in the Appendix
on page 107.]
Mr. Scott. Thank you, ma'am. One last question for you,
Admiral. Savannah State University. Are you from Georgia or did
you just choose to go to school in that great State?
Admiral Andrews. Sir, I am from the great State of Georgia.
Mr. Scott. Yes, ma'am. I am too. Where? Are you from
Savannah?
Admiral Andrews. Near Hinesville, sir. Small town about
maybe 45 minutes south of it.
Mr. Scott. Yes, ma'am. I know right where it is. I am from
Tifton.
Admiral Andrews. Very well, sir.
Mr. Scott. Thank you for your service.
Admiral Andrews. Thank you, sir.
Mr. Scott. Chairman, I yield the remainder of my time.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you, Congressman Scott. And we now
proceed to Congressman Dr. Brad Wenstrup of Ohio.
Dr. Wenstrup. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I was a pretty cheap
recruit. In 1998, I just called 1-800-USA-ARMY and said I would
like to join. It didn't take a whole lot of marketing there,
and proud to have served.
And when I was in Iraq, I had the opportunity to take three
of our enlisted to the Al-Faw palace for a ceremony where I saw
about 100 soldiers and marines being sworn in as U.S. citizens.
It was a pretty moving event to see these people that would put
the American flag on their sleeve and be willing to die for the
country that they weren't even citizens of yet.
And so I just need a little update if I can. Under current
law, are foreign citizens able to join the U.S. military
without, say, legal residence in the United States? These all
had legal--the ones I worked with had legal residency in the
United States and then joined the military. But can you join if
you are from Canada, for example, and want to serve in our
military?
Ms. Penrod. Yes, Dr. Wenstrup, I can take that.
If you are a legal resident, a Green Card holder, you are
able to join the military.
We also have a program called Military Accessions Vital to
the National Interest, which are bringing in non-immigrants,
which is our visa card holders. That program currently has
1,500. It is a pilot program. So there isn't the ability to do
that.
But those are our two programs.
Dr. Wenstrup. And when people do that, either as legal
residents or in that program, does that fast-track them to U.S.
citizenship?
Ms. Penrod. Yes, sir. While we are in combat--or, I should
say, war. It is fast-tracked from the day you enter; we begin
working with the individual to process them for citizenship.
Dr. Wenstrup. In peacetime, is it different?
Ms. Penrod. It is different in peacetime.
In peacetime, it is--you have the Green Card holders. And
it takes about a year for them to work through citizenship.
Dr. Wenstrup. So they still do it but it just takes a
little bit longer?
Ms. Penrod. Yes, sir.
Dr. Wenstrup. Are many in the past 10 years, have many been
taking advantage of that? And will that still be an opportunity
for people?
Ms. Penrod. We have provided citizenship to 92,000. And
that is in--now that includes those already on Active Duty,
those that come into the service, and some of our veterans.
So it is about 92,000.
Dr. Wenstrup. Okay.
Thank you.
I yield back.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you very much. And we now proceed to
Congressman Mike Coffman of Colorado.
Mr. Coffman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for inviting me to
this important hearing today on the current and future
recruiting challenges of our armed services.
As an Army and as a Marine Corps combat veteran, I am proud
of the extraordinary current level of talent in the armed
services that has developed under the all-volunteer military
that we have today.
However, I am worried that the future pool of recruits may
not be able to maintain the elite standards that we have
established. Factors such as an improving economy, cultural
changes, and how a generation views military service, or when
our Nation is engaged in conflicts that, quite frankly, may
lack popular support, all these factors can contribute to the
number of qualified applicants applying to be in our military.
One of the more distressing issues that has been brought up
here today is the shrinking pool of eligible enlistees. Less
than 30 percent of eligible 17- to 25-year-olds qualify for
military service, according to 2009 mission readiness study.
Although the force is shrinking, as you move from a wartime
posture, as members of this committee, as the HASC [House Armed
Services Committee] committee----
[Laughter.]
Mr. Coffman [continuing]. And for the members of this
subcommittee, I think we must always plan to have the deepest
pool of eligible and qualified recruits possible to ensure we
are ready to meet all and future challenges.
Therefore, the question we have to ask is how to maintain
standards while choosing from a decreasing pool of recruits. Of
course, one answer is to widen the pool of potential recruits.
For this reason, I introduced legislation that would widen
the enlistment statute, section 504 of the U.S. Code, to allow
not only natural born citizens and legal permanent residents to
enlist, but also temporary visa holders and individuals
approved under the Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals or DACA
program, which is administered by DHS [Department of Homeland
Security].
Including this group of potential applicants will broaden
our enlistment pool in preparation for any future engagements,
help recruiters maintain high standards, allow the processing
of fewer waiver requests, and minimize the need for bonuses and
other financial incentives for enlistment. I worked closely
with experts in the field of immigration and military law to
develop a proposal that works both as an immigration and as a
military enlistment measure.
At this time, I would like to ask unanimous consent to
submit a letter written by one such expert, Retired Lieutenant
Colonel Margaret Stock, into the record, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Wilson. Yes.
[The information referred to can be found in the Appendix
on page 81.]
Mr. Coffman. This paper details the reasons why the current
enlistment statute is flawed and why H.R. 435 provides the best
remedy. Again, Mr. Chairman, thank you for allowing me to be
here today.
Ms. Penrod, on a related question, prior to the enactment
of the current consolidated enlistment statute, section 504, in
2006, there were no statutory limitations on wartime
recruitment of individuals regardless of immigration status.
In 2006, the Pentagon asked Congress to limit enlistment of
persons without Green Cards. So today, a person who is not a
U.S. national, a Green Card holder, cannot enlist unless he or
she is quote-unquote--``vital to the national interest.''
Why was the statute amended in 2006 when the effect would
be to limit the military manpower pool in wartime?
Have there been any internal discussions to alter the
current statute by implementing the changes sought by H.R. 435?
Ms. Penrod. Congressman, I am not aware of why the change.
I would need to get back to you on that particular issue.
[The information referred to can be found in the Appendix
on page 109.]
Ms. Penrod. Although the Department's policy is not to
comment on pending legislation, I will say that the Department
of Defense has long supported the DREAM Act [Development,
Relief, and Education for Alien Minors] and its tenets, which
would provide a path of citizenship through military service
for undocumented aliens who enter the country before age 16.
We do believe it would--it is important to expand the pool
of eligible youth and the--one issue that would be problematic
is if the Department were asked to determine immigration status
of the individual.
But we do support expanding the pool.
Mr. Coffman. Okay.
What is DOD's policy or regulation with regard to the
enlistment of American citizens or legal immigrants who have
family members who are not authorized to be in the United
States?
Ms. Penrod. Well, the Department currently does not have a
policy on undocumented family members. That issue has been
brought to our attention, when the Department of Homeland
Security standardized the parole-in-place policy. Because of
that, we have formed a working group of the services. We are
working across agencies with the Department of Homeland
Security to look at what are some of the issues with regard to
that population.
For example, security clearances, obtaining ID cards and as
we work through that process, we will be more than happy to
come over here and report on that status.
Mr. Coffman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you, Congressman Coffman.
And we now proceed to Congresswoman Niki Tsongas of
Massachusetts.
Ms. Tsongas. Thank you all for being here today. We know
what challenges you confront in such a fiscally constrained
environment and so we appreciate your coming here to talk about
how we recruit the best and brightest going forward.
I wanted to bring up an issue that is particularly evident
in my home State of Massachusetts. Massachusetts is home to two
remarkable installations, one Air Force and one Army, that are
developing some of the premier technical advances in some of
the military's most complex endeavors. Hanscom Air Force Base
is known as the birthplace of modern radar and airspace
management and continues to be credited with developing
programs with great technological achievement.
And Natick Soldier Systems is delivering incredible
lifesaving capabilities to our soldiers. During a recent visit
to Natick, General Odierno, who we were so glad to have come to
Massachusetts, stated, quote--``The work they do at Natick is
critical for our future. These are the kinds of technologies
that we need.''
But I have heard concerning stories from each of these
installations about how sequestration, furloughs, hiring
freezes, program delays, and budget cuts, including pay cuts,
have made it more difficult for them to retain and recruit the
highly specialized personnel needed to fulfill this important
work.
And I am also very troubled by the message sent by the
reduction in research, development, test, and evaluation
funding that is part of the omnibus package moving through
Congress.
We are now experiencing the steepest cut, percentage cut in
research and development funding seen in any economic downturn
since the end of World War II, at a time when our challenges
are becoming ever more complex.
So as a result, the private sector is becoming the primary
choice for highly skilled personnel at an alarming rate,
particularly when we look at the losses within our defense
labs. I have worried that this talent drain, both in our
uniformed and civilian ranks, will compromise our ability to
successfully achieve our national security objectives in the
future.
We know that we will always confront threats from
increasingly capable adversaries and our military will
constantly need to execute future missions with even greater
agility and precision despite fewer resources. But it is going
to require an investment in military innovation and the
brainpower needed for us to, despite these challenges, keep the
technological edge.
So my question is, I would like to hear from all of you if
possible.
I would like to hear more about what the services are doing
to recruit the skilled workforce you need, but also to retain
the highly skilled civilian workforce that plays such a key
role in these technological advances that are taking place at
so many of our defense labs.
And I don't know if you would like to begin speaking on
behalf of the Defense Department.
Ms. Penrod. Thank you, ma'am.
I am not aware of the particular issues at Hanscom, other
locations. We are aware that with the furloughs and the pay
cuts that we need to keep our eye on the impacts, especially to
the civilian workforce. But also to our military and retention.
So we are providing oversight; we are watching that and we
provide that information up through our leadership when we see
signs that we are starting to have difficulty.
Ms. Tsongas. General.
General Seamands. Ma'am, for the Army, we have been able to
maintain the right number of quality. But as we look at some of
our growth areas, like cyber, that is an increasing challenge.
Our recruiters are going out there in high schools and going
after STEM [science, technology, engineering, math], the
scientific technology and math, not only for our soldiers but
also for our officers at places like West Point and ROTC, where
we have driven the number of STEM degrees up in both cases,
because we recognize that the increased requirement for
technical abilities in the future.
In terms of the civilian workforce, ma'am, that is a little
bit outside of my purview. But I will tell you within my
section, having them, the civilians' work furloughed did have
an impact on our personnel policy, because they work there and
oftentimes it is a one-deep person position. So we need to work
through that in the future.
Ms. Tsongas. How do you calibrate the need between the
civilian side and the military side?
How do the services deal with that as well?
I mean, since you need both?
General Seamands. Part of it is in the force structure that
is designed, which calls for either military or civilian; in
some cases, civilians are on the documents in order to provide
continuity and depth in areas, whereas the military tend to
move around a little bit more.
General Brilakis. Congresswoman, thank you for your
question.
With respect to civilians overall policies, beyond the
scope of my responsibilities; however, I do have civilians
within the recruiting command.
And I think part of our challenges on retaining good
quality, high-performing civilians is the fact that for years,
for a number of years, they received no pay raises.
They were the butt of particular jokes, and it is just
quite frankly, an issue of respect and how we look at the
civilian workforce and how we treat them.
You know, there are challenges with respect to resources,
et cetera, and I understand that. But overall, we can look in
the mirror and see where some of the challenges are in
retaining some of our really good civilians.
They are an incredibly committed, patriotic group of
individuals, but we have challenged them, I think, in the last
few years with respect to them staying.
With respect to attaining high-quality personnel, the
Marine Corps tends to--you know, my focus is on selling the
Marine Corps, and not specific jobs.
We have requirements; we look for good quality people. Our
officer-recruiting focuses and understands that we are
competing with corporate America and the other military
services, and that is a high bar for us to pass over.
And so we use just a broad range of techniques and efforts
to make sure that we are attracting high-quality, talented, and
enthusiastic individuals to take up the challenge to become
marines.
Admiral Andrews. Congresswoman, thank you so much for your
question.
As far as for high quality, the Navy also looks into the
STEM program, making sure that we can have those high,
technical science, technology, engineering, and math.
We go after those because we know that those are the ones
that we will need to take our Navy into the next century.
As far as with our civilians, I will take that one for the
record. I can't comment on that. But I would like to say about
our civilian sailors, is that that certainly was missed during
the furlough. You can tell that that was a big miss.
[The information referred to can be found in the Appendix
beginning on page 108.]
Admiral Andrews. We work closely together, hand in hand. We
work as a team. And we want to continue to do that, and we also
know that the furlough certainly set that back. It only brings
about working much more with the military and increasing their
hours as well.
And for the Hanscom, I am not familiar with that, as well,
ma'am.
Ms. Tsongas. It is more the broader issue that Hanscom and
Navy raised--the need for these qualified personnel in general.
Yes.
Admiral Andrews. Thank you, ma'am.
Ms. Tsongas. Yes.
General Grosso. Ma'am, strengthening the public's awareness
of STEM in association with the Air Force is an enduring
priority in our marketing and advertising strategy on the
military side.
And we have actually been very successful, on both the
officer and the enlisted side, recruiting the STEM talent that
we need to fill the requirements that are associated with that.
The civilian side is a concern to us as well, and it is a
difficult challenge, especially when you look--as the size of
the civilian force gets smaller, and the rules that govern how
you handle reducing the size of the workforce, what you find is
that your young people--and we value longevity, and so what
happens, is your youngest person is typically that one that is
let go, I would say. I think that is tremendously challenging.
And I will take for the record, to get you some--I am not
familiar with all the things that we are doing to try to bring
civilians into--in particularly with STEM, and I know we have
issues at Robins, I was not familiar with concerns at Hanscom.
But I will take that for the record.
Ms. Tsongas. I would actually appreciate if all of you
would take it for the record, because I think it is an
important issue.
[The information referred to can be found in the Appendix
beginning on page 107.]
So thank you and I yield back, I appreciate your giving me
additional time.
Mr. Wilson. Very important, and thank you, Congresswoman
Tsongas.
We now proceed to Congressman Jeff Denham of California.
Mr. Denham. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I have seen, first hand, some of the challenges with
recruitment and its impact on military readiness. I was one of
those 17-year-olds that signed up for the military with my
local recruiter when I was in high school.
And also want to see the opportunity for those men and
women that came here as kids, through no fault of their own,
that have gone to school, side by side with us, that have gone
to ROTC, that have graduated from our education system also
have those same opportunities.
So, I am pleased today to offer my bill, The ENLIST Act, as
a partial solution to the recruitment challenges of the future.
I look forward to working with members of this committee as
well as Chairman McKeon, as well as our expert witnesses that
are here today, to expand the enlistment eligible population to
include undocumented, American-grown individuals who have been
brought into this country as children and otherwise are
eligible to serve in our U.S. Armed Forces.
As a nation, we have never made citizenship a requirement
for service in the Armed Forces. Since the founding of our
Nation, non-citizens have been a part of our military and
Congress has seen fit to make military service a way for
patriotic individuals, from other countries, to show their
allegiance to our flag and become U.S. citizens.
More than 660,000 military veterans have become citizens
through naturalization from 1862 to 2000. These men and women
have proven they are prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice
for their adopted country.
For the many thousands of young, undocumented immigrants
who graduate from our public and private high schools each
year, military service would offer an avenue for them to serve
the United States and earn a legal status in the country they
love.
As someone who served, I remember the pride that I had
wearing the uniform, and cannot think of a better way for these
young people to earn the right to fully share in the rights and
freedoms of America.
Couple of questions for our witnesses today. Heard on your
testimony that there are men and women that do gain
citizenship, some are naturalized.
Is there any difference in service and capability and
dedication between somebody who is a naturalized service member
versus an American-born service member?
Ms. Penrod. Thank you, sir, for your support of our
military and recruiting.
We find that individuals we bring into the military from
all the areas of the United States, whether they are legal
immigrants, citizens, perform exceptionally well.
The quality is very high in the military and we do not
distinguish between whether you are a legal immigrant or a
legal non-immigrant and whether or not you are citizen, as far
as, once you are in the military, we do not track that.
However, I can say that our records show that all perform
at a very high quality.
Mr. Denham. Thank you. Others care to comment?
The second question. If either my bill or Congressman
Coffman's bill were enacted into law, what efforts would the
Department or each service branch have to undertake to ensure
that these individuals meet the eligibility requirements?
Ms. Penrod. Well, sir, as I stated earlier, it is
Department policy not to comment on pending legislation.
I can state that we have always supported the DREAM Act,
which would provide a path of citizenship for our undocumented
individuals that came into country before age 16.
We do believe it would be problematic if legislation were
passed and the Department were required to determine what the
immigration status is.
But we would follow the law and whatever decision or
legislation is passed, then we would implement that.
Mr. Denham. So under the situation where you have got the
Deferred Action, or the DACA, the status would be defined. They
would be undocumented but would be able to legally be here, and
now under this legislation, be legally able to serve in the
military?
Does that appear to have any problems in eligibility----
Ms. Penrod. If a law is passed or changed where a group of
individuals are now legally allowed to come in the military,
then they would be like any other individual that today can
come into a recruiting office and request to come in the
military.
Mr. Denham. I yield back the balance of my time.
Thank you.
Mr. Wilson. And thank you very much, Congressman Denham,
thank you for being here and your promotion of your efforts.
And Mrs. Davis, would you like to make a concluding?
Mrs. Davis. I just had one question, because I think it is
fair to bring it up. During the discussions that we had around
sexual assault, I think, it is probably fair to say that the
military got a black eye during those discussions.
And a number of witnesses suggested, in addition to the
many, many reasons for that, including what civil society looks
like.
But I suggested that perhaps too many waivers had been
given during the time that our operational tempo was very high.
Could you comment on that? And what you think that means
today? And how we are going about looking at that situation.
Ms. Penrod. Yes, Congresswoman Davis, I can tell you that
our policy is we do not allow waivers of any individual
convicted of sexual assault, sexual predators--they are not
allowed to come in the military.
Mrs. Davis. I think part of what was suggested is that
records were such that there might have been some areas that
were questionable but they didn't pick them up or it wasn't
stringent enough.
Anybody want to?
General Brilakis. Ma'am, during that time, when the
question came up, we did, as Ms. Penrod alluded to, we got
through and checked every enlistment and every marine. Every
marine I had on recruiting duty and I had none that had a
previous history or conviction of sexual assault, physical
abuse, et cetera.
And we have now made that a service standard and part of
our accessions effort and policy to ensure that no individual
who has a proclivity or history of sexual violence, sexual
assault, et cetera, is even considered for accession in the
Marine Corps.
Admiral Andrews. For the Navy, ma'am, with the recruiters,
we also went back and made sure that we can check. And we
didn't have any that was of that--and any nature or of
convictions of any. And we continue to train.
I think we better understand, we have momentum, we are
having intrusive leadership, we are out there, we are training,
we are talking and this is all the way from the recruits coming
in the door, within 72 hours they know as well as throughout
the Navy, ma'am.
General Grosso. And, ma'am, I have the data for fiscal year
2013, 8 percent of our recruits came in with a waiver and 98
percent of those waivers were for medical. So very few airmen
have come in with a conduct waiver, 61. And I can get you the
exact details on those 61, ma'am.
Mrs. Davis. Thank you.
[The information referred to was not available at the time
of printing.]
General Seamands. Ma'am, from the Army, if you go back the
last couple years, we typically brought between 11 percent and
12 percent people in with waivers. And, like the Air Force, the
vast majority were for medical reasons.
I will acknowledge, in the years we were doing Grow the
Army, there are probably some people who wouldn't be, that
certainly wouldn't be admitted today into the force. And, thus,
the small number of waivers for misconduct. Each one of those
is investigated as they go.
In terms of sexual assault, ma'am, I would offer that from
the Chief of Staff of the Army all the way down to recruiters,
they understand what is at stake. They understand it is a
matter of respect. It is a matter of leadership and character.
And every one of our recruiters is taught what they can and
cannot do. We have a buddy system with the recruiters to make
sure they understand what the rules are, what their engagement
is with the citizens to make sure that no lines are crossed.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you very much, Mrs. Davis.
Chairman Heck.
Dr. Heck. Thanks, Mr. Chair. I appreciate your indulgence
in allowing me a follow-up. Because the point that was just
made about waivers, I think, goes back to the question that I
originally asked Ms. Penrod.
While the accession qualifications may not have dropped
below the 90 percent threshold, the ability to issue conduct
waivers is something that is fungible and fluctuates. I think
that as one of my concerns, is that if we are getting to a
point where we are having difficulty meeting accession
requirements, if all of a sudden, we start to see a growth in
the number of waivers--not necessarily medical, but in conduct
waivers. And so, I just wanted to get that out there as
something that I think is--that we are going to need to keep
track of and report back.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you, Chairman Heck. And as we conclude, I
think it is very appropriate that Mrs. Davis brought it up
about criminal sexual assault. Because to me, it always was
most insulting because we are to, in the military, protect each
other's back. And I look at it as a family.
And, again, I want to thank you for providing opportunities
for American families. Our family, this weekend, is going to be
participating--our youngest son, Hunter, just concluded his
service, Army National Guard Engineer, in Afghanistan. And for
American families, this is just so meaningful. We have a 2-day
conference of briefings to the members, to their family
members, explaining what the different opportunities there are
for future service, if there are any problems which can be
addressed. And I truly have seen our military advance to be so
family-friendly with opportunity.
Thank you. We are adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:15 a.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]
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WITNESS RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS ASKED DURING
THE HEARING
January 16, 2014
=======================================================================
RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY MR. SCOTT
General Seamands. The Army's current active component dwell ratio
is 1:2.73 (deployed time:home station time). Our goal is 1:2, 1 year
deployed, 2 years at home. We are currently exceeding our dwell ratio
goal which is a positive factor in our Recruiting and Retention
efforts. [See page 15.]
General Brilakis. The Marine Corps traditionally recruits 50% of
enlistees from the 17-18 year old high school market. The remaining 50%
of enlistees have already graduated high school, commonly referred to
as ``The Grad Market.'' Over the past five years from FY09-FY13 the
average enlistee from ``The Grad Market'' has remained consistent at 23
years old. [See page 15.]
Admiral Andrews. Dwell time has no direct impact on recruiting. A
typical recruit applicant is not concerned about, or even aware of
dwell time, and chooses to enter the Navy with the expectation of
serving at sea. [See page 16.]
______
RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY MS. TSONGAS
Ms. Penrod. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(STEM) underpin DOD's ability to defend the Nation. Developing a highly
competent STEM workforce requires partnerships among government,
industry and academia. Emerging mission requirements pose STEM
workforce challenges for DOD. However, the Department is committed to
the development of a world-class STEM talent pool and workforce with
the creativity and agility to meet national defense needs. The
Department has a number of initiatives underway to attract, develop,
and retain a highly proficient, agile, and effective STEM workforce.
DOD STEM workplace efforts are based on development of programs to
strengthen and broaden the STEM talent pool across the education
continuum, and to leverage recognized best practices to increase the
effectiveness of current STEM hiring practices and procedures.
Initiatives include:
Multiple programs offering internship opportunities from
high school through post-graduate school. These programs provide
students meaningful training and career development opportunities and
potential candidates for STEM positions in many different fields.
Programs include, but are not limited to, the Science, Mathematics, and
Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship Program, DOD
Centralized Apprenticeship Program (DCAP), Student Training and
Academic Recruitment (STAR) Program and Pathways Programs.
The DOD Science and Technology Reinvention Laboratory
Demonstration projects are using numerous human resources flexibilities
to attract, recruit and retain highly skilled workforce by providing
competitive salary offers through the use of pay banding, and rewarding
high performers through contribution-based and pay-for-performance
programs. Most significantly, the demonstration projects have access to
several direct hire authorities to recruit science and engineering
candidates, including qualified veterans, at both the undergraduate and
advanced degree levels.
To retain its STEM talent, the Department seeks to ensure a
challenging, rewarding, and inclusive work environment. That includes
fostering creative and innovative leadership to motivate and engage the
workforce, promoting opportunities for education, training, and career
growth, and leveraging STEM workforce expertise to deliver innovative
solutions for the Nation's current and future defense challenges.
[See page 22.]
General Seamands. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the
Department of Army Science and Technology Reinvention Laboratories
(STRL) participate in STEM Outreach (K-12 and Universities/Colleges) to
excite and engage diverse students to consider careers in STEM and to
influence them to consider the U.S. Army as an employer of choice. They
each have a robust Intern Program and support undergraduate and
graduate students pursuing degrees in STEM disciplines.
Recruiting the right talent in STEM fields to meet current
challenges and projected workload is critical to the accomplishment of
mission requirements. However, it has become more difficult to fill
STEM jobs due to a decreasing supply of available candidates and
competition with other federal agencies and the private sector for the
same talent pool.
To retain critical STEM skilled employees, we encourage employees
to partner with mentors and to explore training and certification
opportunities comparable to those of their career-military
counterparts. We ensure our workforce understands the value of
obtaining and maintaining licenses and certifications, which improves
their professional competence and increases individual and
organizational credibility.
Fostering the development of our employees and providing the
opportunity to manage diverse projects allows our STEM employees to
remain fully competitive with industry in retaining the highest-
qualified talent, and ensure that our workforce can effectively and
expeditiously meet emerging challenges.
We utilize incentives, quality of life programs, wellness programs,
work/life balance, employee engagement, and telework to sustain our
STEM employees. In addition, we work to ensure that STEM employees'
contributions/achievements are recognized with monetary and non-
monetary awards. [See page 21.]
General Brilakis. The Marine Corps recognizes the importance of
understanding the functional requirements of each position and the
vital role they play in accomplishing the mission of the command. In
order to ensure our commands are planning to acquire, develop, and
retain the personnel necessary to fill each position, the Marine Corps
has formalized two strategic workforce programs that ensure commands
and functional leaders are planning for the needs of their future
workforce. The first is the Command-Level Strategic Workforce Planning
Process, which requires commands to conduct a position-by-position
review, determine the needs and trends associated with those positions
over the next five years and develop a strategy to acquire, develop,
and retain the talent necessary to ensure mission success. The second
is the USMC Community of Interest program that establishes senior
leaders in each functional area of the workforce (i.e. Intelligence,
Information Technology, etc.) and has them focus on the technical needs
required to develop and sustain that talent/capability within the
Marine Corps. Between these two initiatives, the Marine Corps will be
able to adapt to the changing landscape and proactively plan to have
the talent needed in the future. [See page 22.]
Admiral Andrews. Department of the Navy (DoN) manages nearly
195,000 civilians with over 61,000 scientists and engineers conducting
research, development, acquisition, maintenance, test and evaluation to
deliver and sustain affordable warfighting capabilities to Sailors and
Marines.
DoN manages and participates in several programs to sustain, grow,
retain, and recruit the future civilian workforce. The Science,
Mathematics & Research for Transformation (SMART) and Naval Acquisition
Development Program (NADP) are two examples of these programs. The
SMART program is a scholarship for service program where the Department
of Defense (DOD) provides scholarship funds for undergraduate and
graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(STEM) fields at over 200 universities and colleges including
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). While at college,
SMART students work in the DOD Labs and facilities under mentorship,
gaining valuable experience prior to fulltime employment with DOD. The
NADP program has been managed by DoN for over 20 years. NADP is a
centrally funded full time two-to-four year training program executed
by the Director, Career Acquisition Management (DACM) via the Naval
Acquisition Career Center (NACC). The objective of the program is to
centrally hire, train, develop, and certify acquisition workforce
personnel to replenish/sustain the Acquisition Workforce in nearly all
career fields. Upon successful program completion, graduates are
matched to a command. Over 8,000 personnel have graduated into the
Acquisition Workforce since inception of the program.
Because the development of the workforce is key to retention and
key to meeting evolving National challenges, the Naval Innovative
Science and Engineering (NISE) program authorized under Section 219 of
the FY2009 National Defense Authorization Act for the Naval
Laboratories and Centers, has been instrumental. This has been an
important authority to expand the technical capabilities of this
workforce through hands-on work as well as providing training and
advance degrees. NISE efforts have provided breakthrough research and
been responsible for the maturation and transition of technology to the
warfighter and programs of record. NISE has encouraged cross-
organizational multi-disciplinary projects that include partnerships
with academia and industry. DoN continues outreach initiatives and
workforce focused programs for STEM by maximizing partnerships with
other Federal, public, private and academic STEM efforts. Prime
outreach goals include diversity and inclusion and support of Naval
families.
However, under sequestration and continuing resolution, DoN was
forced to implement a hiring freeze of civilians for over nine months,
from mid-January 2013 through October 2013. Starting in FY 2014, DoN
has been deploying a hiring strategy considerate of budgets. The hiring
freeze may impact long term S&T recruitment, so DoN continues to
evaluate the possible impacts. [See page 21.]
General Grosso. Despite funding cuts, furlough, and sequestration,
the Air Force Scientist and Engineering (S&E) career field has
maintained a 92% or higher retention rate for its civilian S&E
workforce. Over the last five years the S&E retention rate has been
consistently stable at approximately 93%.
We've been very successful recruiting civilians into the Air Force
acquisition workforce, including those with STEM degrees. From FY09
through FY13, we've grown our civilian S&E community by over 1,300,
many in acquisition, including a 100% increase in Computer Science
personnel, as well as significant increases in Electrical Engineers,
Aerospace Engineers and General Engineers employed at each of our
acquisition centers and their locations, including Hanscom AFB in
Massachusetts.
In part, our recruiting success reflects the unique opportunities
the Air Force offers civilians to serve in careers where they can
contribute to developing cutting edge technology and serving in and
leading our acquisition and sustainment programs in a variety of
technical and business career fields. The challenging nature of our
civilian jobs and the opportunity for significant responsibility early
in a career are especially appealing to the modern millennial
generation. But to reach these candidates, first we have to inform them
that there are civilian jobs in the Air Force!
The Air Force acquisition community has undertaken an initiative to
enhance civil service recruiting for the acquisition workforce, both
STEM and non-STEM, through the branding of our major acquisition
centers and development of enhanced recruiting web sites encompassing
the entire Air Force acquisition community. We began this initiative at
Hanscom AFB in 2008 in response to recruiting challenges there, and
based on its success, were able to expand to the rest of our major
acquisition locations using the Defense Acquisition Workforce
Development Fund established by Congress in FY08. Our recruiting and
branding initiative has transformed our ability to advertise and
recruit nationwide. We have focused this initiative to the modern
millennial generation of talented workers that are now entering the
workforce. Our approach targets passive candidates, candidates with
specific skills sets, and specific geographic locations. Active and
passive candidates can quickly learn about Air Force acquisition
organizations and work life, but also see what job opportunities are
available. Social Media is a part of this generation's daily life;
therefore we have a presence on Linked In, Facebook and Twitter using
mobile supported versions of our web presence. This capability is
supporting local recruiting efforts in order to enhance our ability to
compete for the top talent in the marketplace and is designed to
complement the Air Force Personnel Center's civilian recruiting
efforts.
The Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Fund established by
FY08 NDAA Section 852 has also been invaluable in augmenting Air Force
funding in order to extend our ability to offer incentives when needed
as part of our civilian recruiting and retention efforts. A primary
example of keen interest to candidates who have invested in a STEM
degree is our ability to offer student loan repayment, as well as fully
funded tuition assistance for new hires who wish to continue their
education in an acquisition related field.
We continue to pursue authorities and flexibilities that can build
on our recruiting success, especially for STEM jobs. Draft legislation
currently on the Hill, for example, would extend the direct hire
authority currently available for recruiting graduates at the master's
level for Lab Demo organizations to recent graduates at the bachelor's
level being recruited into STEM professional career fields for Lab Demo
organizations. Recent graduates will not wait 60-90 days for a firm
offer. The ability of recruiters to make firm offers on campus for all
STEM professional recent graduates at the bachelor's and master's level
for acquisition/STEM professionals would significantly enhance STEM
recruiting and help ensure our STEM workforce is viable for the future.
[See page 22.]
______
RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY MR. COFFMAN
Ms. Penrod. The change in 2006 was completed to provide consistency
in statute for all the Services in line with existing DOD Policy. Prior
to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, Title
10, United States Code, Sections 3253 and 8253, stated that to be
eligible for enlistment in the Army or Air Force in time of peace, an
individual must be an American citizen or lawfully admitted to the
United States for permanent residence (Green Card). While there was no
equivalent statute limiting enlistment in the Navy and Marine Corps,
the same citizenship requirements were applied to those Services in
policy. [See page 18.]