[Senate Hearing 117-963]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 117-963
THE STATUS OF MILITARY RECRUITING AND
RETENTION EFFORTS ACROSS THE DEPART-
MENT OF DEFENSE
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HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON
PERSONNEL
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
SEPTEMBER 21, 2022
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Armed Services
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via: http://www.govinfo.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
59-773 PDF WASHINGTON : 2025
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COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
JACK REED, Rhode Island, Chairman JAMES M. INHOFE, Oklahoma
JEANNE SHAHEEN, New Hampshire ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi
KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, New York DEB FISCHER, Nebraska
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut TOM COTTON, Arkansas
MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii MIKE ROUNDS, South Dakota
TIM KAINE, Virginia JONI ERNST, Iowa
ANGUS S. KING, Jr., Maine THOM TILLIS, North Carolina
ELIZABETH WARREN, Massachusetts DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska
GARY C. PETERS, Michigan KEVIN CRAMER, North Dakota
JOE MANCHIN III, West Virginia RICK SCOTT, Florida
TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee
JACKY ROSEN, Nevada JOSH HAWLEY, Missouri
MARK KELLY, Arizona TOMMY TUBERVILLE, Alabama
Elizabeth L. King, Staff Director
John D. Wason, Minority Staff Director
_________________________________________________________________
Subcommittee on Personnel
KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, New York,
Chair THOM TILLIS, North Carolina
MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii JOSH HAWLEY, Missouri
ELIZABETH WARREN, Massachusetts TOMMY TUBERVILLE, Alabama
(ii)
C O N T E N T S
_________________________________________________________________
September 21, 2022
Page
The Status of Military Recruiting and Retention Efforts Across 1
the Department of Defense.
Members Statements
Statement of Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand....................... 1
Statement of Senator Thom Tillis................................. 3
Witness Statements
Miller, Stephanie, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for 8
Military Personnel Policy.
Stitt, Lieutenant General Douglas, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1 12
United States Army.
Cheeseman, Vice Admiral Rick, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, 16
Personnel, Manpower and Training, N1 United States Navy.
Miller, Lieutenant General Caroline, Deputy Chief of Staff for 21
Manpower, Personnel, and Services, United States Air Force.
Dr. Michael Strobl, Acting Deputy Commandant for Manpower and 29
Reserve Affairs, United States Marine Corps.
Questions for the Record......................................... 52
(iii)
THE STATUS OF MILITARY RECRUITING AND RETENTION EFFORTS ACROSS THE
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2022
United States Senate,
Subcommittee on Personnel,
Committee on Armed Services,
Washington, DC.
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 3:38 p.m. in
room SR-222, Russell Senate Office Building, Senator Kirsten E.
Gillibrand (Chairwoman of the Subcommittee) presiding.
Committee Members present: Senators Gillibrand, Hirono,
Warren, Tillis, Hawley, and Tuberville.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND
Senator Gillibrand. Good morning, everyone.
The Personnel Subcommittee meets today to receive testimony
on the current State of military personnel recruiting and
retention in the Department of Defense.
Let me start by welcoming Senator Tillis, Ranking Member of
this Subcommittee. Senator Tillis, in particular, has shown
great interest in ensuring our military has what it needs to
recruit and retain the best people that our country has to
offer and I want to thank him for his leadership on this issue.
I look forward to working with Senator Tillis to help find
ways to facilitate both recruiting and retention in the
military services.
Our military faces headwinds in its effort to attract and
retain quality recruits. By the end of 2022, the active U.S.
military will be at its smallest size since the creation of the
all-volunteer force for which we mark the 50th anniversary next
year.
All four military services here today have signaled
significant concerns about the strength of their recruiting
operations and their prospects for success in 2023.
The Army, in particular, has said--has had a very difficult
year. With 9 days remaining in the fiscal year the Army reports
it has met only 70 percent of its fiscal year 2022 Active Duty
recruiting goal and that is on track to miss its recruiting
target by up to 30,000 soldiers.
The troubling drop in military accession comes at a time of
global uncertainty brought on by COVID-19, rising inflation,
unprovoked Russian military aggression.
As the security environment becomes more unstable, it is
critical that our military remains fully equipped to meet the
challenges of our day.
At the same time, we know that America's youth have a
historically low level of interest in military service and
enjoy a highly favorable job market, which makes it even more
difficult to recruit and retain highly skilled personnel.
We also know that some critical skill capabilities are
especially at risk, including billets in cyber operations,
intelligence, and electronic warfare.
As our military looks to fill positions in these fields, I
challenge the services to think outside the box. Creating new
career paths, offering innovative pay and incentive structures,
and realigning some capabilities from military to civilian
workforces should all be on the table.
I know that America's military is by far the best fighting
force in the world and that our servicemembers are
overwhelmingly proud to serve.
Paradoxically, the recent drop in military recruiting has
coincided with historically high retention rates across all our
services. The statistics you have provided show clear evidence
that those members who have joined the military are more likely
than ever before to remain in uniform by choice.
But decades of hard-fought conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan
have created a perception that service in the military leaves
people broken, damaged, or disadvantaged in society.
In reality, I know from my many interactions with our
servicemembers and veterans the majority report positive
experiences in the military, positive post-military outcomes,
and are proud of their service.
They end up with more education, higher household income,
and greater levels of civic engagement than their peers who did
not enter military service, and veteran unemployment is lower
than the general unemployment rate across the country.
Our military has wonderful things to offer, from high-tech
skills building, leadership training, camaraderie and
friendship, generous civilian education benefits, and robust
family support programs.
I want to know what we can do to help the military recruit
the best and brightest people into service. I am looking
forward to hearing from today's witnesses on this topic. We
have one panel today featuring human resource experts from DOD
and each military service.
Witnesses on our panel include Dr. Stephanie Miller, Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Defense for Military Personnel Policy;
Lieutenant General Douglas F. Stitt, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1
United States Army; Vice Admiral Rick J. Cheeseman, Jr., Deputy
Chief of Naval Operations for Personnel Manpower Training,
United States Navy; Lieutenant General Caroline Miller, Deputy
Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel, and Services, United
States Air Force; Dr. Michael R. Strobl, Acting Deputy
Commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
Again, I welcome the witnesses today. Thank you for
appearing and thank you for your testimony. Thank you, most of
all, for your service. We are deeply grateful.
Senator Tillis?
STATEMENT OF SENATOR THOM TILLIS
Senator Tillis. Thank you, Madam Chair, and I want to thank
you for the work that we have done on this committee for
several years now, and I look forward to doing more work in the
remainder of this Congress and in the future.
At our subcommittee hearing last year, I said I was worried
that the current challenges in military recruiting represented
a long-term threat to the all-volunteer force. Over the summer,
I think things have gotten worse and there is no sunlight on
the horizon.
It is becoming clear the all-volunteer force that has
served our country well for the last 50 years is at an
inflection point.
While only the Army is in the unfortunate position of
missing its recruiting goal this year, the truth of the matter
is unless we do things differently--and do things for the
better, I believe every service except for the Space Force is
at risk of missing the recruiting mission over the next year,
and we need to act.
I hope you use this hearing to separate the truth from
fiction of what is actually causing Americans to take a pass on
serving their country.
There is no shortage of misleading information related to
military service. Members of Congress, the media, and even
military and veteran community all contribute to these
disproportionately negative and often inaccurate portrayals of
military service.
The result of these prevailing narratives is a misinformed
American public who do not know much about the military but
what they do know is mostly incorrect.
According to the DOD surveys of potential recruits, the top
two reasons young people give for not joining the military are
the possibility of physical injury or death and the possibility
of PTSD or other emotional psychological issues.
The truth, of course, is that the vast majority of those
who join the military come out and much better for their
service. A recent peer-reviewed paper by the Quarterly Journal
of Economics found that enlisting in the Army increases
cumulative earnings, post-secondary education attendance,
homeownership, and marriage.
While there are some jobs in the military that can be
dangerous, most people serve without being exposed to any more
danger than the average American does on a worksite. And while
I am glad we are turning a corner in the way we talk and care
about those who have PTSD and TBI [traumatic brain injury], I
am certain that the risks posed by these conditions should not
dissuade otherwise interested Americans from enlisting.
One unfortunate trend that is undoubtedly harming
recruiting is the politicization of the military for partisan
gain. The military is not full of woke warriors or extremists.
Americans of all political persuasions should feel
supported in serving their country and, unfortunately, some
indications suggest that is just not the case.
I look forward to hearing from the witnesses today to
figure out how we can work together to better prepare you to
make your recruiting goals and better inform future recruits
about the wonderful opportunity that they could have in
military service.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you, Mr. Ranking Member.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the National Guard
Bureau have asked us to enter their position papers into the
record and, without objection, it is so admitted.
[The prepared statement by Veterans of Foreign Wars
follows:]
Prepared Statement by Brittany Dymond, Associate Director National
Legislative Service Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States
Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis, and members
of the subcommittee, on behalf of the men and women of the
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) and its
Auxiliary, thank you for the opportunity to provide our remarks
on this vital topic.
Today's hearing is about people. Our military is often
discussed in terms of its overwhelming strength and ability to
deter adversaries around the world. The United States Armed
Forces serve simultaneously as the world's police force in the
face of aggression as well as its humanitarian response team in
the aftermath of disaster. Recruiting advertisements showcasing
our ships, airplanes, and advanced weapons systems regularly
cross our electronic screens. Yet, it is the people of our
military who give it its strength and its reputation as a force
of consequence. Without the brave Americans who step forward to
employ these resources, the effectiveness of our military will
inevitably wane. The people of our military are its greatest
asset and must be prioritized accordingly.
who serves?
A 2022 survey conducted by the National Military Family
Association (NMFA) and Bloom revealed that forty-four percent
of military teens intend to serve in the military. This is in
stark contrast to just 10 percent of the general population
between the ages of 16 to twenty-one identified by a Department
of Defense (DOD) survey roughly a year prior. With these
findings in mind, it is vital that DOD focuses not only on
attracting non-military-affiliated recruits, but also nurturing
the future recruits within today's military families.
The DOD Fall 2021 Propensity Update data show that the
inclination to serve among the Nation's youth is at a low not
seen since 2007. Survey respondents indicated that the top
three of ten reasons to serve are monetary compensation, having
future education paid for, and travel opportunities.
Conversely, the lowest reported factor was the desire to impact
one's community. Overall, eight out of the ten primary reasons
to serve were individual, predominantly tangible benefits,
while the remaining two reasons were intangible benefits rooted
in altruism. Accordingly, while an ideal recruit might be drawn
to the military out of a sense of duty and selfless service,
most are attracted by the benefits of service that enable self-
development and sustainment.
In consideration of the prevalent factors that attract
recruits, the VFW believes Congress must ensure military
benefits such as pay, health care, tuition assistance, and
retirement are competitive with the private sector,
continuously improved, and come without cost increases to
members and families as applicable. The fact that DOD relies
upon and regularly offers recruitment and retention bonuses to
maintain its ranks indicates basic pay scales are not
sufficiently attractive.
quality of life
Equally important to the tangible benefits of military
service is quality of life. Like any occupation, benefit
packages will always fall short if individuals' basic needs, or
those of their family members, are inconsistently satisfied.
Not only do quality of life issues affect the retention
decisions of those currently serving, but negative experiences
and public perceptions also affect recruitment of future
generations.
As previously highlighted, children of military personnel
are more likely to serve than their civilian peers.
Accordingly, it is to DOD's advantage to ensure military
children do not experience avoidable negative circumstances
during childhood. The VFW believes Congress and DOD must
fervently address and improve factors that affect personnel and
family quality of life.
sexual assault and harassment
Last year's sweeping Uniform Code of Military Justice
(UCMJ) reforms represented a tremendous step forward in the
efforts to eradicate sexual assault and harassment from the
ranks. However, this is still a major issue as seen in DOD's
Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the
Military. DOD's Fall 2021 Propensity Update data revealed that
nearly a third of potential recruits worried about possible
sexual assault and/or harassment if they were to join the
military. This is unconscionable. The VFW understands that the
UCMJ reforms and recommendations of the 2021 Independent Review
Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military will take time to
implement. We urge Congress to fully fund these efforts on
time, exercise stringent oversight, and identify early
implementation opportunities where feasible.
housing
Military housing quality is inconsistent and unreliable.
Highlighted in the news as recently as last week, unsafe living
conditions like black mold continue to plague our service
members in both unaccompanied and family housing. Lack of hot
water, fuel-tainted drinking water, and heating, ventilation,
and air conditioning issues have also surfaced recently. These
challenges are widespread across the services and globe,
including permanent duty stations overseas. With prominent
well-being and health implications for service members and
families, substandard housing is an urgent readiness issue.
Service members cannot focus wholly on the mission if they or
their loved ones are suffering from medical conditions related
to prolonged toxic exposure, cannot take hot showers, or lack
air conditioning during hot weather.
The VFW understands various efforts are underway to
renovate and rebuild affected military housing units. However,
repairing or replacing the structures themselves is just one
part of the equation. Military personnel and families should
never be solely at the mercy of private companies or military
leadership to resolve their housing problems. Without quality,
consistent, and prompt attention and resources committed to
housing issues across the board, service members and families
must have an alternative way to communicate housing issues to
those in positions of power.
Currently, no military member has a trusted, centralized
third-party option to report poor housing conditions. This
means that when maintenance and complaint protocols at the
lowest levels fail, issues can go unresolved with little to no
recourse for those affected. As a result, service members have
found that posting to social media or online message boards can
be a more effective means of getting results. This is
completely unacceptable.
Through Section 3016 of Public Law 116-92, National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2020, Congress
mandated that DOD establish a public-facing complaint data base
for those residing in privatized military housing units. This
data base has yet to come to fruition even though it is
urgently needed. Moreover, while the VFW believes this is a
step in the right direction, the law does not include single
service members living in unaccompanied housing such as
barracks. About 47 percent of military personnel are single
without dependents, which largely precludes them from moving
out of barracks. Therefore, a significant portion of service
members will be prohibited from using this data base even
though they experience many of the same living conditions as
those seen in privatized family units. This creates a glaring
inequity among military personnel experiencing housing
problems. Being married or having dependents should not dictate
whether or not a complaint can be reported.
The VFW urges Congress to either amend Section 3016 of
Public Law 116-92 to include unaccompanied housing, or pass
legislation like H.R. 7144 to create a public-facing complaint
data base that all service members can use, regardless of
whether they live in barracks or privatized family housing.
food security
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food
security as consistent access to enough food for an active and
healthy life. A 2021 Military Family Advisory Network survey
showed that 18.4 percent of currently serving military families
experienced low or very low food security in the 12 months
prior to the survey. A separate 2020 study by Blue Star
Families (BSF) revealed that junior enlisted families (ranks
E1-E4) were the most impacted group at twenty-nine percent,
though enlisted families of all ranks reported some level of
food insecurity.
Food insecurity within the ranks is an issue of national
security since it directly impacts recruiting and retention. In
general, lack of regular access to enough food can lead to poor
long-term health outcomes such as chronic diseases, stress, and
weight gain. For children, food insecurity can adversely impact
childhood development, lead to more frequent hospitalizations,
and create behavioral and mental health issues. As mentioned
previously, military children exhibit a higher propensity to
serve than their civilian counterparts. With so many enlisted
families experiencing food insecurity, we must consider the
likelihood that the physical eligibility of some of our most
promising future recruits has been and is being compromised.
A 2022 NMFA survey of military teens found that 46 percent
of participants had some level of difficulty accessing food in
the previous month. Without considering fitness for military
service, the experiences of this group may discourage them from
joining as they seek alternative career paths with less
perceived risk. More broadly, prospective recruits with
families may not consider a military career if they are worried
about potential food insecurity. Both instances result in the
loss of prospective talent, undermining our Nation's efforts to
attract the best and brightest.
From a retention perspective, food insecurity has been
associated with a decreased likelihood of staying in the
military. While low base pay is an obvious variable, high rates
of spouse un-and underemployment due to frequent relocations,
licensing challenges, and child care issues also lead to lost
household income and hampered spouse career growth both during
and after service.
The VFW praises Congress' creation of a Basic Needs
Allowance (BNA) for low-income military families as part of the
fiscal year 2022 NDAA. One area of concern, however, is the
inclusion of Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) in the BNA
eligibility calculation. While DOD can exempt all or part of
BAH from the BNA calculation in ``high cost'' areas, there is
no guarantee that all families in need will qualify. Per a 2021
Government Accountability Office report, BAH rates are not
always accurate. Moreover, BAH is now paid at only 95 percent
of calculated housing costs. Thus, even when BAH rates are set
correctly, families must still partially pay out of pocket for
housing, challenging low-income families who are on the verge
of or are already experiencing food insecurity. The VFW urges
Congress to ensure high cost areas are accurately identified,
exempted, and periodically reviewed to ensure families in need
of BNA receive it in a timely manner.
Complicating matters is the fact that many military
families do not qualify for State and Federal assistance
benefits, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP). This occurs because USDA factors in BAH to determine
families' benefit eligibility. The VFW urges Congress to pass
S. 3781, which would exempt BAH from the USDA's SNAP
eligibility calculation.
personnel and family stability
While leaving one's home of record and deploying are
inherent parts of military service, the lifestyle of frequent
moves between duty stations is challenging. A 2021 BSF survey
of military families revealed that in addition to military pay,
permanent changes of station are a top-five issue for active
duty families. With regard to military children, frequent moves
often mean difficulties maintaining relationships and
challenges with education, which can negatively impact their
well-being and increase stress on service members.
Many stressors are associated with moving such as out-of-
pocket costs, changing of schools for children, finding new
housing for those who qualify, transferring medical care, and
seeking new employment for spouses. Relocations can be
particularly difficult during periods of inflation and for
families enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program. The
VFW recommends expanding opportunities for homesteading across
all services as a solution to this problem.
Not only would this decrease costs for DOD and service
members, but it would help to mitigate the strain that
relocations put on personnel and families. We believe this
could also help ensure military children do not develop a
negative view of service during their formative years, thereby
maintaining or increasing the propensity to serve among this
population.
prioritizing transition to bolster recruiting
Public perception of veterans in communities matters. At
the September 2022 Military-Civilian Transition Summit, DOD's
Military-Civilian Transition Office Director Mike Miller,
remarked passionately about the importance of transition as it
directly translates to military readiness. He illustrated the
influential power that thriving veterans can have on younger
generations' decisions to serve. When transitioned
successfully, veterans at school, work, or social events are
essentially Ambassadors of the high-quality citizens the
military develops and returns to communities.
The opposite is also true. Homeless veterans, as well as
those exhibiting mental health crises, can serve as a deterrent
to those considering military service. Following closely behind
the prospect of injury or death, DOD's Fall 2021 Propensity
Update data showed that the ``possibility of PTSD or other
emotional/psychological issues'' is the second most cited
reason not to serve. It seems reasonable that persistent
headlines around veteran suicide worsens this widely held
concern of potential recruits, and likely that of their
families. This means the services' presence on social media,
creation of eye-catching content, and sustained recruiting
efforts in communities will only take them so far.
Congress must ensure that DOD invests in service members'
overall well-being and transition readiness throughout the
whole life cycle of their career, whether it is 4 years or 20
years. This includes but is not limited to ensuring personnel
receive appropriate certifications that translate directly to
the civilian sector, are afforded the time and resources
required by law to prepare for and attend all elements of the
Transition Assistance Program, and are seamlessly connected to
their veteran benefits after service. Transition preparation
must be a career-long endeavor that is championed by all levels
of DOD leadership, not just a series of boxes to be checked by
a separation or retirement date. Our service members and their
successors deserve no less.
requirement to live in undesirable locations
A condition of service is living where the needs of the
military lie. However, Congress can strive to ensure that the
needs of service members can be met equitably across the force.
The VFW is concerned that recent divergences between State and
Federal policies could exacerbate one of the primary deterrents
associated with volunteering for military service. DOD's Fall
2021 Propensity Update data highlighted that nearly a third of
potential recruits are apprehensive about being placed in
locations in which they do not want to live. As such, we will
be monitoring the results of the 2022 propensity data to
identify any shift in this statistic, and hope recent policy
changes do not negatively affect recruitment.
As a nation reliant on an all-volunteer military force,
efforts to address recruiting challenges must be comprehensive
and methodical. Military service must be an attractive endeavor
in terms of both benefits and quality of life. The experiences
of past and present service members and families affect the
decisions of those who might chose to follow them.
Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis, this
concludes my testimony. I am prepared to answer any questions
you or the subcommittee members may have.
[The prepared statement by General Daniel R. Hokanson,
Chief, National Guard Bureau follows:]
Prepared Statement by General Daniel R. Hokanson, Chief, National Guard
Bureau
Chairman Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis, and
distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, I appreciate the
opportunity to comment on the State of recruiting within the
National Guard.
Whenever I visit the states, territories, and District of
Columbia that comprise our National Guard, I make it a point to
meet with our recruiters. These dedicated men and women have
one of the most important jobs in our military--to ensure our
Nation has the personnel we need to fight and win our Nation's
wars. These recruiters have told me, in no uncertain terms,
they are currently facing the most arduous recruiting
environment in more than 20 years.
For fiscal year 2022, the Air National Guard achieved 97
percent of its end strength, 3,300 short of its 108,300 fiscal
year 2022 authorized strength and the Army National Guard 98.1
percent, 6,000 short of its 336,000 fiscal year 2022 authorized
strength. Both are considered successful accomplishments given
today's challenging recruiting environment.
All branches of the military face recruiting challenges,
and the National Guard is no different. Every recruit weighs
the benefits of their service against how military service
impacts their lives and their families. The reserve component's
advantage is balance--service to the Nation and the ability to
have a civilian career without the full-time commitment of the
Active forces.
In my conversations with servicemembers throughout the 54
States, Territories and District of Columbia, I've consistently
heard three specific concerns provided from currently serving
Guardsmen and those we are trying to recruit:
First, National Guard members and recruits are concerned
about access to healthcare. I am committed to working with the
Administration and Congress to implement actions we can take
now to assist current members and those considering joining the
National Guard with identifying current healthcare options that
meet their needs at their income level. My staff is also
working with the Department to develop potential healthcare
options that could improve Guard unit readiness.
Second, they are interested in obtaining Federal financial
aid in addition to the significant Federal education benefits
of tuition assistance and the Post 9/11 GI Bill. We need to
better understand their financial aid concerns and then work
with our colleagues in the Department of Education to determine
how we can address these concerns and potentially identify
current financial aid opportunities for which they are not
aware.
Third, we need to identify new and innovative ways to
recruit people to join the National Guard to ensure we can meet
our end strength requirements, especially during this current
period where we have fallen short of our recruiting goal. We
are considering new programs that would involve more of our
force than our current recruiting personnel. We understand that
any new program would have to consider lessons learned from the
problematic National Guard Recruiting Assistance Program. I
guarantee that for any new program, the chain of command will
be directly involved in overseeing the execution of the
program.
We continue to work to improve all aspects of the National
Guard culture to make service more appealing and inclusive.
This includes fostering an environment that values education
and understands the importance of mental and physical well-
being. An important part of this change is the implementation
of the Independent Review Commission's recommendation to
establish a prevention workforce.
I appreciate the opportunity to comment on this critical
issue, and look forward to working with the Subcommittee and
your congressional colleagues to find solutions that strengthen
and serve the Soldiers and Airmen of the National Guard.
Senator Gillibrand. I would now like to hear from Ms.
Miller for your opening statement.
STATEMENT OF STEPHANIE MILLER, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF
DEFENSE FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL POLICY
Ms. Miller. Thank you.
Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis, and
distinguished members of the subcommittee, I appreciate the
opportunity to appear before you to discuss the current and
future State of military recruiting and retention.
As fiscal year 2022 comes to a close, the Department
anticipates we will, collectively, miss our annual recruiting
mission, despite assessing more than 170,000 remarkable young
men and women.
Our shortfall constitutes an unprecedented mission gap and
is reason for concern for the greater State of national
service. Recruiting shortfalls are not merely a DOD issue but a
national one.
As we will discuss today, there is no one silver bullet or
specific action that the Department or the Services can take to
quickly resolve the current challenges.
But we must focus on galvanizing our citizens, both youth
and influencers, on the merit and value of contributing to the
country's well being through military service.
Changing this dynamic requires involvement from Members of
Congress, veterans, teachers, coaches, as well as parents,
grandparents, and other influencers because the military is
more important than ever to ensure power projection that allows
for individual freedoms, promotes free trade, protects human
rights, and the rule of law across the globe.
However, the portrayal of the mission and what service
looks like for military members and their families is often
skewed in the media and in the minds of the current generation
of youth.
The next generation of Americans to serve should know that
there has never been a better time for them to choose military
service. Our data indicates that Generation Z is primarily
driven by purpose, relationships, and a clear path to success.
We can offer all three.
Purpose--they can apply passion for change in military
service and make a global impact protecting freedom. From
medical training and humanitarian aid to cyber technology to
leadership under pressure, servicemembers find personal
fulfillment serving in every part of the world and responding
with skills to truly make a difference every day.
Relationships--military service provides a connection
between members, an esprit de corps that simply does not have a
parallel in civilian sectors.
A clear path to success--military service affords a wide
range of career opportunities where we will individually
challenge them to reach peak potential while also providing a
clear path to succeed, and along the way they will see and do
things that most Americans never will.
Additionally, we provide our servicemembers competitive pay
packages with unprecedented opportunities for continued
training and education. In short, we offer the things that
Generation Z looks for when choosing a career, but in many
respects they just do not know it.
While a picture of the current recruiting environment is
difficult, the Services and the Department are actively
committed to overcoming recruiting challenges through strong
collaboration and innovative thought.
Congress can help our efforts by improving high school
access where high schools are incentivized to grant predictable
and regular access to recruiters and support to the Career
Exploration Program, updating authorities for targeted
marketing and advertising to ensure our messages are uniquely
tailored to diverse audiences with multifaceted interests, an
on time budget approval with consideration of 2-year funding
for marketing and advertising for earlier media buys, which
would not only maximize critical taxpayer resources through
reduced price purchasing but also give recruitment advertising
a more competitive advantage in an already crowded market.
In conclusion, I want to thank the members of this
subcommittee for taking the time to focus on this critical
issue and the continued advocacy by the members and their
staffs on behalf of the men and women of the Department of
Defense.
We appreciate your continued support for funding the
programs that keep the force and their families safe, strong,
and healthy. I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Stephanie P. Miller
follows:]
Prepared Statement by Ms. Stephanie P. Miller
Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis, and distinguished
Members of the Subcommittee, I appreciate the opportunity to appear
before you this afternoon to discuss the current and future state of
military recruiting.
Next year we will commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the All-
Volunteer Force. Since its inception, the All-Volunteer Force has
performed remarkably well both during periods of relative calm and
times of protracted conflict. The All-Volunteer Force continues to be
the strongest and most-respected military force in the world. Our
people remain the cornerstone of this success. The Military Services
have sustained the All-Volunteer Force by recruiting exemplary young
men and women from across our Nation. The diverse backgrounds of our
servicemembers aid immeasurably to finding solutions to the many
complex national security issues the Department contends with around
the globe.
Since 1973, the continued success of our All-Volunteer Force begins
with recruiting, while the viability of the force is assured with
successful retention. Today, retention efforts remain strong across the
Services. The Services' recruiting programs, however, are facing
perhaps the greatest challenges since their inception. While fiscal
year 2022 has not yet closed, the Department anticipates we will
collectively miss our recruiting mission despite accessing more than
170,000 remarkable young men and women. This constitutes an
unprecedented mission gap and is reason for concern.
In assessing our recruiting marketing conditions, a number of
factors have coalesced to create a uniquely challenging environment.
However, there is no ``silver bullet'' or specific action that the
Department and Services can take to quickly resolve the current
recruiting challenge. A variety of circumstances contribute to the
growing military-civilian divide, including the shrinking/disappearing
military footprint, a declining Veteran presence across society, and
the uninformed and often misguided influence of military-related
messaging by external organizations. These external messages unduly
highlight the risks of military service, keeping the physical and
psychological risks of military service foremost in the minds of
today's youth and their influencers.
Combined, these factors have led to a youth market which is
generally disinterested or unaware of the real and intrinsic value of
military service. Additionally, generationally low unemployment, the
residual impact of the COVID pandemic, limited recruiter access to
schools for over two years, and increasing opportunities available to
today's youth further exacerbate the difficult recruiting challenges
the Department currently faces. While we have faced recruiting
challenges in the past, they were often isolated to one or two Services
and relatively short in duration. The current recruiting challenge
appears much broader and will require significant effort to resolve
long term.
recruiting market conditions
Data shows nearly 77 percent of our youth are not qualified for
military service without some type of waiver. It is important to note
there is no single condition or factor that if changed would
significantly improve the number of qualified youth. Today, nearly 44
percent of youth are ineligible as a result of multiple factors. The
most prevalent disqualification criteria among youth is for being
overweight (11%); increasing obesity rates continue to be a nation-wide
trend which does not bode well for military recruiting. The Department
is examining our standards and entry programs, but alone, there is very
little we can do to positively impact this issue.
Compounding the issue of eligibility, data indicates many youth are
not interested in military service and those that are have many
misconceptions about what life is like as a servicemember. Data from
the Joint Advertising and Market Research and Studies (JAMRS) program
indicates only 9 percent of youth are propensed to serve in the
military, a decline of 3 percentage points since Spring of 2019, and
represents approximately 1 million fewer youth likely to join the
military in the next few years. Additionally, for the first time, the
majority of youth (52 percent) have never even considered the military
as an option.
Furthermore, the proportion of youth who make positive associations
with military service has also declined. In 2004, 63 percent of youth
believed the military offered an attractive lifestyle. \1\ Today, only
33 percent of youth do so. \2\ In 2004, 85 percent of youth believed
the military would help them earn money for college, whereas now only
60 percent of youth associate military service with earning money for
college. Of greater concern is the number of youth who believe military
service will harm them in some way, with 57 percent of 16 to 24 year
olds believing someone getting out of the military will have some
``form of psychological or emotional problem'' and 50 percent believing
those getting out will have difficulty adjusting to everyday life.
These factors - youth disinterest and misperceptions of military
service - are the greatest market dynamics shaping recruiting outcomes
today.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Source: JAMRS Youth Tracking Survey
\2\ Source: JAMRS Youth Tracking Survey
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
electronic health records, mhs genesis
This hearing provides an opportunity to highlight the many
innovative practices implemented across the Department, particularly by
the Military Services, to modernize the accession enterprise. One such
initiative is the introduction of the Department's electronic health
record system, MHS GENESIS, into the accession pipeline. The
introduction of MHS GENESIS is perhaps the most significant change to
our recruiting enterprise in the history of the All-Volunteer Force. It
moves the enterprise away from the legacy process of relying on paper
medical records to digital, consistent with the shift across the United
States health infrastructure, enabling more reliable and informed
medical qualification decisions across the Department.
However, with big IT changes comes the need for big process
changes. In making that pivot it is understandable the Department
experienced a temporary productivity loss; however, can report that MHS
GENESIS is working as intended and positively contributing to the long
term readiness of our military forces. The Department continues to
refine workforce and electronic processes to increase the capacity of
the new system in conjunction with our Federal agency and commercial
partners. It is often difficult to find an ideal time to introduce a
system change of this magnitude, but after careful consideration and
coordination with all stakeholders, it was determined now was the right
time. This was simply the right thing to do both for the Department and
the individuals considering military service.
responding to market challenges
While the picture of the current recruiting environment is
difficult, the Services and the Department are working together to
resolve these issues. Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks and other
Department senior leaders are actively engaged and continue to develop
appropriate courses of action to address the current recruiting
challenges, both in the short-term and strategically into the future.
The traditional levers used to bolster recruiting are enlistment
bonuses, recruit marketing and advertising, and recruiter manning.
While these are time-tested, the Services continue to explore ways to
improve the effectiveness of each.
Enlistment bonuses are used to attract youth to serve in certain
skills and to ensure efficient use of Service training capacity. Each
Service has reviewed and adjusted its bonus offerings to address
recruiting or skill shortfalls.
In order to be effective, marketing campaigns today must be more
complex than in the past. The youth and influencers of today consume
information differently, typically from multiple sources and platforms.
While the legacy mediums (television ads, radio ads, and print) still
serve a purpose, they must be complimented with myriad different
sources. Digital media must be a significant component of these
campaigns. The Department and Services continue to navigate the ever-
changing digital landscape to expand the reach of these messages.
Consumers, however, have the ability to tune out unwanted messages,
making it more difficult to ensure positive messages regarding military
service are heard.
Leveraging large sources of available data to gain access to more
information and insights about potential recruits will enable more
efficient use of limited resources. Privacy concerns and current laws,
however, limit the use of this data, resulting in the Services having
to rely on private sector vendors to take advantage of this technology,
and this reliance comes at a premium. Our inability to leverage
technology advancements has reduced the visibility of our messages,
making it harder and costlier to reach today's youth.
The final lever, recruiter manning, is more nuanced. On average it
takes between one year to 18 months to identify, select, train, and
assign recruiters, and even longer for them to become productive. These
recruiting professionals come at the expense of the manning in the
broader force. The Services must make difficult decisions regarding the
right balance between meeting recruiter manning demands without adverse
operational impact. Currently, there are a number of understaffed
military specialties whose population is limited for recruiter duty. As
a result, some Services have begun to recall previously successful
recruiters on a temporary duty basis or are extended the length of duty
for currently assigned recruiters who are successful. We continue to
look for other efficiencies and mitigation strategies cautiously to
avoid unintended impacts.
long term forecast
We are committed to overcoming recruiting challenges of uncertain
severity or duration through strong collaboration with the Services,
innovative thought, and reexamination of processes and resources by all
recruiting stakeholders. We also recognize the fierce competition for
technical and innovative talent and will continue to invest in human
capital initiatives to compete for, hire, develop, and retain highly
skilled experts in the ever-changing talent acquisition landscape. As
leaders we must proactively take steps to close the ever-widening
military-civilian gap; encourage a national spirit of service, our
collective and individual responsibility to maintain the combat-
credible military force needed to deter war; and protect the security
of our Nation. The Department must communicate these intrinsic benefits
of military service and how those benefits can help today's youth
achieve their personal goals.
While the recruiting environment is difficult, and FY 2023 shows no
immediate signs of improving, I am confident the professionals in our
recruiting force, whether it is the boots-on-the-ground recruiters or
the senior leaders, will find a way as they always have to restore the
stability of military recruiting and ensure the sustainment of the All-
Volunteer Force.
Finally, I want to thank you and the members of this Subcommittee
for providing the opportunity to address this critical issue. I also
want to thank you for your continued advocacy on behalf of the men and
women of the Department of Defense and their families.
I look forward to your questions.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you, Ms. Miller.
We are now prepared to hear from Lieutenant General Stitt.
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL DOUGLAS STITT, DEPUTY CHIEF OF
STAFF, G-1 UNITED STATES ARMY
Lieutenant General Stitt. Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking
Member Tillis, distinguished members of this committee, thank
you for the opportunity and the honor to testify on behalf of
the soldiers of the United States Army today.
America's military currently faces the most challenging
recruiting environment since the inception of the all-volunteer
force in 1973.
These unprecedented recruiting challenges are driven in
part by a low national unemployment rate, a strong job market,
intense competition with the private sector, and a declining
number of young Americans interested in and qualified for
uniform service.
Currently, only 23 percent of 17- to 24-year-old Americans
are fully qualified to serve. The top disqualifiers for service
are obesity, addiction, conduct, test scores, medical and
behavioral health conditions.
The Army is taking strong actions to ensure we have a ready
force comprised of cohesive teams of fit, trained, and
disciplined soldiers. All initiatives are designed to increase
our accessions of qualified candidates under three guiding
principles.
We will not sacrifice quality for quantity. We will not
lower our standards. We will invest in America's youth so that
those who want to serve can meet our standards.
The United States Army exists for one purpose, to protect
the Nation by fighting and winning our Nation's wars as a
member of the Joint Force. Our readiness to fight and win
depends on a quality all-volunteer force.
We have high standards for our soldiers and that will not
change. But we are committed to removing barriers to service.
We want to give individuals who want to be the opportunity to
be all they can be while serving in the United States Army.
Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis, distinguished
members of this committee, thank you for your support to the
soldiers of the United States Army. We are committed to working
collaboratively with this committee and with Congress as a
whole to help us maintain the Army as the world's premier
fighting force.
I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of General Douglas Stitt follows:]
Prepared Statement by Lieutenant General Douglas Stitt
Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis, distinguished Members
of this Committee, thank you for the opportunity testify on behalf of
the men and women of the United States Army.
The Army's number one priority is our people--our soldiers, Army
civilians, families, and soldiers for life--and their contribution to
combat readiness. All the Army's personnel programs and initiatives are
focused on taking care of our people. The men and women of the United
States Army stand ready to fight and win our Nation's wars as a member
of the Joint Force, and I could not be more proud of each and every one
of them.
We win because of our people. They are our competitive edge, our
greatest strength, and our most valuable resource. Today we are in a
war for talent. To win this war, we must make the call to military
service attractive to and attainable for our Nation's youth.
end strength
Declining accessions has led to a decrease in Army end strength. We
estimate that the Army will end fiscal year 2022 with an end strength
of approximately 466,000 below our target of 476,000 soldiers in the
active component. We also project that our end strength will likely
continue to decrease in fiscal year 2023, with current estimates of an
end strength of approximately 445,000 to 452,000 by the end of fiscal
year 2023. These estimates are using old recruiting practices, but the
Army is engaging on an enterprise- wide effort to improve recruiting,
which should improve these numbers. Though it will take time, our
objective is to regrow our end strength to 460,000 or more as quickly
as possible, and we will pursue this objective aggressively. However,
we will not sacrifice quality to meet end strength; the Army will
continue to invest in young Americans and make the profession of arms a
desired path for all.
the current recruiting environment
America's military currently faces the most challenging recruiting
environment since the All-Volunteer Force was established in 1973.
These recruiting challenges are driven, in part, by a low national un-
employment rate, a strong job market, intense competition with the
private sector, and a declining number of young Americans interested
in, and qualified for, uniformed service.
The percentage of young Americans meeting the Army standards to
enlist has decreased markedly over the past four decades. Currently,
only 23 percent of 17- to 24- year-old Americans are fully qualified to
serve, with obesity, addiction, conduct, test scores, and medical and
behavioral health the top disqualifiers for service.
Additionally, with fewer people available to join the Army and
populations moving to the westward and less urban areas, the
availability of potential recruits is declining and shifting to areas
with less Army presence.
Underlying these specific challenges in the recruiting environment
are broad ``gaps'' identified by market research as hindering young
people from considering Army service. There is a knowledge gap that
indicates the Army's story is not reaching enough Americans, most of
whom have limited exposure to currently serving soldiers or veterans.
As of 2020, the percentage of youth who have had a parent serve in the
military dropped to only 14 percent. Further, only 36 percent of youth
say they are familiar with Army service. There is an identity gap,
where potential recruits cannot see themselves in the Army, often due
to assumptions about Army life and culture. Finally, there is a trust
gap that shows younger Americans are losing trust and confidence in
many American institutions, including the military. Currently, trust in
American institutions is at 45 percent, down from 70 percent in 2018.
Today, only 1 percent of our Nation serves in the military, and 83
percent of the young people who do join the Army have a family member
who has served. This means that the people who do join the military are
more likely to have been exposed to military life and know what it
means to serve. It also indicates that the majority of Americans likely
do not understand military service, do not recognize a call to serve,
or have misperceptions about what military service entails. Right now,
the military resembles a family business, with service a legacy passed
through families. We need to help
Americans understand how the Army creates opportunities to
contribute to something bigger than themselves. We need to make
military service an option for all young Americans who want to serve
and be a part of a profession that contributes to our Nation.
initiatives to increase accession of qualified candidates
The Army is committed to filling its ranks with the quality
soldiers we need for the Army of 2030. Accordingly, the Army has
established a task force to conduct a comprehensive review and analysis
of the Army's accessions enterprise, including policy, structure,
manning, marketing, practices, and procedures, and make recommendations
to address recruiting challenges, mitigate risk to the All-Volunteer
Force, maintain quality, and position the accessions enterprise for
success in the future.
All initiatives designed to increase the accession of qualified
candidates will meet these principles: 1) We will not sacrifice quality
for quantity. 2) We will not lower our standards. 3) We will invest in
America's young people so they can meet our standards, because the Army
is unparalleled in its ability to unlock an individual's full
potential.
the future soldier preparatory course
The Army is investing in prospective soldiers to help them overcome
barriers to enlistment. The Future Soldier Preparatory Course (FSPC),
currently being piloted at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, gives
potential recruits the chance to work to meet the enlistment
requirements. Through the FSPC, the Army is increasing opportunities to
serve without sacrificing the quality needed across the force.
incentivizing talent
Enlistment bonuses help shape behavior, both in terms of filling
critical specialties as well as near term training seats. Incentivizing
individuals to begin their Army career quickly, sometimes in as little
as 30 days, is a critical tool used to get new recruits onboard. We are
currently offering up to $50,000 for critical skills and $40,000 to
report to basic training before the end of the fiscal year. As of
August 25, 2022, 7,298 applicants accepted the critical skills
incentive and 12,490 applicants accepted the ``quick-ship'' incentive.
The Army has spent $67 million on critical skills incentives and $231
million on ``quick-ship'' incentives.
The current competitive labor market offers today's youth many
options and we have found that when competing for talent with the
private sector, as well as the other Services, enlistment bonuses are
sometimes the deciding factor.
Aside from monetary incentives, the Army has also made policy
changes designed to make service more appealing to prospective
soldiers. For example, the Army is currently offering duty station
choice, which means future soldiers can choose to select their first
duty station after training. Highly desirable location options include
Hawaii, Germany, Korea, Colorado, and Texas. As of August 26, 2022,
more than 5,000 recruits have received their first choice of duty
station in fiscal year 2022. Having a choice in where they serve can be
a big motivator for some individuals. The intent of this non-monetary
incentive is to give an applicant the ability to choose and build their
own compensation package along with monetary incentives that will
create an intrinsic motivation to serve.
The Army recently released an updated tattoo policy, in line with
the other military services, that will enable more individuals to
serve. This new policy eases tattoo restrictions on specific areas of
the body, including the face, back of the neck, and hands, and will
allow individuals who meet all other qualifications for appointment or
enlistment the opportunity to serve.
army marketing
Attracting qualified talent and remaining competitive in the labor
market is essential to our Army's future success, and our marketing
campaigns are fundamental to this effort. We plan to continue
implementation of the successful ``Know your Army'' and ``What's Your
Warrior'' marketing campaigns while focusing efforts to improve the
conversion of leads to appointments and appointments to contracts.
The Army is working to provide additional funding for national,
regional, and local marketing in key priority population centers,
including funding for recruiting events to engage with youth. We are
also working to establish five regional marketing offices to better
support regional and local recruiting efforts.
Army Enterprise Marketing Office (AEMO) continues to develop data
informed, synchronized and relevant advertising and marketing plans to
build awareness of Army opportunities and benefits in support of our
accessions requirements. From these efforts, local commanders can pull
weekly reports that provide an accurate assessment on the use of those
funds to ensure they are meeting their requirements for marketing and,
if not, use that data to modify their local plans. AEMO's
implementation of talent- matching features like the Career Match Tool
2.0 and the implementation of the GoArmy.com Contact Center, modernized
how the Army presents, interacts, and attracts prospects, positioning
the Army to compete for talent commensurate with leading employers
using modern tools and talent acquisition approaches. Over the past
year, U.S. Army Recruiting Command increased virtual recruiting
capabilities and was the first service to pivot to a primarily virtual
environment during the onset of the pandemic.
Our marketing efforts must be fully funded and focused on leading
young Americans to understand the benefits and opportunities in the
Army.
optimizing recruiters
The skills of Army recruiters are fundamental to recruiting the
best young men and women to serve in our Army. To ensure we have the
most talented recruiters on the ``front lines'' of our recruiting
efforts, we have extended the tours of duty of more than 420 of the
Army's best military recruiters across nationwide markets to help
increase the number of potential recruits.
Our long-term efforts to ensure recruiting excellence include the
following: 1) Identifying, assessing, and selecting the best battalion
commanders for our recruiting battalions through established talent
management initiatives. 2) Applying talent management principles to
recruiter selection. 3) Better incentivizing and rewarding increased
recruiter productivity.
The Army is using a program called the Noncommissioned Officer
Special Assignment Battery (NSAB) to screen Non-Commissioned Officers
(NCOs) for recruiter assignments. Results from a sample of 1,032
experienced Army recruiters indicated that soldiers with high NSAB
composite scores reported lower job stress and higher satisfaction with
recruiting duty. These high-scoring recruiters also were rated by their
peers and supervisors as performing better than recruiters with lower
NSAB composite scores. These findings indicate that the NSAB can help
to identify soldiers with high potential for recruiting duty success,
and it also has the potential for screening in other NCO assignments.
We will also continue to apply digital age technology to recruiting
operations and review current recruiting facility practices and
policies to ensure they enable a 21st century approach to recruiting.
officer recruiting
The Army is on track to recruit and access more than 4,500 Active
Component officers in fiscal year 2022, with more than 10,000 officers
accessed across all components. All sources of commission are expected
to meet their fiscal year 2022 accessions mission. Additionally, the
Army is on track to access 1,745 warrant officers in both technical and
aviation fields in fiscal year 2022. Army marketing launched the
``Decide to Lead'' officer focused marketing campaign in August 2022 to
continue to drive the strongest candidates toward Army service as
officers.
Ensuring the officer corps is representative of the Nation it
serves is an essential component of our strategy. The U.S. Army Cadet
Command's Urban Access pilot program established Strategic Officer
Recruiting Detachments (SORDs) in Los Angeles, California and Houston,
Texas to increase access to Army Officer opportunities in these highly
diverse markets. By partnering with U.S. Army Recruiting Command, local
community leaders and educators, the SORD builds awareness and interest
in the depth and breadth of Army service opportunities. The SORD refers
qualified students to our Senior Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)
programs, and as of 3rd quarter fiscal year 2022, began offering ROTC
scholarships to deserving candidates from these two markets. U.S. Army
Cadet Command (Cadet Command) continues to leverage internship programs
to assign highly successful first lieutenants back to select Senior
ROTC programs. The Patton Internship program places combat arms
officers at select Historically Black Colleges and Universities to
mentor young cadets about the unique leadership opportunities available
in the combat arms branches. Through the Cavazos Internship program,
Cadet Command places Spanish-speaking First Lieutenants at select
Hispanic Serving Institutions to engage students and their influencers
about the value of the Senior ROTC program and service as an Army
officer. We continue to see promise from these efforts.
Cadet Command increased the number of Cadet packets evaluated in
the fiscal year 2022 branching board for Active Duty by nearly 500
files. These efforts resulted in an increase of 127 African American,
Hispanic or Asian Pacific Islander Cadets selected for Active Duty, and
57 of the 127 were selected for combat arms.
conclusion
The United States Army exists for one purpose, to protect the
Nation by fighting and winning our Nation's wars as a member of the
Joint Force, and our readiness depends on a quality All-Volunteer
Force. We must harness our resources to call our fellow Americans to
service in the defense of our Nation.
We are in a war for talent, and it will take all our people--
soldiers across all components, families, Army civilians, and soldiers
for life--to fight and win this war.
The Army is committed to working with this Committee, and with the
assistance of Congress as a whole, to help maintain the United States
Army as the greatest fighting force.
Senator Gillibrand. We are prepared to hear from Vice
Admiral Cheeseman.
STATEMENT OF VICE ADMIRAL RICK CHEESEMAN, DEPUTY CHIEF OF NAVAL
OPERATIONS, PERSONNEL, MANPOWER AND TRAINING, N1 UNITED STATES
NAVY
Admiral Cheeseman. Thank you.
Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis, and
distinguished members of the Personnel Subcommittee, thank you
for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss our
Navy's most important strategic asset, our people.
Recruiting and retaining sailors is the Secretary of the
Navy's top priority and he is personally involved in our Navy
Working Group to address these challenges. Additionally, the
recently released Chief of Naval Operations Navigation Plan for
2022 reaffirms his fundamental belief that people are our most
important element. We cannot accomplish a single mission
without them.
Strategic competition demands that we remain ahead of our
adversaries, who persistently challenge our traditional
warfighting dominance through new weapon systems and innovative
tactics.
In response, our Navy forms an essential element of the
Joint Force by building and sustaining warfighting capability.
Our perennial advantage remains our people and our sailors
relentlessly pursue operational excellence.
However, without a steady supply of new sailors this
advantage could quickly wane. It is for this reason that we
pulled every possible lever to achieve mission success in
recruiting.
As fiscal year 2022 draws to a close, I can report that
Navy has met 100 percent of our active component enlisted
recruiting mission, which is the vast majority of our new total
accessions.
However, while we continue to fight for every person, I
expect that we will fall short of reserve enlisted mission as
well as our active and reserve officer mission.
Our Navy team continues to focus on the factors that
influence our recruiting efforts, assess the current situation
to meet our recruiting goals, and implement initiatives to keep
our force near end strength controls.
We continue to leverage our large-scale digital recruiting
presence through our ``Forged by the Sea'' marketing and
advertising campaign, which allows us to reach each and every
zip code to access previously undiscovered talent.
In 2017, 34 percent of our marketing and advertising was
digital. Today, we are at nearly 100 percent digital, resulting
in a 30 percent increase in national leads while taking the
message to where our future sailors are operating, online.
While we remain committed to aggressively fighting for the
best our Nation has to offer, we are beginning to witness an
increased competition for needed talent. In particular, we are
experiencing challenges due to labor market conditions, strong
commercial competitors, and low propensity to serve among our
18-to 24-year-old target demographic.
The year 2022 has seen low unemployment with continued wage
growth, resulting in strong labor demand in all markets
nationwide. The Navy welcomes support to promote military
service with as much enthusiasm and credibility as colleges,
trade schools, or nontraditional gig economy careers.
Legislation to support an increase to the enlistment bonus
statutory maximums and specialists' skill pay and bonuses will
help as well.
Building upon the gains of the last few years, Navy remains
committed to retaining the right talent and experience in the
right pay grades and ratings. This is a mutually supporting
effort with recruiting and we have used every lever within our
authority to maximize those making the decision to stay Navy.
Navy retention remains above our year to date retention
forecasts in all zones, which are tracking to meet or exceed
our fiscal year 2022 retention attainment benchmarks. That
said, we remain cautiously optimistic for fiscal year 2023
while we closely monitor all of our retention metrics.
Our Navy is committed to attracting, developing, and
inspiring America's finest so we can best protect and defend
our American way of life. We cannot fully accomplish this
without your continued support.
As Chief Naval Officer (CNO) frequently states, every day
matters in this critical decade. Everything that you can do to
prevent the negative impacts of a Continuing Resolution will
help ensure our warfighting capability and the fulfillment of
our commitment to our sailors and their families.
I remain inspired by our sailors. They exceed every
expectation on watch today and every day around the globe. You
and every American can be proud of the sailors and families of
your United States Navy as they serve our great Nation.
Thank you, and I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Vice Admiral Richard J.
Cheeseman follows:]
Prepared Statement by Vice Admiral Richard J. Cheeseman Jr.
introduction
Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis, and distinguished
Members of the Personnel Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to
discuss the Navy's most important strategic asset--our people. To keep
our force mission ready, your Navy has continued to focus on recruiting
our Nation's very best talent in sufficient numbers while implementing
innovative retention initiatives.
current status of meeting navy recruiting goals
Navy continues to attack the fiscal year 2022 accession mission,
but is experiencing challenges due to labor market conditions, strong
competitors, and low market propensity to serve among the target
demographic. To date, the Navy has shipped (or has contracted to ship)
92 percent of the fiscal year 2022 Active component (AC) mission to
Recruit Training Command and remains on track to meet the fiscal year
2022 AC accessions mission (33,400/33,400--100 percent). For the Navy
Reserve component (RC), affiliations are forecasted to fall short of
the fiscal year 2022 mission by approximately 1,800 (5,600/7,400--76
percent).
For the AC officer mission, Navy anticipates achieving 89 percent
of the AC officer mission (2,243 of 2,507) and 67 percent of the RC
officer mission (908 of 1,360). The market continues to be particularly
challenging for RC Medical Department officer recruiting, with Navy
attaining only 51 percent of the RC Medical Department mission.
factors impacting recruiting efforts
The fiscal year 2022 recruiting environment is one of the toughest
in recent history. According to a Department of Defense Youth Poll
conducted in 2020 from the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD)
Joint Advertising Market Research & Studies (JAMRS), the total
population in our primary target demographic (17 to 21 years old) is
21.4 million. Of those, 13.6 million are considered high academic
quality, meaning that they have A's or B's, with an estimated 50 or
higher on the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT). In that group,
only 4.6 million are eligible which means that these individuals have
no disqualifying medical or legal issue and finally, of those, 390
thousand have a propensity to serve (9 percent). In fact, aggregate
military propensity is lower today than it has been since 2007. Another
factor is the state of the current youth market where there is a lack
of familiarity with the military. Youth now are questioning the value
and relevancy of the military as an organization in comparison to the
issues they are experiencing and discussing.
Using JAMRS data, we are seeing a fragmented and increasingly
costly media market. Due to COVID-19, since March 2020, there was a
significant decline in relationships and contacts recruiters could
cultivate directly, diminishing their ability to penetrate local
markets. The Navy has worked hard to leverage digital technology to
employ the online sphere in addition to brick and mortar or shoe-
leather recruiting.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics August 2022 Employment
Situation news release, the unemployment rate is 3.7 percent,
indicating a very competitive labor market. In August, there were 6.0
million unemployed persons for 11.2 million job openings with 4.2
million people quitting their jobs in July 2022. The resignation rate
among employees remains among the highest on record since the Bureau of
Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey began in
December of 2000. The employment situation has led to increasingly
competitive civilian hiring incentives ($3,000 average); tuition
assistance and high wages ($15-$25 per hour) across all industries.
initiatives in navy recruiting
At the end of 2021, the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) put out a
challenge to all commanding officers in the Navy to be honest in our
assessment of our commands to reassess our effectiveness in a charge
called ``Get Real, Get Better (GRGB).'' MyNavy HR has accepted the
challenge by conducting GRGB deep dives on production and exploring how
each Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) can better penetrate specific
markets to improve recruiter performance.
Through these reviews, we discovered that Marketing and Advertising
(M&A), E-Talent Teams and Virtual Recruiting, monetary incentives,
expanding policy to increase the applicant pool, along with improving
training and standardization are effective tools. M&A concentrates on
efforts to provide real, authentic stories from actual sailors
addressing the barriers, concerns, and key motivators to joining. We
also realized that this method has an immediate impact on recruiting
efforts by generating interest and online activity via digital
advertisements. E-Talent Teams and Virtual Recruiting are used by
online recruiting experts to engage the market virtually and generate
leads on platforms where the youth market is spending their time.
Currently, we use Handshake, LinkedIn, and Indeed which are tools that
allow recruiters to continue engaging high quality applicants that are
actively seeking employment virtually while eToolbox is a website that
allows the easy distribution of recruiting aids such as digital
brochures and school presentations.
The Navy's monetary incentives enabled us to influence placement of
shippers and remain in contention with other services and the civilian
market. Here are the current bonuses offered to candidates:
$50,000 Enlistment Bonus Ceiling--Expanded opportunities
for future sailors to reach or get close to ceiling.
Offering $5,000/$12,000/$15,000 for AC Future Sailors
that ship between 1 July and 30 September.
$25,000 for all Training and Administration of Reserve
(TAR) and $5 to $15,000 for select New Accession Training (NAT) Future
Sailors that ship by October.
In order to increase the applicant pool, MyNavy HR has expanded
waivers for AFQT scores, single parents, past positive drug/alcohol
tests (PosDATs), tattoos, and age. At the end of March 2022, Navy
extended the AFQT waiver pilot that allows Navy Recruiting Command
(NRC) to consider waivers for applicants with 26 to 30 AFQT scores. In
addition, the requirement for 70 percent of accessions to have an AFQT
greater than or equal to 50 was aligned to the Department of Defense
(DOD) standard of 60 percent. SECNAV also signed the delegation of
authority on this same date for a pilot program waiving dependency
status for AC enlistment of unmarried individuals with custody of
dependents under the age of 18. The program requires that applicants
have no more than two dependents under 18 and no dependents 12 months
or younger.
While 100 percent virtual recruiting was the focus of many
recruiters during the height of COVID-19, face-to-face engagement is
essential for Navy Recruiting to infiltrate the local markets. MyNavy
HR provided each NTAG with a Mobile Engagement Vehicle (MEV) consisting
of a large van and necessary equipment (tables, tents, banners) to
support a mobile physical recruiting presence in any outdoor space
(e.g. mall parking lot, fair, or career day). In an effort to get after
Reserve recruiting, Navy Recruiting Reserve Command (NRRC) was
established under NRC to consolidate the Naval Veteran (NAVET) and
Reserve Direct Commission missions. Results have shown positive gains
in the reserve mission.
The Navy started the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC)
Blue and Gold Officers (NBGO) program similar to the United States
Naval Academy (USNA) Blue and Gold program to provide a cadre of
trained volunteers to identify, recruit, counsel, and assist applicants
during the NROTC scholarship application process. NBGOs serve as
mentors and subject matter experts on NROTC scholarship application
submission and help ensure timely application completion. We also
established a Junior Officer Diversity Officers (JODO) program that
partners with Unrestricted Line Officers to share their Navy
experiences with high school and college students within diverse
communities throughout the country.
``Every Sailor is a Recruiter'' (ESaR) is an Navy initiative to
leverage Active and Reserve sailors in helping select, mentor, and
prepare the next generation of sailors to man the fleet. There are
programs already in place such as Hometown Area Recruiting Program
(HARP), Officer HARP (OHARP), and Senior Minority Assistance to
Recruiting Program (SEMINAR) that send sailors back to their hometowns
to help recruiting efforts in those areas. ESaR takes it a step further
by asking every sailor to share their stories within their circles of
influence. Another new recruiting initiative is Navy 3 to 1 to 3, every
new sailor is asked to provide three potential Centers of Influence
(COI), one social media handle, and three referrals. Initial
indications have shown a good potential to generate activity.
retention
Navy is on track to meet all fiscal year 2022 enlisted retention
goals. This has been accomplished through a combination of special and
incentive pays while expanding the scope of non-monetary incentives.
Officer retention to Department Head is a key metric to ensure adequate
numbers enter the control grades of 0 to 4 and above, but is behind
plan in most of our Unrestricted Line communities. Many of our officer
special and incentive pays are at legislative limits making them less
effective than in the past.
Sharpened Focus on Enlisted Monetary Incentives:
Selective Reenlistment Bonus (SRB)--In fiscal year 2022,
more than 55,000 new sailors became eligible for SRB. The program
updated over 100 new skillsets and increases to the award levels. Navy
has seen over 8,800 approved sailors reenlist with an additional 1,500
pending under the SRB program in fiscal year 2022 with the most recent
update released on 9 August.
Assignment Incentive Pay (AIP)--provides monetary
incentives so sailors may volunteer for assignments that are deemed
exceptionally difficult to fill. This mostly addresses critical shore
assignments. The list of eligible duty assignments were extended in
fiscal year 2022 and more changes are expected to address manning
shortfalls in fiscal year 2023.
Sea Duty Incentive Pay (SDIP)--Provide monetary
incentives to get sailors to extend their duty assignments in select
sea duty billets. It also provides opportunities for sailors to shorten
shore assignments in order to return to sea duty sooner. Eligibility is
reviewed quarterly. Skillsets that have reached adequate manning levels
are removed from the eligibility chart, while more challenged skillsets
remain or are added.
Detailing Marketplace Incentive Pay (DMIP)--This is a
relatively new program that seeks to address sea duty manning
challenges for sea-intensive ratings in the journeyman pay band. DMIP
can be received in addition to other special pays except for AIP and
SDIP.
Targeting Non-Monetary Incentives for Officers:
Communities continue to offer significant bonuses to
retain talent through department head milestone tours, but impact is
maximized through pairing with non-monetary incentives.
Officer engagement enhanced via round tables, surveys,
and symposia with community leaders. Survey feedback has put a
spotlight on quality of life and career path flexibility which are
being aggressively addressed.
Early engagement from detailers is improving the balance
of personal needs with needs of the Navy by increasing offerings of
geographic stability (back-to-back tours), highlighting alternative
career paths, and better communicating fellowship and education program
opportunities.
force management levers for enlisted personnel
Enlisted Early Out Programs--Curtailing all early out
program opportunities and new time in grade waivers, while offering
enlistment contract extension opportunities for sailors who are
voluntarily separating or retiring. Commanding Officers still retain
the 90-day early out authority for education and some officer programs.
High Year Tenure Waivers (HYT)--Navy continues to offer
HYT waivers for sailors wanting to go to sea, stay at sea or who
possess critical skills required to maintain mission readiness.
Reenlistment Opportunity--Every retention eligible sailor
is provided a reenlistment quota via Career Waypoints (C-WAY)
reenlistment or from their Commanding Officer.
Advance to Position (A2P)--As part of the detailing
marketplace, qualified sailors will be able to apply to billets in a
higher paygrade, with agreement to additional service obligation. They
advanced to the new pay grade upon reporting to the new position.
Command Advanced to Position (CA2P)--allows commands to
fill projected vacancies with on board E4 personnel. If qualified for
the position, sailors being awarded a CA2P opportunity are realigned to
the Journeyman billet, obligate to complete a 3-year tour receiving
DMIP, and advanced to E-5.
Offering Rating Conversion Opportunities--In an effort to
provide well-balanced enlisted ratings and to retain talented and
experienced sailors.
Indefinite Recall (Reserve component to Active component
(RC2AC))--Seeks to place qualified enlisted reserve members in specific
rates and year groups to fill active community needs in the fleet.
Fiscal year 2022 target is 225. Looking to increase the target to 325
for fiscal year 2023.
Senior Enlisted Continuation Board (SECB)--Delayed
holding fiscal year 2023 board. Will re-evaluate to hold in fiscal year
2024. SECB is part of continued effort to optimize the quality of the
force while shaping Navy end strength to meet future challenges.
Special and Incentive Pays--The Navy's extensive special
and incentive pay programs offer dozens of pays to eligible sailors
across various enlisted rates and officer designators. In fiscal year
2022, significant improvements were made to SRB and AIP programs in
addition to the introduction of DMIP.
force management levers for officers
Promotion Merit Reorder--Allows placing up to 15 percent
of those selected for promotion (O-4/O-5/O-6 Line and Staff Boards) to
the top of the list, demonstrating the value and primacy of merit over
simple time in service.
Expanded continuation authority (``Up & Stay'')--Permits
certain control grade officers serving in targeted skills to remain on
Active Duty beyond the traditional statutory 30-year Active Duty limit.
Promotion board consideration deferment (``Opt-out'')--
Enables retention of top talent by allowing an officer to submit a
request to opt-out of promotion consideration due to completion of a
career broadening assignment, advanced education, or a career
progression requirement.
Expanded officer spot promotion authority--Facilitates
filling at-sea and operational 0 to 5 and 0 to 6 billets with officers
possessing critical skills (post-operational or operational command
executive leadership).
Career Intermission Program (CIP)--Allows officers and
enlisted sailors the ability to transfer out of the active component
and into the individual ready reserve for up to three years while
retaining full health care coverage and base access privileges. Main
reasons for CIP participation include education and family support.
conclusion
Attracting and retaining individuals who want to serve the Nation
is a priority for our leadership since it is key to maintaining our
advantage at sea and winning long-term strategic competition. The Navy
continuously monitors the economic conditions and reassesses the
important role these factors play in understanding how to effectively
manage talent. The Navy leverages competitive pay and benefits
packages, talent management initiatives, and steadily modernized HR
service delivery in order to combat an increasingly challenging labor
market. On behalf of the men and women of the United States Navy and
their families, thank you for your sustained commitment and unwavering
support.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you, Vice Admiral.
Lieutenant General Miller, we are prepared to hear your
opening statement.
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL CAROLINE MILLER, DEPUTY CHIEF
OF STAFF FOR MANPOWER, PERSONNEL, AND SERVICES, UNITED STATES
AIR FORCE
Lieutenant General Miller. Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking
Member Tillis, and distinguished members of the committee,
thank you for the opportunity to appear before you to discuss
the recruiting efforts of the Department of the Air Force.
I am honored to be able to highlight the things we are
doing to showcase the Air Force as the employer of choice. As
we near the end of the fiscal year, I can report to you that
the Active Duty Air Force has met its recruiting goal for
fiscal year 2022 by a narrow margin but with a minimal bank of
ready recruits for fiscal year 2023.
The Air Reserve components, however, will fall short of
their recruiting goals. The Department of the Air Force is
actively aware that there is an intense competition for talent
driven by an ongoing national labor shortage. We anticipate the
recruiting environment to be even more challenging in 2023 and
beyond.
One major concern is that the current youth market is
increasingly disconnected and unfamiliar with the military,
resulting in fewer youths interested in or planning to join.
Today, only one of 11 eligible individuals in the 17-to 24-
year-old range has a propensity to serve.
Furthermore, overall, public perception of the military is
often inaccurate with negative publicity overshadowing the
tangible benefits and positive global impact airmen make every
day.
To combat these challenges and increase our recruiting
pool, the Air Force is engaging with several angles. We are
improving our recruiter training program. We are increasing
monetary incentives for recruits.
We are intensifying our recruiting efforts to target
diverse populations and improving our marketing campaigns to
include initiatives to use general officers to expand the arm's
reach of our recruiters.
Hampered by restrictions from worldwide COVID-19 pandemic,
our recruiters have been unable to access schools or conduct
other public engagements. This lack of access atrophied the
required skills and greatly diminished the routine contacts
recruiters need to successfully communicate and promote the Air
Force brand.
Currently, 70 percent of Active Duty recruiters have never
recruited in a non-COVID environment. To rehone their skills we
have implemented an aggressive training plan for recruiters to
address training deficits and increase community presence.
In fiscal year 2022, we increased enlistment incentive
bonuses by approximately $22 million. This resulted in over
2,200 new recruits contracted between April and September 2022.
Additionally, we implemented a quick ship bonus, allowing
us to successfully contract 320 enlistees and immediately send
them to basic training, ensuring we filled every available
seat. We intend to continue this in fiscal year 2023.
Furthermore, we are actively examining all accession
policies to determine if there are any areas in which we can
adjust to eliminate unnecessary barriers to serve. Our drive
program provides motivated but medically disqualified airmen a
chance to serve their country in ways other than in uniform.
The program is designed to transform medically disqualified
airmen with unique skill sets into viable civil service
applicants, thereby keeping the talent within the Air Force.
This summer, the Secretary of the Air Force established new
goals for officers' source of commissioning applicant pools. We
have been--we have expanded diversity recruiting efforts with
additional recruiters and ongoing improvements to total force
marketing with a specific focus on underrepresented female,
Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Native
Alaskan populations. We have increased our recruiter presence
to various academic institutions in untapped geographic
regions.
The Department is also focusing efforts on K through 12
youth with our Inspire Operations and aviation inspiration
mentorship programs. These programs are designed to encourage
young students in underrepresented groups to pursue STEM in
aviation careers.
This challenging recruiting environment is likely to
continue for the foreseeable future. Our ability to remain
competitive as an employer of choice relies on increasing the
reach of our recruiting efforts to expand the recruiting pool,
and from the bottom of my heart I can tell you that we continue
to have an unbeatable value proposition where we offer
opportunity, community, and purpose to these willing Americans.
Not only do we offer an opportunity to come serve alongside
some of the greatest Americans they will ever meet in the Air
Force and Space Force, but we offer an opportunity to change
the trajectory of lives, make better citizens, and to leave
people with an undeniable sense that they have made a
difference, that they have made it matter.
I appreciate your continued support of the Department of
Defense. Thank you, and I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Lieutenant General Caroline M.
Miller follows:]
Prepared Statement by Lieutenant General Caroline M. Miller
introduction
Chairwoman Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis, Distinguished Members
of this Committee, thank you for your continued support and for the
opportunity to appear before you today. America's airmen remain
steadfast in providing Global Vigilance, Reach, and Power to protect
and defend our Nation.
As the Secretary of the Air Force has articulated, our national
security challenges are growing at a rapid pace. It is clear our Air
Force must modernize and improve our operational posture to
successfully meet those challenges or face losing. We are fully focused
on this imperative and recognize our airmen and their families form the
essential foundation for our ability to meet those future challenges
anytime, anywhere.
the force we need
A major constraint in today's world is rapid change. We must focus
on maintaining readiness today while building the Air Force we need for
tomorrow's high-end fight. To recruit, develop, employ, engage and
retain the airmen we need, we require agile and responsive talent
management and force development processes ensuring each Airman is
valued, is appropriately trained, and empowered to reach their full
potential. Only skilled, confident, and properly supported airmen can
transform a weapons system into an Air Force capability to win the
future fight.
The Department of the Air Force is taking an enterprise approach to
recruiting our Nation's best, creating unity of effort and synergy
across the Total Force to improve talent acquisition and operational
effectiveness. The Air Force combined all six recruiting networks (our
Active Duty, Air National Guard (ANG), Air Force Reserve (AFR),
Civilian Service, AFROTC, and USAFA) to the greatest extent practical
to foster unified strategies to recruit the next generation of airmen
and guardians in our Nation's increasingly challenging recruiting
environment and to maintain the world's best Air Force and Space Force.
For the Total Force, it means better buying power, bigger networks,
and better recruiting coverage; for the recruiter, it means leveraging
off one another's strengths; and one medical accessions division
bringing smart, consistent decisions while using comprehensive data to
measure and adjust medical accession standards as we move forward. Most
importantly, for the American public, it means uniformity in our
message: America's Air Force--serve full or part-time, in or out of
uniform as an officer, enlisted, or civilian.
Recruiting Goals
Based on the current projections, the USAF will meet Active Duty
recruiting goals for fiscal year 2022 by a narrow margin with a minimal
bank of ready recruits for 2023. The ANG and AFR are expected to miss
2022 recruiting goals by approximately 2,400 and 1,400 respectively.
The Department of the Air Force is acutely aware of the competition
for talent, driven by an ongoing national labor shortage and expects
the recruiting environment to be even more challenging in 2023 and
beyond. More concerning, the youth market is increasingly disconnected
and unfamiliar with today's military, resulting in fewer youth
interested in or planning to join the military. Today only 23 percent
of 17- to 24-year-old men and women in the United States are eligible
to serve in the military without a waiver and only one in 11 have a
propensity to serve.
Initially, the necessary deployment of MHS Genesis across the DOD
recruiting enterprise resulted in slower processing times and increased
applicant loss rate and placed further pressure on an already difficult
recruiting mission.
Given these challenges, the Air Force is actively engaged in
improving how we recruit tomorrow's airmen. We are pulling all
available levers: improving recruiter training, growing enlistment
incentives, increasing public affairs and marketing campaigns,
expanding diversity and inclusion efforts, as well as making quality of
life and service enhancements.
An assessment of recruiting squadron procedures and environmental
challenges determined that the aggregate effects of 2 years of COVID
with limited or no access to schools and lack of public engagement
atrophied the required skills and routine contacts recruiters need to
successfully communicate and sell the Air Force as a career. Currently
70 percent of Active Duty recruiters have never recruited in a non-
COVID environment. Toward the beginning of 2022, the Air Force
implemented an aggressive training plan and recruiter incentive program
to address training deficits and increase community presence.
Additionally, the Air Force increased Enlistment Incentive Bonuses
by approximately $22 million toward hard-to-fill Air Force Specialty
Codes. This proved effective and resulted in over 2,200 new recruits
contracted in the last half of fiscal year 2022.
Additionally, the Air Force relaxed restrictions on small hand
tattoos historically disqualifying thousands of otherwise well-
qualified applicants. The Air Force is partnering with DOD to explore
less restrictive medical accession standards that minimize operational
risk while maintaining high quality accessions. Furthermore, we are
reviewing other accessions standards to include tattoo, driver's
license, post-partum, and drug-and-alcohol test policies which could
serve to eliminate barriers to serve.
The Air Force has established a Regional Marketing Organization to
address localized challenges and standardize our marketing approach
across all components. Additionally, the Air Force has implemented a
market segmentation approach at zip code levels to recruit from growth
and untapped potential to support greater diversity.
To enhance diversity, we focused on increasing our female applicant
pool within officer accession sources, setting an initial target to
achieve growth in female applicants to 30 percent. We surpassed that
goal at the USAFA for the class of 2025, and 32.5 percent percent of
the entering class were women. Last year's graduating class was 29.4
percent female, a 0.4 percent increase from 2020. Within our ROTC
program, we raised our fiscal year 2024 applicant pool to 30 percent
female, with 25.2 percent female representation in the most recent
commissioning class (FY21), a 3 percent increase since fiscal year
2016. From an applicant pool perspective, Officer Training School (OTS)
has increased its diversity applications between fiscal year 2020 and
fiscal year 2022 by 2.5 percent for female, 1.7 percent for Asian, .5
percent for Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 1.1 percent American
Indian/Alaskan Native, 6.2 percent Hispanic, and unchanged at 9.9
percent for African American.
The Secretary of the Air Force established new Officer Source of
Commissioning Applicant Pool Goals in August of this year. These goals
included raising female applicants to 36 percent, Black/African
American to 13 percent, Asian to 10 percent, American Indian/Native
Alaskan to 1.5 percent Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander to 1 percent
and Hispanic/Latino to 15 percent.
We have expanded diversity recruiting efforts with additional
recruiters and ongoing Total Force marketing improvements focused on
underrepresented female, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American
Indian/Native Alaskan populations as well as academic institutions and
untapped geographic regions. We are also marketing to Minority Serving
Institutions and affinity-based professional organizations. Our General
Officers are heavily engaged in recruiting efforts, supporting
community and event engagement through the `GO Inspire' initiative and
partnerships with industry and external organizations to reach diverse
STEM-minded personnel.
The Air Force is also focusing our efforts on K-12 youth programs
with the intent to inspire youth in underrepresented groups to pursue
STEM and aviation careers. We continue to expand ``Inspire
Operations'', a STEM-based, aviation-focused, motivation and mentorship
program designed to increase diversity and mitigate the pilot shortage
across rated career fields to include Combat System Officers, Air
Battle Managers and Remotely Piloted Aircraft pilots. The program pairs
high school students and strategic partners nationwide involved in
youth aviation and STEM with pathways to aviation via accession sources
such as USAFA and Air Force ROTC, OTS, and Civilian Service. Program
events encompass a wide range of engagements from strategic
partnerships with national level aviation and youth organizations to
supporting base level and local community youth outreach. These events
incorporate the Aviation Inspiration Mentorship program, which is
comprised of total force Rated Officers, who are Ambassadors serving as
role models, mentors and Air Force representatives in highly engaging
environments.
In 2022, Air Force Recruiting Service has completed 192 events, to
date, with a 102 percent growth. Additionally, future events planning
has increased by 202 percent over last year. Through deliberate
strategic messaging of this program, we've increased our reach to a
population of 24 million.
Additionally, the Air Force is leveraging predictive tests to
ensure applicants are compatible to serve. The assessments include the
risk of disciplinary and counterproductive workplace behaviors that
might negatively impact well-being, morale, and mission effectiveness.
We administer the Tailored Adaptive Personality Assessment System to
all recruits which identifies and measures an applicant's suitability
and adjustment potential for life in the military. This assessment also
provides data for ongoing research and development to improve its
utility.
As we increase our diverse pool of applicants, it's imperative the
Air Force has a talent management system which positions airmen to
succeed. This also serves to improve diversity in under-represented
career fields. In 2022, the Air Force increased focus on the Air Force
Work Interest Navigator (AF-WIN) Survey tool, designed to match
enlisted recruits with Air Force career fields based on individual
interests. AF-WIN is a web-based tool that presents a series of
questions to recruits on functional communities, job contexts, and work
activities. It uses an algorithm to create a customized career fit
report on more than 135 enlisted Air Force careers, tailored to the
recruit's interests. Recruiters use the survey results with their
recruits to enhance job counseling and provide comprehensive
information on specific career paths and improve job satisfaction and
retention efforts. Additionally, we expanded our job matching window,
providing opportunities up to 5 months in the future (previously, job
availability included only 60-90 days.) This increases the opportunity
of recruits matched to the right career field and position.
Additionally, the Air Force Personnel Center's Develop,
Redistribute, Improve, Vault Expose (DRIVE) Program provides a pathway
for medically disqualified Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve Accession
Program candidates, i.e., those attending BMT, Tech School, USAFA,
College AFROTCs, etc., to enter the Department of the Air Force's Civil
Service.
DRIVE candidates are used to fill civilian positions historically
difficult to fill, creating a win/win situation for the trainee and the
Department. Currently, 20 candidates were placed and another 15 are
working through the civil service hiring process.
The Air Force continues to make strides transforming a portfolio of
outdated systems that consume our airmen's time, energy, and
flexibility when handling their Human Resource business affairs. We
have moved into cutting edge, cloud-based technology which improves
user experience, enhances data protection, and opens opportunities for
mobile access. We continue to advocate for resourcing to modernize our
recruiting platforms as a key part of this transformation. Thank you
for your continued support of our Digital Transformation efforts.
Retention
Recruiting remains a top priority for the Air Force and equally as
critical is the importance of retention of our agile and ready force.
High retention is an indicator of the value our airmen place on
serving. It ensures we maintain the experience required to face
tomorrow's challenges. While the Department of the Air Force is no
longer experiencing the unprecedented high retention we saw in 2021,
overall retention remains high, with some areas continuing to
experience retention challenges.
To alleviate retention challenges, the Department of the Air Force
offers targeted monetary and non-monetary incentives. Specifically, we
leveraged a $197 million Selective Retention Bonus program in fiscal
year 2022 which targets critical capabilities in the enlisted Air Force
and Space Force Specialty Codes. The specialty codes targeted are those
with low manning percentages, low retention, and/or high training
costs. Some examples include special warfare, aircraft maintenance,
cyber, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. Non-monetary
incentives include programs such as, but not limited to declination of
Professional Military Education without retribution; spouse re-
imbursement and re-licensure/certification requirements due to
Permanent Change of Station (PCS); Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Caregiver
Separation provisions; and the Career Intermission Program, which
allows members a one-time, temporary transition from Active Duty to the
Individual Ready Reserve to meet personal or professional needs.
The Aviation Bonus (AvB) is a strategic talent-management tool,
tailored annually through our Business Case Model, specifically
designed to retain the proper number of experienced aviators to improve
readiness and maintain lethality of the force. The AvB program is a
very cost-effective means of talent management compared to the costs
and time required to replace very experienced aviators. The fiscal year
2022 AvB Business Case Model factored manning levels (current and
forecast), retention tendencies (current and trend), cost and time to
replace experienced aviator. Additionally, the model considers career
field health stressors such as aggressive airline hiring movements,
economic recovery, projected Field Grade Officer (FGO) shortages in
fiscal year 2025, aircraft onboardin and divestitures, major aircraft
upgrades, Company Grade Officer and FGO manning imbalances, and
absorption challenges brought on by increased pilot product to
determine program construct. The analysis identified all manned piloted
platforms as top priorities for retention incentives, followed closely
by Remotely Piloted Aircraft pilots, Air Battle Managers and Combat
System Officers. With a budget of $200.6 million, the fiscal year 2022
AvB offers both short-term (defined as 3 years minimum) and long-term
(defined as 5 years or more) contract options and incentivizes long-
term contracts with increased annual amounts and larger lump sum
payments in the longer-term contract categories.
The Department continues to modify these annual programs to shape
the rated force while practicing fiscal responsibility decisively and
deliberately. Data garnered from the Rated Pilot Demonstration will
surely assist in our ability to articulate future requirements while
ensuring we remain fiscally responsible and deliberate in our
offerings.
managing talent
The Air Force's Talent Management system continues to transform to
fully support the National Defense Strategy. Its focus is to develop
inclusive leaders with a competency skillset and character to produce
the talent we need for the future high-end fight. Most Air Force talent
management initiatives are directed toward a system empowering all
airmen (military and civilian) to reach their full potential within a
framework that increases agility, improves responsiveness, empowers
performance, and provides transparency and simplicity. This framework
is centered on defining and knowing our values, measuring key items,
and incentivizing and rewarding individuals who demonstrate and excel
at the valued qualities.
Air Force Talent Management
The Air Force is actively re-examining how we develop airmen over
the continuum of their careers. Our goal is to align development to our
stated values and Airman Leadership Qualities for formal and informal
leaders. The emphasis on development and alignment to our values will
result in new officer selection processes for the Air Force, ensuring
our leaders have the highest levels of character and competence.
Additionally, this will identify behaviors which require development
prior to key leadership positions and command.
Furthermore, the Air Force continuously improves our capacity to
find, support, and develop the innovation and Cyber workforce which
supports the warfighter. We encourage and support innovative, best
practices. We are currently creating developmental pathways for airmen
(military and civilian) with innovative skills within their current
communities and within functional communities. Innovators, partnering
with experts in leading technology, are critical to building multi-
capable airmen. The Department of the Air Force is exploring efficient
ways to identify individuals with critical operational talent,
including cyber, weather, special warfare operators and STEM arenas.
Leaders at all levels, must support and enhance innovators, provide
opportunities, and assist with roles.
Diversity & Inclusion
Diversity and Inclusion are force multipliers and warfighting
imperatives. It is our duty to the American people to recruit and
develop the finest quality warfighters available. Make no mistake, as
we seek to attract the best from all parts of America, we will select
the most capable our Nation has to offer. Recruiting and retaining
talent key talent is dependent on being an inclusive organization.
To improve diversity, the Department of the Air Force created
several barrier analysis working groups to identify barriers to
retention of women and diverse Air and Space professionals. We made
several significant policy adjustments based on their findings.
Since 2018, we have accessed and made accommodations for 31
practicing Sikh, Muslim, Heathen, Jewish, Norse, Eastern, and Russian
Orthodox individuals. This allows these talented members to serve while
still respecting their religious dress and appearance requirements.
These professionals serve as role models for other talented Americans
who can recognize themselves as a member of the Department of the Air
Force.
In 2020, we adjusted policy for new mothers. They can now defer
determining whether to separate from the service up to 12 months post-
delivery. This provides ample time to determine whether military
service is compatible with their growing family. We are currently
expanding this policy to include all families, impacting approximately
3,500 airmen per month. Additionally, the Department of the Air Force
directed units to provide nursing mothers access to lactation
facilities.
We also updated hair grooming standards in February 2021, allowing
women to wear one or two braids, or a single ponytail. Additionally,
women can wear longer bangs that touch their eyebrow so long as the
bangs do not cover their eyes. Shortly after implementation, the policy
team received feedback from members in which the established policy
still resulted in damaged hair. A second modification provided
allowances for those hair types to ensure inclusivity.
Furthermore, we adjusted dress and appearance policies to allow
accent marks and hyphens on name tapes and tags. We modified male
grooming standards to include 5-year shaving waivers for qualifying
airmen and adjusted increased length of mustaches.
More recently, the Department has revised aircrew pregnancy
standards policy, allowing equitable opportunities across the force
while normalizing pregnancy within the flying community. These changes
are all part of our on-going efforts to create a more inclusive
culture.
Upon DOD's implementation of the fiscal year 2022 NDAA's parental
leave legislation, the Department of the Air Force will release
complementing guidance authorizing both birth and non-birth
servicemembers 12 weeks of non-chargeable leave following the birth,
adoption of a child of the member or placement of a minor child with
the member for adoption or long-term foster care.
The Department of the Air Force's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and
Accessibility (DEIA) Strategy focuses on four key areas to further
diversity and inclusion efforts. First, we are working to align
diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility to the Department's
operational missions. Second, we are focused on leadership engagement
and accountability with quantifiable results. Third, the Department is
championing a culture of inclusion by establishing education and
training throughout personnel lifecycles. Finally, we are
institutionalizing DEIA principles through best practices, analysis,
and feedback into policy.
helping airmen and families reach their full potential
Our airmen, guardians and families are our greatest competitive
advantage. We recruit individuals but we retain families. Over the past
year, the Department of the Air Force continued to focus on providing
the absolute best care for our airmen, guardians, and their families.
We are taking steps necessary to create an inclusive environment at
which every airman and guardian can reach their full potential. In
discussing our support and family related programs, the Air Force
provides support to both airmen and guardians.
Resiliency
The Department of the Air Force has a robust Resiliency Program,
with 32 agencies providing services to help our members and families
thrive in their personal and professional lives. Resources are
available to help with physical, mental, social, and spiritual needs.
Our resources include, but are not limited to the Chaplain Corps,
Mental Health, Military & Family Readiness Centers, Employee Assistance
Program, Deployment Transition Center, Sexual Assault Response
Coordinators, the Family Advocacy Program, and Morale, Welfare and
Recreation Programs. The Department of the Air Force is committed to
forming solid partnerships with supporting organizations based on
individual installation needs and expanding support options to bolster
all pillars of resilience for our airmen, guardians, and their
families.
The Department has many agencies providing resiliency services.
These agencies can be disconnected, resulting in the servicemembers and
their families' challenges to navigate appropriately to ensure they
receive the care required based on recommendations from the Independent
Review Commission (IRC), we brought together the 32 agencies to develop
a strategy which is client centered, supportive and reduces
revictimization. The ``Connect to Care'' approach ensures individuals
seeking care, services, or assistance are referred to the appropriate
service, through an in-person referral by knowledgeable providers.
These providers are well-educated on all resiliency services. In
support of the Connect to Care approach, we built a toolkit that
consists of training and resources for leaders at all levels, command
teams, and service providers (medical and non-medical) to standardize
the referral process, enhancing the capability to provide immediate and
timely care.
Our airmen, guardians, and family members must be provided with the
tools and techniques to help them adapt to changing conditions and
prepare for, withstand, and rapidly recover from stress, disruption, or
adversity. The Department of the Air Force Integrated Resilience
approach is helping to educate all on the integrated support system of
care across the Department. The care system addresses well-being,
quality of life, diversity and inclusion actions, resilience
activities, personal and professional development, and clinical and
non-clinical intervention and response. Through the Department of the
Air Force Community Action Team and Senior Leader engagements, we
address four key themes: connections matter; there is no wrong door;
placement and access builds trust; and accountability, innovation,
flexibility, and continuous evaluation. The Department is aware of the
link between sexual assault, sexual harassment, and retention risk.
Investing in implementation of IRC recommendations will serve to
support safe, inclusive and respectful climates, ultimately helping to
retain airmen and guardians. Furthermore, we continue to aggressively
pursue effective and innovative solutions to ensure an environment in
which airmen, guardians, and family members can reach their full
potential.
Family Care
The Department of the Air Force recognizes military service impacts
the entire family. As such, we are committed to designing solutions
that take care of our military families, to include military spouse
support, child and youth program capacity, and family stability.
Spouse Employment
Spouse employment is a critical element impacting family
resilience, financial readiness, quality of life, retention, and
mission success. Department of the Air Force spouse unemployment
remains unchanged over the last decade at 19 percent in 2021. PCS moves
may negatively impact a military spouse's ability to achieve their own
career goals and aspirations, often leading to reduced employment
opportunities or underemployment. The DOD and Department of the Air
Force spouse employment programs provide a robust system of support to
help military spouses find meaningful employment and connect with
available resources. We continue to assess and engage with states
advocating for improved professional license portability or pursuing
interstate compacts. Additionally, the Department reimburses up to
$1000 for re-licensing/re-certification costs resulting from a PCS move
for spouses of military members. Although the Department of the Air
Force remains focused on licensure reimbursement as a critical benefit
for military families, its usage is decreasing as the number of states
that are waiving fees, entering interState compacts, or providing
universal recognition from other jurisdictions grows and eliminates the
need for reimbursement.
Additionally, the Department of the Air Force utilizes several
approaches to recruit and appoint military spouses. The non-competitive
military spouse appointment authority has provided the DAF with the
ability to hire 956 military spouses to appropriated fund positions and
469 military spouses to nonappropriated positions in fiscal year 2021.
Many more spouses were hired and employed into local non-appropriated
funded positions. This authority is one of the authorities by which a
military spouse could be employed. Additionally, the DOD Military
Spouse Preference program provides Federal employment hiring preference
for spouses relocating due to a military member's PCS move. Spouses
exercise their preference by applying for job vacancy announcements of
their choosing. Best qualified spouses may be appointed to a DOD
position over non-military spouse candidates. Employment may be
permanent, temporary or term limited.
Air Force Child and Youth Programs (CYP) has developed a voluntary
Employee Transfer Assistance Program (ETAP) for all Air Force
nonappropriated fund (NAF) CY-I and CY-II series positions. This
program allows all eligible NAF employees to request a non-competitive
transfer to another Air or Space Force installation outside of the
employee's commuting range of the current duty station. The employee
will transfer without a break in service and into a position at the
same grade and series from which they left. The Air Force Child and
Youth Program NAF ETAP does not extend reciprocity to other DOD Child
and Youth Programs.
Child Care
Available, affordable, quality childcare programs support families
and enable our members to focus on the mission. The Department of the
Air Force is making every effort to provide childcare to those to need
it. In fiscal year 2021, the Department provided childcare for over
47,870 children at installation child development programs. However, at
some installations, the local demand for this type of care exceeds
program capacity making alternative sources of care critical. Our
network of Family Child Care homes offer additional care solutions and
community-based fee assistance helps support families on a wait list
for on-base care or not living near an installation. Currently, 4346
children are enrolled in the Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood
program with $17 million in fee assistance.
DAF parents are also actively participating in the new DOD In-Home
Child Care Pilot (per Section 589 of William M. Thornberry National
Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2021) at five high-cost
areas: Hawaii; the National Capitol Region; Norfolk, VA; San Antonio,
TX; and San Diego, CA. This program grants fee assistance to military
families for full-time, in-home childcare providers, such as nannies,
and as of July 2022, seven Department of the Air Force families are
receiving assistance.
The nation-wide childcare worker staffing shortage is driving the
Department of the Air Force to aggressively pursue recruitment and
retention incentives. To increase childcare options and spaces, we
developed targeted recruitment and retention incentives for Family
Child Care providers used at 68 installations. Although the pandemic
environment challenged our ability to increase the number of Family
Child Care homes, we have been able to retain an average of 300 homes
to support hourly and full-time care, 24/7 childcare, and other
specialized care for our Air and Space families.
Improvements in human resources processes have positively impacted
Child and Youth Programs by reducing on-boarding time and facilitating
employee transfers. To retain trained staff, we implemented a non-
appropriated fund employee transfer assistance program that enables
transfer of employment from one Department of the Air Force location to
another, eliminating the requirement to apply for employment after a
relocation. In addition, in response to staffing challenges, we
implemented the DOD-wide compensation increase for childcare providers.
We also are offering a robust Recruitment, Retention, and Special
Employee Recognition Program for non-appropriated Child and Youth
Program staff members at all installations.
Economic Security
A recent study conducted by DOD found that military compensation is
very robust, grows quickly, and compares favorably with the private
sector. For example, the report states that a single, 18-year-old, high
school graduate who enlists earns $43,500 (annual rate) beginning in
the very first month of service. However, the Department of the Air
Force acknowledges that compensation is a key factor in recruiting an
all-volunteer force and retaining top talent, so we look forward to
deeper dialog on this issue to ensure we have all the tools necessary
to take care of the needs of our airmen, guardians, and their families.
Although the Department of the Air Force determined food insecurity
has not significantly impacted our recruiting or retention efforts,
taking care of our people is a top priority for the Department. We
continue to support airmen, guardians, and families with multiple
solutions to support financial readiness and opportunities to promote
economic security across the force.
The Department of the Air Force is working with DOD to implement
new policy supporting the Fiscal Year 2022 NDAA new Basic Needs
Allowance legislation. This will provide supplemental income for
military members and dependents whose gross household income falls
below 130 percent of Federal poverty guidelines. The allowance will end
once a member's income rises above established threshold.
conclusion
Resilient and ready airmen and guardians, both military and
civilian, are the bedrock of the Department of the Air Force's
readiness and lethality. These professionals are evolving to compete,
deter, and win with unmatched power in the air, space, and cyber
domains. Our ability to remain competitive as an employer of choice is
reliant upon prioritizing and resourcing what is most important. We
look forward to continuing to partner with Congress in our endeavors to
protect and defend our great Nation. We thank you for your continued
support of your Department of the Air Force--those in uniform, our
civilian professionals, and the families who support them.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you, Lieutenant General.
Dr. Strobl, we are prepared to hear your opening statement.
STATEMENT OF DR. MICHAEL STROBL, ACTING DEPUTY COMMANDANT FOR
MANPOWER AND RESERVE AFFAIRS, UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
Mr. Strobl. Chair Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis, and
distinguished members of this subcommittee, it is my distinct
privilege to appear before you today to provide an overview of
your Marine Corps' recruiting efforts.
As we approach the 50th anniversary of the all-volunteer
force, we must remind ourselves that its success is not a
given. It is predicated on our Nation's youth and their
patriotic inclination to serve our Nation.
The reality is the Marine Corps is facing significant
recruiting challenges. Residuals from COVID, a very tight labor
market, historic lows in qualification rates propensity and the
public perception of the military, and a fragmented advertising
environment have made it increasingly difficult to recruit.
While we had to reduce our original fiscal year accession
mission, an exceptional retention year enabled the Marine Corps
to adjust its fiscal year 2022 accession goal only slightly,
which our hardworking and dedicated recruiters are on track to
meet while sustaining our high quality standards.
We are fortunate for the amazing youth who want to step up
and experience the honor, courage, and commitment of being a
Marine and part of our corps.
There are three things we must do to address these
challenges.
One, modernize recruiting. Today's youth are on social
media all the time. We are there, too, but we do not currently
have the authority to implement modern tools for outreach to
those who may be interested in serving.
We are, in some respects, still in the telephone book era.
We are taking advantage of new high-tech tools in many areas of
the military. We need them for recruiting, too.
No. 2, maintain and improve access to high schools. We
thank Congress for its continued support for recruiter access
to high schools and student directory lists.
This access remains critical to recruiting quality
applicants. Without it, both Marine recruiters and interested
students lose the most effective and productive means of
communicating together about the opportunities for military
service.
No. 3, we must create a national dialog on service. Those
who serve in uniform departed our ranks with increased
professionalism, leadership, education, skills, and a well
earned sense of pride that set them up for life professionally
and personally.
Marine veterans are leaders in industry, education, and
government throughout our Nation, including the halls of
Congress. There are incredible benefits, both tangible and
intangible, that come with service in the military.
We must work together to change the narrative, to promote
the value, so that our Nation's youth do not miss out on the
benefits of service and our country does not miss out on them.
We appreciate your support for these goals and for predictable
funding we need to accomplish them.
Victory is a Marine Corps with improved readiness and
lethality in combat and a force that fulfills our congressional
mandate to be the most ready when our Nation is least ready
today and on the battlefields of the future.
Our continued success in recruiting the best and brightest
of our Nation's youth is foundational to that victory.
Semper fidelis.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Michael R. Strobl follows:]
Prepared Statement by Michael R. Strobl
introduction
Chair Gillibrand, Ranking Member Tillis, and distinguished Members
of the Subcommittee, it is my privilege to appear before you today to
provide an overview of your Marine Corps recruiting efforts. Your
Marines are proud to serve their country--both during their service in
uniform and in the private sector afterwards. The Marine Corps has long
prided itself on its missions to ``make Marines, win our Nation's
battles, and return quality citizens to their communities.''
recruiting
We are approaching the 50-year anniversary of the All-Volunteer
Force in our country. Just like a professionalized Staff and Non-
Commissioned Officer Corps, the All-Volunteer Force is a strategic
advantage for our military--generating talent and capability that
translates into warfighting effectiveness, professional development,
and leadership. There was, perhaps, a time in our country where an All-
Volunteer Force was considered a ``given''--service to our Nation and
the military was viewed as a desirable pathway to greater
opportunities--both in and out of uniform. We can no longer be certain
this is widely understood by our Nation's youth. The Marine Corps
realizes that young men and women may not be naturally inclined to
serve, and, in fact, are hearing from many voices that military service
is not a productive path to success.
Recruiting Landscape. The Marine Corps is facing significant
enlisted recruiting challenges. The Commandant remains committed to
providing adequate resources and the highest quality Marines to make
the accession mission while sustaining quality, which is the bedrock of
successful recruiting. During fiscal year 2022, we had to reduce our
original accession mission; this reduction in accessions was mitigated
by an exceptional retention year. Our dedicated and hard-working
recruiters are on track to meet this adjusted goal. However, the
residuals from COVID; labor market challenges; historic lows in
qualification rates, propensity, and governmental approval; and a
fragmented advertising environment have made it increasingly difficult
to rebuild recruiting momentum.
Furthermore, our recruiting challenges will likely be multiplied
next year. Given the current environment, the Marine Corps will have a
lower than desired start pool for the fiscal year 2023 enlisted
accession mission. We are projecting a fiscal year 2023 start pool of
approximately 32 percent, whereas we traditionally target 53 percent
and the previous historic low was 41 percent. This adds risk for next
year beyond what we endured this year.
What We Are Doing to Address the Challenge. All Marine Corps
recruiting efforts--officer, enlisted, regular, Reserve, and prior
service--fall under the Marine Corps Recruiting Command. The Commanding
General of Marine Corps Recruiting Command reports directly to the
Commandant of the Marine Corps. The Commanding Generals of our two
Marine Corps Recruit Training Depots also serve as the Commanding
Generals of our Eastern and Western Recruiting Regions. Having the same
individual responsible for quality recruiting and entry-level basic
training is crucial to successfully recruiting and making Marines.
Sustaining Quality. The quality of your enlisted Marines remains
exceptionally high. The Department of Defense (DOD) requires 90 percent
of enlistees to have a high school diploma or equivalent (Education
Tier 1), and 60 percent of enlistees to score in the Mental Groups I-
IIIA (mental aptitude). So far this year, the Marine Corps achieved 99
percent for Education Tier 1, and over 67 percent for Mental Group I-
IIIA. Additionally, we remain committed to assigning our best Marines
to recruiting duty. Our recruiters closely reflect the face of the
Nation we recruit, which is a testament to our efforts to recruit a
diverse force. Approximately 47 percent of our recruiters have a
diverse background, well above our Nation's demographics as a whole. We
connect with all communities by assigning Marines to cover every zip
code in our Nation and constantly striving to reach all qualified youth
and their influencers--from the most rural of small towns to the
largest of cities.
Expanding Markets. This approach continues to be a good news story
for recruiting diversity and females. Over the past decade, racially/
ethnically diverse enlisted accessions increased from 33 percent to 48
percent; racially/ethnically diverse officer accessions more than
doubled from 16 percent to 35 percent over the same period. Although
impacted by COVID in fiscal year 2020/2021, enlisted female accessions
have remained steady at 9 percent and officer female accessions have
almost doubled from 8 percent to 15 percent.
Adapting Advertising. For future recruiting success, we must
continue to adequately fund recruiting operations and advertising. Our
Marine Corps advertising program is vital to building awareness among
high-quality, diverse populations that are increasingly disconnected
from military service. A strong advertising program enables our
recruiting command to attract and recruit the highest quality accession
cohorts. Advertising funds repay many times over, as they produce lower
first-term attrition, higher quality Marines, and increased readiness.
However, an increasingly fragmented media environment and media
inflation rates approaching 20 percent in many cases have made
maintaining program success exceptionally difficult.
Where We Need Assistance.
National Dialogue about Service. Those who have served in
uniform depart our ranks with increased professionalism, maturity,
leadership, and skills that translate well into the civilian sector.
Our veterans serve ably in industries, commercial sectors, and
government throughout our Nation, bringing enhanced leadership and an
exceptional work ethos back to their civilian communities. However, our
messaging about service to our country competes within a crowded and
fragmented media environment--which tries to tell a different story.
We must challenge the widespread misconceptions about military
service. Data from the Office of People Analytics shows a decrease in
youth connection and motivation to serve in the military within recent
decades. Misperceptions and perceived risks associated with military
service often lead youth to view service as an option of last resort.
Fifty-seven percent of youth polled believe servicemembers will have
some form of psychological or emotional problem upon exiting service,
while almost half believe they will have a physical injury or
difficulty readjusting to everyday life. We are looking at ways to
better inform young men and women, and their parents, about the value
of honorable service in uniform.
Modernization of our Advertising Tools. The law currently
restricts the collection of personal data on applicants to only
directory level information (address, telephone, email). This is really
a remnant of the telephone-book age. We are looking into efforts
toclosely align with those of private industry and the digital age.
These efforts could help identify prospective recruits, tailor
marketing efforts, and better measure return on investment.
Access to High Schools. We also thank Congress for its
continued support of legislation that provides recruiters access to
high schools and student directory lists. This access remains critical
to recruiting quality applicants. Without it, our Marine Recruiters
would lose the most efficient and productive means of conveying the
opportunities of military service. Maintaining access to high schools
and student directories remains a top priority for ensuring continued
success.
retention
Overall, we exceeded our retention goals in fiscal year 2022, and
are on track to meet mission in fiscal year 2023. To be clear, although
our recruiting conditions are challenging, once your Marines become
Marines, they want to ``stay Marine.'' We are in a competitive market
for talent--our Marines have choices and we seek to retain the very
best Marines and then align their natural aptitudes and personal
aspirations to our organizational goals.
At the same time, we recognize that we are in a war for talent--a
competitive civilian job market and sister services provide enticing
opportunities for highly-trained Marines to depart the Marine Corps. We
must therefore be proactive to ensure that monetary and non-monetary
incentives are adequate to maintain our retention goals. Talent
Management 2030 (TM2030) describes a fundamental redesign of our
personnel system in order to maximize the number of fully trained,
qualified, experienced, and deployable Marines in the operational
forces for any given budget. This vision will require that we better
recruit and retain talent, modernize an assignments process consistent
with our warfighting philosophy, introduce new measures to increase
career flexibility, and optimize access to modern digital tools,
processes, and analytics, consistent with industry standards.
Like Force Design, TM2030 will be a multi-year effort--a service-
wide strategic design process that we have already begun to execute.
Some of our initiatives were already underway prior to formal
publication of TM2030; some of the new initiatives will require more
time to ensure successful execution. We thank this Subcommittee and
Congress for the retention authorities and flexibility you have given
us. We employ many of these authorities and hold others in 8 should the
need arise.
Military Compensation. In general, we believe that military pay is
competitive and made even more so when accompanying benefits, such as
housing and medical care, are taken into account. Currently, enlisted
pay is in the top 15 percent of comparable pay in the private sector
and officer pay is in the top 23 percent. This is even more important
given that inflation is eroding the value of military pay as housing,
gas, food, and other costs have soared. Inflation affects not just pay
and compensation, but the value of the entire DoD budget. We don't know
all the impacts, short or long term, but we do know solutions aren't
simple or easy; for example, Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)
increases may actually cause an increase in rent prices in areas around
installations, further fueling inflation. That is why we must study any
new initiatives and programs for costs and potential adverse impacts.
We appreciate Congress' passage of the new Basic Needs Allowance to
supplement those junior grade servicemembers with gross household
incomes that fall below the established Federal poverty guidelines who
may be eligible. We are working with OSD to implement this new NDAA
authority. We continue to collaborate with the Department of the Navy
and the Office of the Secretary of Defense on economic security issues.
As always, we are implementing the use of monetary and non-monetary
incentives, modernizing our performance evaluation systems, and
refining the way we match and assign Marines to billets. Incentive pay
remains critical to this effort. Selective Reenlistment Bonuses allow
us to shape our career force by targeting critical military
occupational specialties and supporting lateral movement of Marines to
these billets.
In fiscal year 2022, we have implemented programs as part of the
retention campaign designed to encourage reenlistment at the unit level
as well as accelerating growth in specific Military Occupational
Specialties (MOSs) that are expanding in support of Force Design 2030.
Thank you, Congress, for support of the incentives and special pays
that we use to target hard to fill MOSs, skills, and billets, e.g.
aviators, cyber, and foreign language proficiency. Our aviation
shortfalls are primarily in fixed wing billets; we have implemented an
aviation bonus to address this issue. We are also leveraging technology
to understand why individuals decide to join the Marine Corps as well
as remain a Marine. These efforts include improving current data
collection such as longitudinal accession, retention, and exit surveys,
along with cognitive and non-cognitive testing. Our ultimate goal is
identifying and fitting the right person, with the right skill, into
the right billet.
We will continue to be agile in the Blended Retirement System (BRS)
implementation. Although we do not yet have multi-year data on how the
BRS affects retention efforts, we have taken action to increase the
Continuation Pay multiplier to support the broader retention efforts.
Effective January 1, 2023, the Marine Corps will increase the
Continuation Pay multiplier from 2.5 times to 5.0 times monthly Basic
Pay for Active and full-time Reserve Component Marines, and from 0.5
times to 1.0 times monthly Basic Pay for part-time Reserve Component
Marines. These Continuation Pay multiplier increases signal to Marines
that their continued service is valued.
Non-monetary Incentives. As we look forward to fiscal year 2023, we
will continue to be proactive in our retention campaign. Two efforts
are noteworthy in this regard. First, we will continue to provide novel
non-monetary incentives--like the duty station incentive--to not only
take care of Marines and their families, but also to ensure that
Marines are in the right place to best support the service. Second, we
also introduced the Commandant's Retention Program as one of the
Service's latest non-monetary efforts to retain high performing
Marines. Beginning for fiscal year 2023, we have leveraged the new
Junior Enlisted Performance Evaluation System to identify the highest
performing Marines in each job specialty based on established
competitive metrics. These Marines were then able to reenlist through a
dramatically streamlined process and receive ``front-of-the-line''
access to monitors and assignment preference considerations for their
next set of orders.
Data-driven, Commander-focused Personnel System. TM2030 is a
transparent, collaborative, data-driven, and commander-focused system
to manage and improve talent. It will better focus on the individual
talents of each Marine to enhance both individual and Service readiness
and capability. With a modernized talent management system, we will
better harness, develop, and retain the unique skills and strengths
demanded of Marines by Force Design 2030 and in support of combatant
commander needs. We have distilled TM2030 goals into three key lines of
effort within the human resource enterprise: (1) Build and retain the
talented force; (2) Manage and develop the talented force, and (3)
Inform and interface with the talented force. Some of our current
initiatives include:
Improving MOS assignment. We are developing a better, more
predictive, data-driven matching tool that will optimally align
applicant interest, Primary Military Occupational Specialty (PMOS)
skill requirements, and the needs of the Marine Corps. By using our new
Marine Corps Occupational Skills Matching (MCOSM) tool for enlisted
Marines and Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT) for Marine
officers, we plan to better align a person's interests and talents with
the needs of the service. Potential applications for MCOSM extend
beyond accessions, and we plan to utilize it to assist in PMOS
classifications and career retention. The overarching goal of MCOSM is
to better align a Marine's interests and skills in order to leverage
talents to improve performance and thus increase their satisfaction
and, ultimately, total Marine Corps retention.
Retention Prediction Network (RPN). We are currently developing the
RPN, a program used to identify potential recruit's likelihood to join
and continue to serve through their first enlistment and beyond. RPN is
a multi-year collaborative effort established between M&RA and Johns
Hopkins University's Applied Physics Lab that will harness vast
quantities of manpower data in near-real time to provide USMC
leadership with data-informed talent management decisions. The
objective is to provide a new tool to help ensure we recruit the right
individuals to the Marine Corps, with the right attitude for service,
and the known willingness to see through the challenges of earning the
Eagle, Globe, and Anchor.
Personality screenings. Our Tailored Adaptive Personality
Assessment System (TAPAS) is a non-cognitive assessment the Marine
Corps is using to help identify the personality and character
attributes of a potential Marine. The Armed Services Vocational
Aptitude Battery provides details on a person's cognitive aptitude for
service, but in the 21st century, we need more information to
capitalize on better analysis, to understand the force we are
recruiting and expecting to confront and defeat our adversaries. TAPAS
will help us better understand the personality and character attributes
of potential Marines. This program works in direct relation with MCOSM
and RPN to provide a better and more holistic perspective on our
Marines.
Talent Marketplace. Our Talent Management Engagement Portal (TMEP)
seeks to modernize the current assignments system with a transparent,
data-based environment that allows Marines, commands, and headquarters
elements to collaborate on the assignments process. At full
integration, it will use advanced analytics supported by artificial
intelligence and machine learning elements to enable a market-style
assignment system. It will allow for more informed decisions throughout
a Marine's career providing data on factors including billet
availability, assignment popularity, and potential career paths.
Currently, this information is limited in accessibility or stored in
several separate legacy systems, which hinders transparency and ease of
use. Through an agile development approach backed by necessary
resourcing, we will have a fully operational talent marketplace fielded
to the fleet--at speed.
Promotion Opt Out. We appreciate this statutory authority provided
by Congress and we've rapidly incorporated it into TM2030. Through its
implementation, we are better able to create career paths that increase
the diversity of experience in our leaders. This authority allows an
officer to opt out of promotion without penalty, and enable them to
complete a broadening assignment, advanced education, another
assignment of significant value to the Marine Corps, or a career
progression requirement delayed by the assignment or education. We
implemented this authority in CY22 and will continue to assess program
efficacy and measure the impacts on the deliberate development of our
leaders.
IT Systems Modernization. Our talent management success will be
dependent, more than anything else, on modern technology systems. We
have been modernizing our IT portfolio and consolidating older,
disparate systems into a small subset of interoperable multi-faceted
applications that ride on a single IT system hosted in the cloud. Cloud
migration allows the Marine Corps to gain IT efficiencies and
effectively scale applications, databases, and services across the
enterprise to meet emergent requirements in a dynamic environment. As
more systems, services, and databases are migrated and refactored to
cloud based applications, we will be able to engage in wide ranging
optimization and be postured to capitalize on the promise of artificial
intelligence and machine learning. These sophisticated, cloud-based,
mobile-device accessible tools are the norm in the private sector and
the same must be true in the Marine Corps in the near future. The
ultimate goal is to have modern technology with significantly increased
capabilities to supplement our personal management of Marines' careers.
AI Implementation. We are modernizing many of our legacy processes
and manpower models used to access and assign Marines across the Force.
Our collaboration with Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory to
develop our RPN will enable our recruiters to better prepare future
Marines to complete recruit training and their first enlistments.
Several of our legacy manpower models are undergoing a significant
transformation that leverages advanced data analytics to produce our
recurring enlisted and officer staffing goals. Even the legacy process
we use to assign Marines to course dates at their Primary MOS schools
is being explored through our Enhanced Shipping Model.
Virtual Boards. Our Enlisted Career Retention Boards (ECRBs) strive
to ensure that the Service retains the very best and most qualified
Marines in competitive occupational specialties. These boards consist
of voting members from throughout the Active Duty force and virtually
from around the globe. In fiscal year 2022, we expanded the virtual
boards to our first-term Marines as well. To further improve our board
process, we developed Digital Boardroom 2.0, a cloud based application
that increases the fidelity and accuracy of the information presented
to board members to ensure that the best and most qualified Marines are
selected.
Understanding Impact. Measuring the impacts of these initiatives,
as well as others, is partially done through our Exit and Milestone
Longitudinal Survey (EMLS). Using EMLS, Marines are solicited to
provide feedback on personal and service satisfaction at specific
milestones in their careers: upon entry, at first and subsequent
reenlistments, when officers receive career designation, in conjunction
with officer promotion selections (O4-O6), and at separation from a
component of service. EMLS helps to inform recruitment and retention
efforts by providing aggregated feedback to senior leadership from
Marines at transitional career points.
Taking Care of Marines and Their Families. Our fighting
effectiveness is not just built on unit training; it is also built and
maintained with a Marine's support structure at home and within their
communities. The talented force will have all the markers of the
current Marine Corps--Marines in specialties, with specialty skills
that contribute to the fighting effectiveness of our Corps. These
talented Marines rely on the institution to provide them, their
families, and, often times, their communities with stability. To that
end, we recognize the importance of Marine and family stability and
support as a major line-of-effort for successfully achieving our talent
management goals.
The Marine Corps continues to be committed to implementing the
Independent Review Commission's recommendations. The Secretary of
Defense approved 82 IRC recommendations of which the services,
including the Marine Corps have primary responsibility for 49. We are
deliberately implementing these recommendations to align with
departmental guidance and have milestones for all 49 of these
recommendations.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS) Flexibility. PCS moves, while
essential, can be disruptive to Marines and their families. Since 2016,
we have worked to reduce PCS moves by issuing Permanent Change of
Assignment (PCA) orders instead--these are local moves where a Marine
changes units, but remains in the same geographic location, thus
reducing disruption to operations, personnel, and families. Through
TM2030, we will seek to further increase PCS flexibility, balancing it
with both the needs of the individual Marine's career and those of the
Marine Corps.
Parental Leave. Our Commandant early on made increasing parental
leave a priority. As it stands today, a Marine who is the primary
caregiver can take as much as 20 weeks of paid leave through use of
multiple convalescence and other paid leave authorities, and can do so
in flexible increments. We also recently increased secondary caregiver
leave from two weeks to three weeks. Finally, we are working with the
Department on the recent parental leave expansion authorities in the
fiscal year 2022 NDAA.
Child and Youth Programs. High-quality child care is one of the
many important child and youth programs we offer. It is a readiness
priority for the Marine Corps. COVID-19 and the resulting protocols
continue to significantly impact our child care capacity. Each
installation is impacted differently by COVID-19 and operational status
is based on local command needs, and circumstances. Modifications of
daily operations are in place to mitigate social distancing and
operation changes implementing the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention guidelines. For our Child Development Centers, enrollment
has steadily increased during fiscal year 2022. We currently have
waitlists totaling approximately 1,400 children, primarily at Camp
Pendleton, Hawaii, Quantico, and Camp Lejeune/New River. The waitlists
are caused by a variety of factors, such as a shortage of qualified
workers, high turnover/low pay, lengthy hiring process and facilities
currently under renovations. An exacerbating factor is that 43 percent
of the Marine families on the waitlist who we contact to offer a child
care spot decline it; they instead decide to remain on the waitlist for
a future spot. We are addressing child care waitlist issues through
increased hiring and a non-competitive child care employee transfer
program. We added $135 million to the Child and Youth Program portfolio
beginning fiscal year 2023 through 2027 to hire more employees at
increased wages to help retain a professional workforce. We will build
two new Child Development Centers beginning in 2024, one at Camp
Pendleton and one at Quantico, to expand on base capacity and reducing
the waitlist. We also offer child care fee assistance for eligible
Marines who are geographically remote, reside more than 15 miles from
an installation, or are assigned to an installation that has a
significant wait list. In fiscal year 2021, nearly 1,200 children were
enrolled in the fee assistance program at a total cost of over $4.5
million. Finally, we appreciate all the additional funding and support
Congress has provided in recent years to improve child care delivery in
all of its forms.
Spouse Employment. Spouse unemployment is a concern for many Marine
Corps families and can be an obstacle for financial security and
readiness of that Marine. Family Member Employment Assistance Program
(FMEAP) is available at each Marine Corps installation and provides
employment related referral services, career and skill assessments,
career coaching, job search guidance, portable career opportunities,
and education center referrals/ guidance. We have a transfer process in
place that makes it easier for military spouses working in a CDC to
transfer to an open position in the CDC at their next duty station. We
are also able to reimburse Marine spouses up to $1,000 for state
licensure and certification costs arising from relocation to another
state. To assist transitioning spouses, we also offer Spouse Transition
and Readiness Seminar (STARS). STARS provides military spouses with a
comprehensive overview of information and resources needed to prepare
for transition into the civilian world including career and education
information.
diversity
Taking advantage of the wide array of experiences, perspectives,
and talent of all Marines is necessary to maintain our current and
future warfighting excellence. We recruit and retain the very best to
ensure we are able to deliver a ready force that our Nation requires.
We are committed to capitalizing on the knowledge, skills, abilities,
performance, and potential of every Marine. Diversity--both in race and
ethnicity--in the Marine Corps is improving. Since 2009, racially/
ethnically diverse enlisted accessions have increased from 34 percent
to 48 percent, and racially/ethnically diverse officer accessions have
increased from 16 percent to 35 percent. In addition, female officer
accessions have increased from 8 percent to 15 percent during this time
period. Females represented in previously restricted MOS are also on
the rise. Last year, 1,178 females were in previously restricted units;
that number is now 1,306. Similarly, 422 women were serving in
previously restricted MOS; today that number is 531, including the
first woman Reconnaissance Marine. Currently, nearly 24 percent of
Brigadier Generals and Brigadier General-selects are diverse, the
highest level of diverse representation at that rank in Marine Corps
history. We look forward to seeing this trend continue. Our recent
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan will contribute to our
actions over the next several years in the areas of recruiting and
accessions, talent management, education, training, and commandership.
It provides a framework to align a number of efforts, identify new
initiatives, and provide oversight across the Corps for implementation
by commanders at every level.
conclusion
Our highest priority and primary objective is recruiting,
developing, and retaining elite warriors in the highest state of combat
readiness to support and defend our great Nation. Every recruiting,
retention, and talent management initiative that we undertake must
demonstrably or logically contribute to this objective and enable the
capabilities and capacities of Force Design to be realized.
The challenges to accomplishing our recruiting, retention, and
talent management goals are many. We must continue to recruit the best
of our Nation's youth to serve and we must do so in an environment that
has shown shrinking propensity and eligibility to serve, exacerbated by
COVID-19, industrial age limitations on recruiter outreach, and rapidly
rising costs of advertising our message of honor, courage, and
commitment. Retention is also proving more and more challenging as the
civilian job market continues to rebound and provide high pay for the
exquisite skills Marines possess. These challenges are all the more
reason why we need to reach out to every sector of our diverse Nation,
while ensuring the readiness of the Force and our Marine families. Our
measure of success is a Marine Corps with improved performance and
lethality in combat which enables us to fulfill our Congressional
mandate to be `most ready when the Nation is least ready,' today and on
the battlefields of the future.
Semper fidelis.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you all for your testimony.
Ms. Miller, in 2020, DOD issued its 13th Quadrennial Review
of military compensation. Among the findings and
recommendations the report noted that for certain military
career fields such as cyber, military pay falls behind pay in
the civilian labor market.
The report recommended a study to examine a more expansive
view of military pay, including special incentive pays for
target--to target at recruitment and retention.
Has DOD conducted this study and, if so, what impacts are
special and incentive pays having on recruitment and retention
in especially high demand occupations like cyber?
Ms. Miller. Ma'am, thank you for that question.
We continue to conduct that review and formulate that into
the final report for the committee. We agree that in looking at
our force structure and looking at recruitment and retention
that critical skills such as cyber and information warfare
technology are some of the not only hardest to recruit but the
hardest to retain.
And so we agree with you, ma'am, that it will be important
to have flexible and responsive incentive packages not only
with regular military compensation but with additional bonus
authority to be able to respond to the demand signal that we
see in not only recruiting them, training them, but then
retaining them.
Part of that is also looking at the community itself and
looking as to whether that traditional career path that we have
within the Department of Defense is the right career path for
that skill set and that talent, whether we need more
permeability between active and reserve and whether we need
more permeability into the civilian sector so that we can kind
of keep and leverage those skill sets.
So we are committed to working with the committee and with
you, ma'am, to make sure that we have the right authorities
that we need to be able to respond to that demand.
Senator Gillibrand. And when do you expect to give those
recommendations, especially with regard to permeability?
Ms. Miller. Ma'am, that is something that we continue to
work on and particularly with respect to duty status reform,
and so we are working on that this year and I will commit to
providing the committee an update within the next quarter.
Senator Gillibrand. Okay.
General Miller, as the Air Force modernizes and prepares
for the future of our Nation's defense, we know that attracting
and retaining high-quality airmen is critical to our
capabilities such as cyber, intelligence, and electronic
warfare. We also know that the private sector competes
aggressively for the people with these capabilities.
What is the Air Force doing to ensure it is attracting and
keeping personnel in critical skills such as cyber and what
additional authorities does the Air Force need in this area
that it currently does not have?
Lieutenant General Miller. Madam Chairwoman, thank you for
the question. We actually have a Cyber Task Force right now
that is looking specifically at that and how do we, similar to
what Ms. Miller talked about, is how do we attract those
individuals.
There is absolutely a fight for talent right now,
especially in those areas, and so similarly to what Ms. Miller
talked about, but we are also looking at how do we manage the
force differently.
So one of the taskers that the chief has given me was to
say, okay, we have got--we have to look at things differently.
How can we attract the individuals, and then we are also
looking at where can we attract them.
We have a lot of partnerships with industry right now and
that we are doing. Often we send airmen out to them, but what
we are trying to do is get some of the those high industry and
the cyber career fields and other areas in to us so they can
they can work on different projects, they can train our
individuals, and then it provides additional talking points out
in the industry of what we are capable of doing.
But we are--I think that probably all of us are struggling
to figure out how to get that talent. Some of our policies
prevent us from--right now prevent us from paying them what we
should.
We did increase some of their--some of the cyber
specialties bonus money and so we are we are looking at
everything available right now, ma'am.
Senator Gillibrand. And then, Admiral Cheeseman----
[Off microphone.]
Senator Gillibrand.--military service at least invested in
developing and maintaining cyber capabilities. The Navy lags
the other services in readiness on the cyber mission force and
places very few officers in cyber-specific billets.
What is the Navy's plan to grow its cyber dedicated
personnel and what recruiting and retention challenges do you
face?
Admiral Cheeseman. Senator, thank you very much for the
question.
Our marketing and advertising campaign--the digital
``Forged by the Sea'' campaign--specifically targets cyber
fields on social media to get at this recruiting challenge. We
also target job search sites to get at the recruiting challenge
as well. We partner with various STEM [science, technology,
engineering and mathematics] affinity groups for community
outreach in support of generating additional talents.
On the legislation side, we do support increases to the
targeted bonuses--statutory increases to the targeted bonuses
and specialized skill pay. We think that will go a long way in
retaining the personnel we need, ma'am.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you so much.
Senator Tillis?
Senator Tillis. I will defer to Senator Hawley and
Tuberville and take less.
Senator Hawley?
Senator Hawley. Thank you very much to the Ranking Member
and thank you, Madam Chair, and thanks to the witnesses for
being here.
General Stitt, let me talk with you. Let me start with you,
if I could.
I have spoken repeatedly with the Secretary of the Army
about replacing aging homes at Fort Leonard Wood in my home
State, and there is no doubt in my mind that servicemembers
deserve better than they are getting right now.
I was just there a few weeks ago. I toured the homes
myself. I spoke to residents. I spoke to spouses. I spoke to
children who lived in the homes.
These homes need to be replaced. What concerns me is the
Army does not seem to have a plan to replace this aging housing
stock. So let me just ask you this.
In your opinion, how does the availability or maybe lack of
availability of quality military housing for servicemembers and
their families affect recruiting and retention?
Lieutenant General Stitt. Senator Hawley, good afternoon.
The Army takes the care and quality of life of all of our
servicemembers and their families very seriously. So we are
making and committed to investing in our housing within--not
just that but within our daycare centers, childcare, offering
opportunities, expanding beyond that for spousal employment, to
put kind of a whole package on the table to ensure that our
facilities and our care and commitment toward family members is
first class.
Senator Hawley. You say a whole package. When will we be
seeing this package?
Lieutenant General Stitt. Senator, we continue to work on
it and I can take that question for the record, please.
[The information referred to follows:]
Lieutenant General Stitt. The Army has a sacred obligation
to take care of our Soldiers and Families; doing so is a
national security imperative. The Secretary of the Army
chartered a Quality of Life (QoL) Task Force in March 2020 to
review the full range of Army care, support, and enrichment
programs with an emphasis on improving housing, healthcare,
childcare, spouse employment, permanent change of station
moves, and support and resilience programs. This QoL package is
in a continuum of deliverance to all camps, posts, and
stations, to include Fort Leonard Wood, MO. We continue to make
significant and meaningful improvements in these areas and
recognize there is more work to be done.
Concerning the housing situation specific to Fort Leonard
Wood, a land sale and accumulated section 606(a)(2)
contributions will potentially bring $42.4 million into the
project. The Army has identified approximately 1,142 older
homes on this installation that need to be replaced or
renovated over time. The houses are part of the Balfour Beatty
Communities (BBC) privatized housing portfolio, and the Army is
diligently working with BBC on a plan to expedite replacement
of these homes.
For support and resilience, the Army is investing $4.6
million in two morale, welfare and recreation projects at Fort
Leonard-Wood; one to expand the outdoor recreation center and
construct six cabins at the Lake of the Ozarks Recreation area.
Regarding childcare, Fort Leonard Wood currently has no
identifiable need for additional child development center (CDC)
construction projects. Fort Leonard Wood is also included as
part of recent enterprise-wide recruiting and retention efforts
in Child Youth and School Services (CYSS) employees which
includes: an increased minimum hourly salary to $16.70,
priority access and a 50 percent discount for childcare, and
paid training to earn their Child Development Associate
credential. In addition, the Civilian Employee Assignment
Transfer program allows all eligible nonappropriated fund level
3 and below positions to transfer to other Army Installations
worldwide, including CYSS employees, without a break in
service.
Senator Hawley. That is fine. I mean, but let me just say
again for the record--I have said this in the full committee, I
will say it again here--that I think we are past the point of
continuing to kick this down the road. I mean, this is a
problem now. Frankly, at Fort Leonard Wood it was a problem a
decade ago.
But, listen, I have been there. I mean, I have seen it
myself. I have talked to the servicemembers myself. I have been
in their houses. I have been in their kitchens. I looked at
their bathrooms where there is mold growing. I have seen the--
they do not have places for their kids. I have seen the
substandard living conditions and it just is not acceptable,
General.
You know what? I promised those servicemembers that I would
be a royal pain in the you know what until something changed.
So I am keeping that commitment and I am going to continue it
until something changes.
And, frankly, I have heard this now for--it is going on 2
years. I have only been in the Senate three but I have heard it
continuously that, well, we will get to it. We will get to it.
We will get to it.
Well, at Fort Leonard Wood we have not gotten to it, and I
bet--if we went around the table here, I bet that the other
members of the subcommittee would have the same situation in
their states.
So I will give you the question for the record. But I just
want to put on notice again, and you can take this back, that I
want to see some progress on this and I want to see it soon.
And what I do not want to see are any more commitments from the
Army that they are going to spend X number of dollars--this
happened last year--we are going to commit X number of dollars
to Fort Leonard Wood and then as it turns out zero dollars were
spent on housing. I am still ticked off about that and I do not
want to see it happen again and I want to see progress made.
So that is my piece. I think you understand where I am
coming from.
General Miller, let me come to you. Can you help me with
something here?
Andersen Air Force Base, I understand--this is in Guam, of
course--leaders there recently received an official email that
prohibited them from using pronouns or descriptors like he/she,
youngest/oldest, male or female.
Why is that? I mean, what is going on?
Lieutenant General Miller. Senator Hawley, thank you for
that question.
Actually, that is--we have been talking a lot about that
because it was an email, from my understanding, that went out
locally from one of the commanders there, and I do not remember
at what level. I do not know if it was a group commander or the
wing commander there.
I believe that it was a Facebook post that went out based
on a question. It is not the Air Force policy to not use
pronouns, and so I think it was a social media--you know,
exacerbated by individuals that said that they were directed
for that.
Senator Hawley. Okay. Good. Well, I think that is progress.
So you are saying--I am looking at a news article here
published August 31, 2022, saying that PACAF [Pacific Air
Force] has been--has sent this letter around. Leaders of the
base are instructed do not use pronouns, age, race, et cetera,
and they go on. The unauthorized--examples of unauthorized
language are male/female, youngest/oldest, he/she. But you are
saying that that is not--that was not an official
communication--that has not been a directive?
Lieutenant General Miller. That is not an official
communication from the HAF. Correct.
Senator Hawley. Okay. Okay. And so your position to me is
today that that is not policy and that they have not been so
instructed----
Lieutenant General Miller. That is correct. That is not
policy.
Senator Hawley.--that this is social media kerfuffle? I
mean, this is not real? It is not happening?
Lieutenant General Miller. I do not know if it is not
happening but it is not an official policy from the Department
of the Air Force.
Senator Hawley. Okay. I ask because part of the way it has
been reported is that the rationale is to help with lethality
and also recruiting, and I just was curious as heck how not
using he/she can help with lethality and how it is helping with
recruiting.
But I take your word for it that this is not policy and
that satisfies me. So thank you.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you.
Senator Hirono?
Senator Hirono. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Recruiting and retaining female servicemembers is essential
for our military readiness and national security. Yet, women
are more likely to leave service than their male peers given
frustrations with family planning, gender bias, and
discrimination, not to mention sexual assault and sexual
harassment.
And now following the disastrous Dobbs decision that has
created fear, chaos, and confusion all across the country,
servicemembers' reproductive and healthcare rights have become
dependent on their duty station.
Last week, the RAND Corporation published a report
indicating that 40 percent of female servicemembers no longer
have access to or have severely restricted access to abortion
services where they are stationed.
This will not only harm individual servicemembers but will
likely have staggering impacts on our ability to recruit and
retain women.
In June, I sent a letter to Secretary Austin urging DOD to
support and protect female servicemembers seeking reproductive
services.
I would like to ask Ms. Miller--General Miller.
Senator Gillibrand.
[Off microphone.]
Senator Hirono. Okay. General Miller?
[Laughter.]
Senator Hirono. Okay. Well, thank you for that. Either one
of you, frankly, or any of you, has not the Supreme Court's
decision made it even more challenging to recruit and retain
women?
Ms. Miller. Thank you for that question, ma'am. Secretary
Austin has made clear that the health and well being of
servicemembers and their families is a top priority and that
includes the access to reproductive care.
And so we agree that while technically that the rules
governing access to covered versus noncovered abortion care was
not necessarily affected by the outcome of the Supreme Court
decision, we do recognize that the outcome may make it more
difficult for servicemembers to electively choose a noncovered
abortion and it could make it more difficult to travel and to--
they may incur additional expenses.
And so we are committed to taking a look at the full range
of our current authorities and policies and make sure that we
are providing information and support where appropriate.
Senator Hirono. I think this is a real concern because you
have servicemembers who are serving in states such as Alabama,
Tennessee. There was a whole, you know, number of, basically,
Southern states where they would have to travel a long ways in
order to get reproductive or abortion services.
So I would like to know what the Department of Defense
plans to do to enable the servicemembers to get the care and
the services that they need in the reproductive area.
So that is just--let me just put it out there.
For Ms. Miller, one of the top reasons servicemembers,
particularly women, choose not to join, remain, or leave the
Armed Forces is the impact military service has on family
planning, and across the U.S. and around the world egg freezing
and in vitro fertilization are commonly used for individuals
who wish to have children in the future, but for personal and
professional reasons they delay.
In July, I called on DOD to study the impact and costs of
offering cryopreservation to servicemembers, something that I
understand the--Great Britain does provide these kinds of
options.
Ms. Miller, would covering the cost of cryopreservation
under TRICARE be something the Department could consider to
improve retention rates?
Ms. Miller. Ma'am, I think that is a good question.
Unfortunately, I am not a subject matter expert per se in that
area, although I know that our health affairs colleagues
continue to look at that possibility, and I commit to you that
we will take that question for the record and provide a
followup.
Senator Hirono. Thank you very much.
One more thing. I heard--I think it was Dr. Strobl--talk
about the importance of having access to high schools. All of
you are really engaging in recruiting at a much younger age,
and so for high schools there was a report in the New York
Times that there were 33 cases of instructor misconduct in the
Junior ROTC program, and how are you going to address this kind
of misconduct?
You talk about wanting access to high schools but that is
not going to work very well if your instructors are engaging in
sexual harassment, other kinds of misconduct.
So are you aware of the problem? And this is where, Dr.
Strobl, since you mentioned wanting access. So how will you
demonstrate that the recruiters and military personnel can be
trustworthy?
Mr. Strobl. Senator, thank you for that question, and I
share your concern in this area.
We have implemented enhanced training of all of our Marines
from even before they enlist all the way up until the general
officer level to ensure that they understand the zero tolerance
policy for sexual assault and sexual harassment.
Even before the Independent Review Commission (IRC)
recommendations the Marine Corps moved out in fiscal year 2022
by nearly doubling its budget for sexual assault prevention
training, response coordinators, victim advocates, and
prevention coordinators.
We are in the process of hiring 120 of these types of
skills to distribute around the Marine Corps to get after this
problem.
Then there is the Independent Review Commission. We support
all 82 of the recommendations of the commission and we are
committed to spending $560 million to hire and train 826
prevention response coordinators and behavioral health experts
to help us eradicate sexual assault and sexual harassment.
Senator Hirono. Is this an issue--Madam Chair, if I may--
are the other services also paying attention to this kind of
problem behavior in your Junior ROTC programs?
Air Force?
Lieutenant General Miller. Yes. Yes, we are. Absolutely.
In fact, before the IRC report we actually had a
substantial preventive workforce organization, and so with the
recommendations from the IRC we are implementing them across
the service.
We also just started a pilot program at seven different
installations right now in which we are co-locating all of the
helping services for victims.
What we want to do--and we have got it on--and in the area
of those installations in which the victims can go there and it
is not--not everybody will know why they are going there. So it
provides them privacy.
I will also say on the particular case in which you are
talking about or the article that was in the New York Times on
the Junior ROTC, I mean, sexual assault is a crime. I mean, it
is a crime and we take it very seriously.
We are actually looking to expand Guard and Reserve into
the Junior ROTC programs as an initiative to make sure that
there is a little bit more oversight.
Right now the Junior ROTC programs across the United States
are vast and there is only about seven different regional folks
that actually monitor them. There is a requirement that they
are supposed to be assessed in person--an institution--once a
year.
But right now, there is not enough individuals to do that.
So we are looking at all of those avenues from the Air Force
perspective, ma'am.
[Additional testimony submitted by the witness to expand
testimony from the hearing:]
Lieutenant General Miller. Headquarters AFJROTC (HQ
AFJROTC), assigned to the Jeanne M. Holm Center, which reports
to Air University and Air Education and Training Command,
respectively manages Day-to-Day operations and management
activities. The AFJROTC Program consists of 870 geographically
separated units dispersed throughout eight regions. The
Operations Division performs AFJROTC Unit oversight and
compliance monitoring activities. The Division currently
consists of one Division Chief and nine Regional Directors.
Each Regional Director oversees 897 units, performs day-to-day
oversight activities, and evaluates the compliance, cost, and
performance objectives of assigned AFJROTC Units. Local AFJROTC
Unit Instructors conduct annual self-inspections, with onsite
compliance visits conducted by HQ AFJROTC staff approximately
every 3 years. The Holm Center has requested a manpower study
to determine if HQ AFJROTC manpower support is adequate for
effective program oversight and management, the study results
are anticipated to be published in early calendar year 2023.
Additionally, it is becoming increasingly difficult to
attract qualified candidates to fill JROTC instructor
positions, so legislation is needed to expand JROTC instructor
eligibility. Currently, 10 U.S.C. Sec. 2031 states that
retired Active Duty and reserve officers and non-commissioned
officers are eligible to serve as JROTC instructors.
Considering the expansion of eligibility to include other
officers and noncommissioned officers who are active members of
the Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces or who
are Veterans or Retirees separated under honorable conditions
and who otherwise meet the suitability qualifications as
determined by the Secretary of the military department
concerned would enable a larger JROTC instructor candidate pool
and could mitigate instructor shortfalls in under-served
communities.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you.
Senator Tuberville? And we will go through the rest of the
services to answer that question when it is my turn. So we will
complete it for the record.
But go ahead, Senator Tuberville.
Senator Tuberville. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you all very much for being here today. You all got a
tough job. I recruited for a long time. I know how hard it is.
So you have got a challenge, especially when only one out
of every five American youth is eligible to join the military.
Drugs, obesity, the lack of education, criminal activity--they
prevent a lot of our young people from even wanting to get in
the military. That is hard enough.
But this administration has made the job so much harder for
you. I feel bad for you. The number-one reason young people
join the military is they have a family connection. Military is
a family business. Eighty percent of our force has a family
member presently enlisted.
After watching this administration's blunder in
Afghanistan, tossing 20 years of sacrifice down the drain, why
would a veteran encourage their child sign up? I know you are
running into that problem.
So this administration does not inspire our youth about
America. It paints our servicemembers as extremists, white
supremacists, but are surprised that only 9 percent--only 9
percent--of young people even want to serve. That is a small,
small pool.
Faith in our military has collapsed for decades. Our
military was the most trusted organization in America. Under
President Biden, trust in the military has cratered 45 percent.
What we have is a national security emergency.
Secretary Miller, I reviewed the list of speaking
engagements for senior leaders at the Pentagon and could find
no trace--zero--of anyone speaking publicly about recruiting--
the leaders of our military.
But there were plenty of speeches on climate change, Pride
Month, and global water security. What is going on here? What
actions have the Department of Justice (DOJ) leaders taken to
solve this crisis?
Secretary Miller?
Ms. Miller. Thank you, Senator, for that question.
The senior leadership of the Department, from Secretary
Austin, Secretary Hicks, to the secretaries of the military
departments, are absolutely focused on the issue of recruiting
and critical retention, and we do see our senior leaders
engaging on this topic.
Just as recently as this past weekend we had Army senior
leadership that was on the ``Today Show'' talking about this
issue because we agree with you that it is important to get our
message out to youth and influencers about the opportunities
that service affords and to kind of cut through the chaff that
you mentioned on some of the more provocative rhetoric that is
often shaped by well intentioned but, perhaps, misinformed
external providers.
And so we agree that through strategic marketing and
advertising, strategic engagements by our senior leadership
inside the Department, that we do have a role to play to ensure
that the right information is getting to the right people at
the right time about the opportunities that military service
affords.
Senator Tuberville. I know you all are great recruiters but
our leaders--our President and our leaders in the military that
are seen on TV every day--I know they are busy. We got a
dangerous world we are living in.
But they have got to spend time on helping us recruit. I
mean, we need everybody on board. This panel--we have heard a
lot of concerns or critiques but I want to, first, take a
moment to commend the United States Marine Corps. The Marines
are the only service currently to meet the fiscal year 2022
recruiting numbers. Well done.
The Marines are meeting their numbers because they stick to
talking about defending our Nation. Compare any Marine Corps'
recruiting ad to the Army's woke campaign and you will see why
the Marine Corps is meeting its numbers.
``The Calling'' campaign of the Army was so widely trashed
that they had to turn off comments on YouTube, and I saw it. I
mean, it is not what this country looks for when we are talking
about military and defending our freedom.
Dr. Strobl, are there any legal or policy changes that
Congress could direct that would allow the services to
modernize recruiting efforts and to be more effective with
their current budget?
Mr. Strobl. Senator, I am glad you asked that question.
I do think there are some things we need to look at as far
as accessing data. When a potential applicant, for example,
comes to marines.com we would like to be able to use modern
tools to be able to send targeted advertising to that applicant
when they leave our website.
So if they click on a picture of a howitzer we might be
able to later have a howitzer show up on something else that
they might be looking at.
To do that requires us moving out of the telephone book
era, just having social directories that the high schools
provide us.
Senator Tuberville. Yes. Thank you.
And along some of those same lines, to add insult to
injury, the White House has now decided to cancel up to $20,000
student loan per borrower. Student loan forgiveness and the GI
Bill are two of the biggest and most successful incentives for
military recruitment.
To your knowledge, any of you, were the consequences of
military service recruiting considered during the recent
student loan forgiveness? Anybody want to answer that?
Ms. Miller. Senator, I can answer that.
Certainly, for any strategic decision all of the Federal
agencies are asked for input and the White House does take that
under consideration.
As for the training and education incentives that the
Department of Defense offers, there is still a robust package
that we can offer to young men and women who are interested in
joining the services and one of the unique things that we have
that, perhaps, other programs do not have is that under certain
conditions you can actually extend those benefits to your
family members.
And so we still believe that we have a very competitive
package to offer to young men and women and, potentially, their
families.
Senator Tuberville. Health care, GI bill----
Ms. Miller. Yes, sir.
Senator Tuberville.--going to school, paying for school. I
mean, they work for welfare benefits. Okay. We all know that.
We have all seen it and heard about it, and we need to correct
some of this.
But I want to end this on--I read an article from Thomas
Spoehr of--the national defense director of Heritage and he
says the American military remains a faithful and loyal servant
of the republic.
Most Americans are still proud and trusting of our
military. But this trust and support cannot be taken for
granted. If Americans perceive that the military is being
exploited for political purpose or being used for experiments
and woke social priorities, that support will evaporate and the
consequences will be dire.
My hope and prayer are that we figure out all this before
it is too late.
Thank you very much.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you.
Senator Warren?
Senator Warren. Thank you, Madam Chair, and I am so glad
that Senator Tuberville raised the question of debt
forgiveness.
I am sure he is aware that the debt forgiveness package
that was designed by the President has disproportionately
helped veterans who are struggling with student loan debt
because our current benefits do not fully cover the cost of
post-high school education for them, and I am glad to get them
any help we can.
So I want to echo my colleagues' concerns about the impact
of military sexual assault on recruiting and retention. The
Department of Defense found that reports of sexual assault went
up 13 percent in 2021, showing that we are, clearly, going in
the wrong direction.
But I also want to followup on an issue raised by Senator
Hirono. One of the key tools that our military has for
recruitment is the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps
(JROTC) program. The JROTC program is led by retired members of
the military and it is meant to teach high school students the
values of citizenship.
DOD is currently studying how this program impacts
enlistment, as they should. But a previous Army study found
that these students are more than twice as likely to enlist.
Unfortunately, in too many cases it has become also a hunting
ground for predators.
A recent disturbing investigation by the New York Times
found that at least 33 JROTC instructors have been criminally
charged with sexual misconduct, which is higher than the rate
for civilian school teachers.
Ms. Miller, obviously, if JROTC instructors are sexually
assaulting high school students we have a problem that goes
far, far beyond the impact of this behavior on recruitment.
But I want to ask, how do you think criminal behavior like
this by retired members of the armed services reflects on the
military?
Ms. Miller. Senator, thank you for that question.
We agree that the reports from the New York Times are
concerning, not only in the fact that this is a criminal act
but to the point that you made that it also reverberates with
respect to potential recruitment and just casts a poll on the
JROTC program, which, as you noted, is a program that we are
very proud of, both of the citizenship development program and
as a way to expose youth to the prospect of military service
since many of them have never had that exposure.
We completely agree that additional oversight is necessary
and, as General Miller mentioned, the services are actively
engaged at looking at their current oversight structures.
We also think that we need to take a hard look at our
current background investigation process. Regardless of whether
that individual had a background investigation, a background
investigation recently conducted while they were in service,
and that we need to look even beyond our traditional background
investigation to see if there is other tools that we need to
add to that such as, potentially, social media checks to make
sure that we get a 360-degree look at those that we are putting
in a leadership role to some of our most vulnerable and young
Americans.
Senator Warren. I very much appreciate this and I am glad
that you give a full answer on this. But I would like to stress
another point here. You are talking about background checks--
obviously, powerfully important before somebody gets out there.
But there is also a question about supervision once they
are in the field and a question about how to respond when there
has been some kind of concern or allegation raised.
And I want to give you an example that goes directly to
that. The New York Times piece tells the story of Dominique
Mixon, a young woman who entered the JROTC program because she
wanted to join the Air Force. That is why she was there.
She was groped and harassed by her instructor, Brad Gibson,
who had retired after 24 years of service in the military. But
here is the part that really pushes me on this.
She reported the incident to a teacher. Apparently, Mr.
Gibson had already been counseled about, quote/unquote,
``borderline behavior'' before he stuck his hand up Ms. Mixon's
shirt. So this was not the first time that he had harassed
someone but it was not the last time either.
Ms. Mixon's report went nowhere and she was pushed out of
the program.
Mr. Gibson, however, continued to lead the JROTC program,
and 8 years later Ms. Mixon received a call that another 16-
year-old had filed a report saying that Mr. Gibson was groping
her.
General Miller, should the Air Force be protecting someone
like Ms. Mixon or someone like Mr. Gibson?
Lieutenant General Miller. Thank you, Senator, for letting
me talk about this.
So the first thing is sexual assault, sexual harassment,
they are crimes. They are crimes and they are not tolerable,
and I will tell you in the Air Force we have a very strong
preventive program right now and we are making it more robust,
specifically on the IRC.
But we--for Junior ROTC or for any individual that is
harassed sexually or any way that they are not treated with
dignity and respect they need to report it and they need to
report it up and we need to investigate it.
So should the individual in this particular case--he should
have been investigated and substantiated he is removed from
that position forever.
And so and, ma'am, just one more. You talked about
oversight, and there--for Junior ROTCs there are so many
programs and there is very little oversight.
In the Air Force right now we are looking at putting Guard
and Reserve members into some of those programs to provide
additional oversight in that and then also increase the
regional directors that are around the world--around the
country right now.
Senator Warren. This is an important point you raise
because jurisdiction at the Federal level is shared between the
military services and the Department of Education. But if the
military does not step up to prevent these kinds of abuses then
it is the military that is endangering our ability to buildup
our force for the future and for it to have real credibility.
The military screens these instructors and, ultimately, it
is your reputation on the line.
I know that my colleagues and I have a number of questions
about the oversight of this program and why it failed these
students.
Today, we sent letters to the DOD and to the Department of
Education to try to learn more, and I look forward to learning
what steps each of you will be taking to make sure that the
military is not responsible for the sexual assault of high
school students.
I see that I am over on time but I do want to just followup
with a question about student loan debt, and that is loan
cancellation right now is helping 43 million Americans who are
buried under student loan debt.
It is keeping people from starting small businesses, from
buying homes, from starting families. I just want to ask the
question, do any of the witnesses think that ensuring that 43
million Americans keep choking on student loan debt is the best
solution to the military's recruitment problems?
Ms. Miller. Senator, I appreciate that question.
We agree that when we are working with potential applicants
I can say that we do look at debt ratio in terms of what debt
they may have and how they may be able to still continue to
execute their commitment to paying off that debt under our pay
structures, particularly if they are starting as a junior
enlisted servicemember.
It is something that we do pay attention to. We do have
strong programs, as I said before, for training and education,
which includes the ability to do additional incentives for loan
repayment.
What we actually do find on our side is that in many cases
they are actually more interested in looking at what bonuses we
offer because then they have greater flexibility in how they
want to use that money and, potentially, paying off that debt
or if they want to put it toward another priority.
But we do agree that looking at current debt ratio is
something that we do pay attention to.
Senator Warren. I think maybe I did not make my question
entirely clear and that is on me.
But I just really want to emphasize the point that surely
we have not become a country that thinks that the best way to
be able to recruit people into the military is to crush them
under a burden of student loan debt and hope that they will
then find their way to the military--that we are people who
want to show the best of what the military has to offer and
work to make sure that none of our young people are crushed by
student loan debt.
I hope we are all in agreement on that. I will take that as
a yes.
Thank you.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you, Senator Warren.
Senator Tillis?
Senator Tillis. Ms. Miller, I suspect that there are at
least some otherwise qualified recruits who may opt not to go
into the military because of the COVID vaccine mandate. You all
put that policy in place in August 2021.
That is before we knew a lot about--that is before we knew
about Omicron. That is before we knew about the vaccine is only
marginally effective at preventing the spread.
I had COVID in 2020. I got vaccinated. I had COVID again.
So in light of what we know today, is the Department
considering maybe revising or retracting that requirement or at
least using waivers if we have otherwise qualified recruits?
Ms. Miller. Senator, I appreciate that question.
I can say as of right now the Department currently has no
plans to eliminate the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. We strongly do
believe that vaccine requirements significantly enhance the
readiness of our force and diminish the threat of serious
illness.
Senator Tillis. Do we have any data on people who are in
the recruiting pipeline that have otherwise opted out because
of the vaccine mandate?
Ms. Miller. Sir, we do have some survey data where we have
asked. We do market survey data where we asked if the
requirement to become vaccinated is a deterrent to considering
joining the military services and the vast number of
respondents actually responded that no, it did not
significantly influence them one way or the other.
The other thing that we implemented was an attestation form
during the early recruitment phase where if they had not
already been vaccinated we asked them to indicate their
willingness to be vaccinated for a wide range of conditions
once arriving at basic training, as we have always done.
We have not seen a significant number of potential
applicants decline to endorse that form nor have we seen a
significant number of applicants who, once arriving to basic
training, have then declined to actually become vaccinated.
Senator Tillis. Thank you.
General Stitt, the Secretary of the Army has created a task
force to make recommendations on Army recruiting practices.
Tell me a little bit about the composition of the task force
and when we could expect a work product.
Lieutenant General Stitt. Senator Tillis, the Army
Recruiting Retention Task Force is headed up by a two-star
general, Major General Deb Kotulich, and has subject matter
expertise from across the Department staff, United States Army
Recruiting Command, Training and Doctrine Command, Medical
Command.
All of the subject matter experts are participating and
this group has been given the charter, quite simply, to look at
our recruiting and retention enterprise and tear it down to the
studs and see what is out there--what policies, procedures do
we need to look at to set the conditions in 2023, 2024, and
beyond, Senator.
Senator Tillis. Thank you. And, again, the timeframe for
coming up with recommendations?
Lieutenant General Stitt. Senator, they present
recommendations biweekly to the chief and the Secretary, and
then the chief and the Secretary make a decision and say, yes,
go forward and action that item. We are happy to share with the
committee the results of what we see with the Recruiting and
Retention Task Force.
Senator Tillis. Dr. Strobl, you mentioned something that I
was talking with the subcommittee staff about having more
information with the vast majority of your recruiting online
and heavy dependence online--getting access to that data.
Some of the members of the committee not may not be aware
that you all are limited as compared to recruiting in the
civilian sector in terms of cookies and tracking and try to
tailor the message to the specific profile of the person that
is visiting one of your websites.
Have the marines or the Department--Ms. Miller, this may be
a question for you--made any specific recommendations to
Congress? I know it is going to take congressional action if we
are going to do it.
There are some thorny issues we have to work out around
data privacy but I think we need to at least take a look at it.
So either Dr. Strobl, Ms. Miller, or both, is the
Department in a position to where they want to make a specific
recommendation on a congressional action?
Ms. Miller. Yes, sir. I can start and then ask Dr. Strobl
to followup.
Sir, you are exactly right. We would very much like to work
with the committee to potentially expand our current
authorities for marketing and advertising.
As mentioned before, our current authorities are, really,
almost 1990's authorities that really focus on directory
information from telephone books and we do not have the same
level of ability to access content that, say, the commercial
sector does, and we attempt to work with our advertising
agencies to try to navigate and make sure that we get some of
that information. But with your support I think we can do a lot
more.
And, certainly, recognize your point about protecting
privacy interests. We want to safeguard that as well. But what
we really want to be able to do here is to be able to provide
more personalized and tailored content.
As I mentioned before, we are trying to recruit from the
youth of America that has a vast range of interests and what we
are really right now is a blunt force instrument, and we want
to be more strategic.
We want to be able to kind of package our messaging so that
it can resonate with greatest effect to a generation where we
count seconds in terms of being able to capture their
attention. And so we want to work with the committee to
potentially expand our current authorities to do that.
Senator Tillis. Anything to add, Dr. Strobl?
Mr. Strobl. Thank you, Senator.
I would just add I really appreciate your interest in this
and would like to work with this committee and your staff to
think about and study how we can better gain access to
information that will help us recruit.
Our ultimate goal or maybe our second goal after
maintaining and sustaining readiness and lethality is to
optimize our recruiting budget so that we--when I enlisted,
there were three TV channels and I got ``Sports Illustrated,''
I think, and that was how I saw my advertising.
Now it is so fragmented it has become so much more
difficult to target advertising, and if we can figure out how
to leverage some of the technologies that are out there while
protecting privacy I think we can get more bang for our
advertising dollar.
Senator Tillis. I think if we do it right we can address
the privacy concerns. You not only are going to react--be in a
position to where you can react to people who visit a potential
recruiting website but you can be more proactive and identify
people based on other data, just like platforms that are
marketing to the population do every single second of the day.
I have got some other questions, Admiral and General Miller
and General Stitt, I will be submitting for the record. Thank
you for your time.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you also for your time. I have
one question I am going to submit for each of you to respond to
and that is following up on Senator Hirono and Senator Warren's
line of question.
Lieutenant General, you are right to say these are crimes
and they are not tolerated. But that is not how you should see
this problem because with a 1 percent conviction rate, does
that mean not tolerated? I do not think so.
The message that goes to servicemembers, to potential
recruits, is it is tolerated because it is not prosecuted and
not prosecuted effectively.
So I would just suggest an ounce of humility because this
is an area where we do not excel, and the most recent report
was the worst ever--35,000 estimated cases.
And General Austin cares deeply about this issue. He
impaneled experts to come up with recommendations. We are going
to implement those recommendations.
This is something Senator Tillis and I worked very hard on.
We are going to have independent prosecutors up and running for
top 10 crimes. That is going to take a little while to get up
and running.
But what I would like is a thoughtful analysis from each of
you about what you can do as commanders, as policymakers, to
create a culture and to create a climate where the message is
received that valuing your fellow servicemember is one of the
most important characteristics that is necessary for promotion,
that valuing your fellow servicemembers is necessary character
for you to stay in the military, and that sexual assault,
sexual harassment, posting naked pictures of your fellow
servicemembers, all of that behavior is something that will end
your career.
It is a message that has to be sent from commanders about
climate. So even though we will have expert prosecutors,
hopefully, taking more cases to trial, if you do not have a
climate that says we want people to be valued it is not going
to work.
So Senator Tillis and I worked extremely hard on this
issue. I do not expect things to get better quickly but I do
expect everyone to understand we are still failing our
servicemembers and we are not prosecuting enough cases. We are
not getting enough cases ending in a conviction and we are not
preventing enough.
We had a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report at
one of our hearings last year that said this committee had put
forward something like 200 different policy ideas and at least
50 that were preventative, and only a handful of the
preventative measures were implemented.
That is a Commander problem for not implementing the things
that Congress is asking you to do that are preventive in
nature. It means we are not taking it seriously. So it is about
how serious do you take the problem, do you know it is real, do
you know we are not good at getting it done.
So please write an analysis of what you would like to do
within your service, what you think would be helpful from
Senator Tillis and I, what other policy ideas we should be
thinking about.
But I would really like a thoughtful response. I do not
want something defensive and I do not want something declaring
victory. If I get either thing, this exercise was useless.
So I love big ideas, thoughtful ideas, and ones that
Senator Tillis and I can work on for next year's personnel mark
because I promise you this problem is not going away and it is
a reason why especially women are not as interested in joining
the armed services.
So thank you for today. Thank you for your testimony. Thank
you for being so thoughtful and responsive to each of the
senators.
This hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 4:52 p.m., the Committee adjourned.]
[Questions for the record with answers supplied follow:]
Questions Submitted by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
data collection
1. Senator Gillibrand. Dr. Strobl, the Marine Corps has endorsed a
proposal to increase the categories of data that the Department of
Defense are permitted to collect and retain on potential recruits. The
House version of the 2023 NDAA contains such a provision that would
permit the Department to compile certain information on prospective
recruits. Could you share with the subcommittee the Marine Corps' views
on why it is important to gain access to this information and how you
will ensure that such data is used responsibly and safeguarded against
both internal and external misuse?
Dr. Strobl. Our advertising program is vital to building awareness
of the Marine Corps among high quality, diverse populations that are
increasingly disconnected from military service. A strong advertising
program enables our recruiting command to attract and recruit the
highest quality accession cohorts. Advertising funds repay many times
over, as they produce lower first-term attrition, higher quality
marines, and increased readiness. However, an increasingly fragmented
media environment and media inflation rates approaching 20 percent in
many cases have made maintaining program success exceptionally
difficult.
Furthermore, the military is currently restricted on the collection
of personal data on applicants to only directory level information
(address, telephone, email); this is a remnant of the telephone book
age. We need to modernize our authorities to more closely align with
those of private industry and the digital age. The information will be
used to help identify prospective recruits, tailor marketing efforts,
and better measure return on investment. More data enables targeted
research and focused advertising, which is more effective and provides
more efficient use of taxpayer dollars.
The Marine Corps is committed to the ethical use of additional
online data in order to provide the most relevant information to
prospects. Use of the data will require prospect acknowledgement and we
are required to abide by all laws and regulations governing personal
data use and storage. Only necessary and relevant applicant data will
be used and it will only be retained for limited duration. All
government IT systems and data stores are secured in accordance with
the National Institute of Standards and Technology regulation, ensuring
the highest level of security.
scope of recruiting
2. Senator Gillibrand. Lieutenant General Stitt, we often hear from
the Army that only a small percentage of Americans have a propensity to
serve in the military, and that the majority of recruits come from
limited geographic regions of the country and from families with a
history of military service. With an All-Volunteer Force in a
competitive job market, the Army will need to expand its candidate base
to meet its goals going forward. What specific steps are the Army
taking to expand both the geographic and ideological diversity of its
recruiting base, and how does the Army plan to reverse the decline in
propensity to serve among young Americans who are eligible for service?
Lieutenant General Stitt. The Army does not officially measure
propensity. Propensity research is done by the Joint Advertising,
Market Research & Studies (JAMRS) program. The Army does measure brand
favorability and consideration through research efforts. The Brand
Tracker and Army Pulse Survey findings are used to inform Army
messaging in support of one of Army Enterprise Marketing Office's main
lines of effort; ``Grow (the) Prospect Base.'' This targeted messaging
increases the likelihood of growth segments converting to enlistments
and enables a market expansion strategy to meet the requirements of the
Army of 2030.
USAREC conducts recruiting and outreach activities focused on
educating the minority population about the opportunities available in
the Army to include developing partnerships with national and local
organizations. Some of the organizations include: National Outreach and
Sponsorships Kiwanis, Hispanic Heritage Foundation, Boys & Girls Club
of America, Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Society
of Women Engineers, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities,
League of United Latin American Citizens National Education Service
Centers, 100 Black Men of America, National Association of Secondary
School Principals (NASSP) Conference, National School Board
Association, National Panhellenic Council (``Divine Nine'')
Fraternities and Sororities.
USAREC formed the Diversity Outreach and Inclusion Team (DOIT) to
increase awareness of Army opportunities across race, ethnic and gender
spectrums throughout the Army and to support the Army's effort to
improve racial and ethnic diversity and inclusion in the military. To
further reach its audiences, USAREC develops marketing products, both
print and video, featuring soldiers in multiple ethnicities and both
genders promoting the Army's diversity and cultural awareness and
maintains Social Media efforts providing Virtual Recruiting Teams
content showcasing women and minorities serving in uniform.
health standards
3. Ms. Miller, access to quality medical care in the United States
has increased in recent s due to the passage of the Affordable Care Act
and expansion of Medicaid. At the same time, standard medical
treatments for common childhood conditions such as ADHD, depression,
and anxiety have undergone a revolution in the last 30 years, resulting
in many more children receiving beneficial treatment, including
medication. Paradoxically, as the childhood population in this country
is better served through increased access to care and improvements in
medication and other standards of care, those same children are often
deemed ineligible for military service because of the care they have
received. What steps is the Department of Defense undertaking to review
medical accessions standards to ensure it is not screening out high-
quality candidates based on outdated assumptions related to childhood
conditions, behavioral health medication, and likelihood of successful
military service?
Ms. Miller. The Department continually evaluates its medical
accession standards to ensure that we access individuals who are
mentally and physically capable of successfully serving given the
challenging conditions and requirements of military service. DODI
6130.03, Volume 1 establishes baseline accession medical standards used
to either qualify or disqualify applicants for military service. The
Accession & Retention Medical Standards Working Group (ARMSWG),
composed of medical and personnel subject matter experts from across
the Department, its Military Services, and the U.S. Coast Guard,
reviews the instruction every three to 4 years and utilizes evidence-
based clinical information, peer-reviewed scientific studies,
scientific expert consensus, and the performance of existing standards
in light of empirical data on attrition, deployment readiness, waivers,
and disability rates. The ARMSWG also receives input from non-
government sources and evaluates the applicability of those inputs
against the military's mission and operational environment, so that the
Department and the Military Services can formally coordinate updates to
these standards.
Applicants who do not meet the medical accession standards
prescribed in the DODI may be considered for a medical waiver. When
evaluating an applicant's medical qualification as related to Mental
Health/Behavioral Health, the Department does discern between clinical
and non-clinical counseling, official medical diagnoses, the use of
prescription medications to address the condition, particularly use of
psychotropic drugs, the duration and resultant stability period, and
any issues of relapse and requirements for continued treatment. Each
Service, through their Service Medical Waiver Review Authorities
(SMWRA) has the ability to request additional consults/test to provide
more information as a means to ultimately determine the applicant's
potential for a successful military career.
__________
Questions Submitted by Senator Mazie K. Hirono
service standards
4. Senator Hirono. Dr. Strobl, gender bias and discrimination are
also cited as reasons women choose not to join or leave the military.
Weight standards used across the services adversely, and
disproportionally impact women. We saw this in the results of an Army
study the Marine Corps requested to look at the current height/weight
and body composition standards. In that study, the researchers found
that neither weight nor body fat was a good determination of
performance. As a result of that study the Marine Corps allowed women 1
percent additional body fat and a different method for measuring body
fat. Based on the results of the study, this seems arbitrary and still
has a disparate impact on women. What impact, if any, do you expect
these changes to have on women in the Marine Corps?
Dr. Strobl. Marine Corps human performance policies and standards
are in a constant State of analysis and assessment and are modified
when warranted. The goal of the recent changes, based on the TECOM-
USARIEM study, is to enhance the overall health, fitness, and
performance of all marines. We believe broader access to advanced body
composition technology will allow marines to monitor health and fitness
markers in a more refined manner. Coupled with advances in training and
education in these areas, including nutrition, we expect the impact of
these changes to be positive for all Marines.
Marine Corps human performance policies and standards are in a
constant State of analysis and assessment and modification when
warranted. The recent changes to Marine Corps body composition
standards adopts the latest science for estimating body composition to
include bioelectrical impedance analysis and dual energy x-ray
absorptiometry. This adoption and significant investment ensures our
marines are assessed using advanced human performance technology.
Coupled with advances in training and education in health, fitness, and
performance, including nutrition, we expect the impact of these changes
to be positive for all marines.
We always seek to link health and physical performance standards to
our body composition standards. Our body composition standards are age-
graduated--meaning our standards allows for the effects of aging on a
fit force. Additionally, marines who attain 285 on both their combat
fitness test and physical fitness tests are exempt from body
composition standards--which sends a clear signal that physical
performance, like that you would most likely experience in combat
missions, is one of our premiere measurements when assessing a marine's
health and fitness. Marines who achieve 250 points on both their CFT
and PFT receive an additional 1 percent body fat for their age. These
parameters remain our policy; the recent study provided us additional
science, along with our medical community's assessment of long-term
impacts on health, which led us to provide an additional 1 percent to
our standards.
We expect to propose additional recommendations in the future as we
develop more data based on our use of advanced human performance
technology.
marine corps' talent management 2030 plan
5. Senator Hirono. Dr. Strobl, last year General Berger personally
briefed me on his Talent Management 2030 Plan outlining his vision for
radically modernizing the Marine Corps' manpower system as a whole. The
plan detailed how the Marine Corps would implement new models for
recruiting talent and introduce new measures to increase career
flexibility. Please provide an update on that plan and how it has been
implemented to date.
Dr. Strobl. In Talent Management 2030 Plan, we identified four
broad categories that are driving our efforts, one of which is modern
digital tools, processes, and analytics. In the year since the release
of the Talent Management 2030 Plan, we took steps to develop modern
information technology systems, which can process advanced data
analytics and create recruiting and retention models to better assist
our talent management efforts.
In collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University's Applied
Physics Lab we embarked on a multi-year project known as the Retention
Prediction Network (RPN). It will harness vast quantities of manpower
data in near-real time to not only identify a potential recruit's
likelihood to join and continue to serve through their first enlistment
and beyond, but also provide USMC leadership with data-informed talent
management decisions.
Additionally, we are developing a better, more predictive, data-
driven matching tool that will optimally align applicant interests,
Primary Military Occupational Specialty (PMOS) skill requirements, and
the needs of the Marine Corps.
In support of more flexible career paths, we have been decreasing
Permanent Change of Station moves in lieu of Permanent Change of
Assignment orders to reduce disruption to operations, personnel, and
families. We have also implemented promotion opt-out to allow marines
to opt out of promotion without penalty to enable them to complete
other objectives or assignments of significant value to the Marine
Corps. Marines also have the option through use of multiple
convalescence and other paid leave authorities, which can be utilized
in flexible increments, to enable parents' flexibility to care for
their children.
The Fiscal Year 2022 NDAA reduced the obligated service required of
career intermission program participants from 2 months of Active
Service per month of intermission, to 1 month of Active Service per
month of intermission. We messaged this change to the total force via
Marine Administrative Message in order to further encourage
participation in the program.
6. Senator Hirono. Dr. Strobl, have you seen marked changes in the
Marine Corps' recruiting and retention since the implementation of the
Commandant's plan?
Dr. Strobl. It is still early in our implementation of Talent
Management 2030 plan, but we intend to build the means for assessing
the outcomes of our initiatives as we execute our plan. In the near
term, we have shifted our mindset from being a predominately first-term
enlisted force, resulting in the discharge by design of approximately
75 percent of first-term marines.
To meet Talent Management 2030 plan objectives, we will retain more
Marines, giving the Marine Corps the benefit of their experience and
skills; this will increase the rate of return on our investment in
America's finest. To do so, we are exploring adjusting time in service
and grade requirements for specific promotions and studying the
structural changes and the cost implications of shifting from the
recruit-and-replace model to a recruit-and-retain model. We are being
proactive and streamlining our retention efforts to alert high
performing marines that they are valued and we desire they remain in
the Marine Corps. The Commandant's Retention Program, which kicked-off
in fiscal year 2022, is one of the (non-monetary) efforts implemented
to retain high performing Marines. It uses the Junior Enlisted
Performance Evaluation System to identify the highest performing
Marines in each job specialty and reenlisting them through a
dramatically streamlined process where the Marines receive ``front-of-
the-line'' access to monitors and assignment preference considerations
for their next set of orders.
In fiscal year 2022, we met an overall increased retention mission
from previous fiscal years. To accomplish this, the Commandant
established programs that allowed commanders to approve some
reenlistments at the unit level, and assigned our Major Subordinate
Commanding Generals a retention mission. The Commandant made it clear
that retention is the responsibility of our marine leaders, which
resulted in an incredible effort across the Marine Corps to achieve our
retention success. We also effectively used incentives--both monetary
(e.g. bonuses) and non-monetary (e.g. duty station flexibility)--that
targeted hard-to-fill MOSs and skills, e.g. aviators, cyber, to
increase career satisfaction. Additionally, as part of our Talent
Management 2030 initiative, we increased the use of technology and
data, e.g. longitudinal accession, retention, and exit surveys, to
better understand why individuals decide to remain a marine or leave
the service. Ultimately, we made mission because when an individual
becomes a marine, they want to remain a marine. The badge of honor
earned through sacrifice creates a personal sense of pride,
achievement, and camaraderie that marines cherish. They recognize the
benefits of service in our Corps--increased education, leadership,
skills, and professionalism--that set them up for success later in
life.
military culture and climate
7. Senator Hirono. Ms. Miller, do you believe there is a
correlation between the recruiting challenges DOD is experiencing and
reputational damage caused by increased reports of sexual assault and
misconduct, and the overall climate in the Armed Services?
Ms. Miller. Since 2020, slightly under one-third of 16- to 21-year-
old youth have cited concerns about sexual harassment/assault as a
reason not to join the Military, but this concern is not their top
barrier for joining. Rather, general risks of physical and
psychological harm have been, and remain, the top barriers for Service.
A disconnected youth market, lacking a general knowledge and
familiarity with service, are also factors to recruiting challenges.
8. Senator Hirono. Ms. Miller, what actions are the Services taking
to address how the military's culture, as perceived by the civilian
population, is impacting recruiting and retention?
Ms. Miller. The Department strives to develop and foster a strong
and healthy culture based upon core values of honor, loyalty, service
before self, and respect for others. The military of today is a diverse
organization that deploys worldwide to protect and defend our national
security interests. However, as the number of Americans who have served
continues to shrink, we see the widening of the resultant military-
civilian divide as having a significant negative impact on our ability
to effectively recruit for the All-Volunteer Force (AVF). In fact, our
ability to reach today's youth has never been more challenging.
Consistent, broad marketing and advertising are critical to addressing
the ever-widening gap between the military and civilian population, as
well as building awareness and generating interest in the vast
opportunities of military service. Within our authorities, we continue
to leverage industry best practices to expand our outreach efforts to
reach a diverse pool of youth across the Nation as well as reaching out
to influencers who may help or support a young person's decision to
join the military. Additionally, the Department and the Services are
reengaging with community partners to further expand our reach and to
change the general perceptions of the military, and recruiters are
reengaging with youth through high school visits.
The Department and the Services continue to market to those who
have not traditionally considered military service as a career option
and reaching out to influencers who may help or support a young
person's decision to join the military. Generally, it takes 6 to 10
months for marketing efforts to have a significant impact. The
Department and the Service are working to find the correct balance
between legacy marketing programs and new digital platforms as messages
are often less impactful when spread across too many fragmented
platforms. The Department and the Services recognize only a proactive,
multi-faceted approach of marketing campaigns, expanded community
partnerships and reconnecting through personal engagements will we be
able to change the trajectory of Service recruiting outcomes.
retaining specialized sailors
9. Senator Hirono. Vice Admiral Cheeseman, it is my understanding
that the Navy has struggled with recruiting and retaining the most in
highly specialized fields, such as nuclear, advanced electronics,
aviation and cyber. Like the other services, the Navy often turns to
lucrative sign-on and retention bonuses, as well as increased monthly
pay, as incentives to work in those fields. However, financial
incentives aren't the only reason a member elects to start or continue
their service. Historically, how effective have sign-on and retention
bonuses been to meet our ongoing talent needs among officers and
sailors in those career fields?
Vice Admiral Cheeseman. Generally, monetary incentives have proven
to be effective in Navy's effort to attract and retain both officer and
enlisted talent in our highly specialized fields.
For the Submarine/Nuclear Officer community, the number of new
contracts signed increases by 200 percent over 6 months upon policy
change and has a direct positive correlation to retention in the
service. In 2017 the nuclear community increased the nuclear officer
continuation bonus (COBO) by a fixed rate of $5,000 for eligible
officers. In 2020 the COBO rate increased by another $5,000 while
implementing a tiered structure at career milestones so that at each
milestone the rate increased by $5,000 through Major Command. Both
implementations resulted in an increase in initial contracts signed. In
2017, a 400 percent increase in initial contracts and renegotiations
occurred for the subsequent 6 months, and in 2020 a 200 percent
increase in initial contracts and re-negotiations occurred through the
following 6 months. Additionally, re-negotiated contracts upon a change
to policy add additional time to a commitment, leading to better
retention. Both new and renegotiated contracts increase retention
efforts across multiple year groups.
Naval Aviation Officer Incentives (Aviation Incentive Pay (AvIP)
and Aviation Bonus Pay (AvB)) are very effective and target a select
group of officers at specific times throughout their careers. As the
only service to implement two AvIP scales, the higher rate is only
offered to due course officers who are selected for aviation milestones
tours such as Department Head (DH), Commanding Officer (CO), and Major
Command. Additionally, the Navy's AvB program utilizes a streamlined
and agile approach by paying eight of the 15 years available by law and
is offered only to DHs and COs. This program is essential to the
retention of Naval Aviators and adjusts yearly rates to ensure the
targeted goals are met. While Naval Aviation saw an improvement in
overall retention in fiscal year 2021, challenges still exist in
certain Type/Model/Series platforms. The Navy supports targeted
incentives for aviation communities with the greatest retention
challenges, especially as airlines resume hiring post-COVID. The
Aviation Command Retention Bonus (ACRB) underwent a complete overhaul
in fiscal year 2018 increasing the value from $36,000 to $100,000 which
resulted in a dramatically improved take rate of 58 percent. Although
take rates in fiscal year 2020/fiscal year 2021 decreased, fiscal year
2022 saw a reversal in this trend with a 5-percentage point increase
over fiscal year 2021. The ACRB was approved in 2021 by the Deputy
Assistant Secretary of the Navy for an additional 3 years and Naval
Aviation continues to evaluate effectiveness in retaining highly
experienced senior aviators beyond 20 years of commissioned service.
Financial incentives have a positive impact on enlisted sailor
retention. Our Selective Reenlistment Bonus (SRB) program is our
largest bonus program. A Center for Naval Analysis (CNA) study found
that every multiple of SRB increases the re-enlistment rate by 2.5
percentage points. On average, a SRB multiple equates to approximately
$10,000 over the length of a contract. Our experience over the last few
years is that SRB has been more effective than reported by CNA with
every multiple increase resulting in a three to 7 percentage point
increase in the reenlistment rate.
Additionally, Navy leverages tiered shipping bonuses and source
rate bonuses to remain competitive with the civilian market. The higher
tiers incentivize applicants to contract and ship in high quality/
difficult to recruit ratings. Navy's preliminary analysis on enlistment
bonuses shows that increasing these bonuses have had a significant
impact on placement of applicants into desired high quality rates.
10. Senator Hirono. Vice Admiral Cheeseman, if they aren't helping,
what reasons do those personnel cite for leaving the service?
Vice Admiral Cheeseman. The Navy collects data on the reasons for
servicemembers leaving the Navy using two different survey tools: one
is an exit survey while the other is a `Health of the Force'
questionnaire. The exit survey collects data from departing sailors
asking them what most influenced them to leave the naval service. Over
the last 6 years the top five reasons cited for leaving the Navy are:
1. Impact on Family
2. Civilian Job Opportunities
3. Work-Life Balance
4. Career Assignments
5. Leadership
The `Health of Force' survey is conducted annually through employee
engagement and also asks questions about a servicemembers' intentions
to stay in the Navy. In 2022, (and in line with previous years), work-
life balance remains among the most frequently cited influences to
leave the Navy. When broken out by officer and enlisted, officers are
more likely to cite geographic instability as a reason to leave while
enlisted participants are more likely to cite salary/pay.
11. Senator Hirono. Vice Admiral Cheeseman, how do the Navy's
recruiting and retention numbers align with manning the current fleet,
as well as the fleet of the near future?
Vice Admiral Cheeseman. Navy's recruiting and retention goals are
key to optimizing current and future fleet manning and minimizing gaps
at sea. Recruiting targets are developed with priority placement on
fleet ratings of concern, to ensure sufficient total rating inventory
is available to be distributed to the fleet. The majority of sailors
coming from the student pipeline will be going to fill gapped sea
billets or backfill sailors scheduled to rotate from sea to shore
assignments.
Navy retention targets, policies, and incentives focus on increased
opportunities to ensure every retention-eligible sailor who wants to
stay, has the opportunity to stay, to include those sailors who want to
go to sea and possess critical skills we need to keep the fleet
operating.
While Navy meets Active component accessions and retention goals,
recruiting and retention attainment alone will not fill all gapped
billet requirements which occur across all paygrades. Many of these
gaps are a result of billet/paygrade misalignment and distribution
friction associated with personnel in a non-distributable status
(limited duty, in training pipelines, etc.,), and force structure
changes that occur throughout the fiscal year. To mitigate these
challenges, optimize our workforce, and address current and future
shortfalls, Navy is maximizing our talent and preserving flexibility
and sailor choice by transforming the Navy enlisted advancement and
distribution systems into a market-driven, billet-based talent
management system. Specifically:
Supply Chain Efficiencies. We've increased enlistment
bonuses for new accessions to combat a challenging recruiting
environment and we've streamlined our training pipelines to deliver a
greater percentage of our recruits to sea duty faster.
Retention Incentives. We expanded the Selective
Reenlistment Bonus (SRB) program targeting retention in critical skills
and paygrades as required and curtailed early outs and offered
extension opportunities for separating and retiring sailors.
Increasing Sea Duty Incentives.
o In addition to Navy's traditional sea duty incentive pays,
we've implemented the Detailing Marketplace Assignment Policy (DMAP) to
better align sea duty tour lengths with the billet base and available
sailors. DMAP provides sailors completing their initial sea duty tour
with a financial incentive and advancement into a billet requiring more
responsibility if they choose to remain on sea duty for an additional
tour.
o Navy has increased our use of High Year Tenure (HYT) waivers
to retain sailors who would otherwise be forced to separate if they
choose to accept a sea duty assignment.
o Navy has expanded our Advance to Position (A2P) opportunities
across the force focused on filling high priority and/or sea intensive
billets. In addition to A2P at the E5 and E6 ranks, this now includes
Senior Enlisted Advance to Position (SEA2P) which recently convened to
fill critical E8 and E9 billets.
o Navy is also utilizing our senior enlisted assignment
optimization process to manually correct misalignments by taking sailor
and Navy needs into account to reassign E7-E9 sailors to billets
commensurate with their rank. This will ensure our most experienced
sailors are aligned to billets which need their training, leadership
and experience based on real-time fleet priorities. We recently aligned
E8/E9 sailors in July and we'll execute E7 Assignment Optimization in
October. Optimization of our Senior Enlisted Sailors is a bridging
process as Navy continues to build and will soon announce our Senior
Enlisted Marketplace, beginning with E9 in fiscal year 2023 and driving
toward billet based advancements for all E7 and above.
Sea Duty Extensions. When necessary, Navy continues to
take an aggressive posture of extending sailors at sea (up to 6 months)
and curtailing shore duty early (up to 6 months) as necessary to ensure
critical billets are covered
Officer recruitment and retention has seen similar challenges in
some key specialty warfighting communities. In recent years, the
Submarine/Nuclear Officer Community's recruiting and retention has
fallen short of the Submarine Force goals. This results in longer sea
tours for officers which ultimately leads to retention concerns.
Currently, there are no trepidations about the ability to man the
fleet, but there are concerns about officer tour lengths should
recruitment and retention numbers remain below goals.
Naval Aviation Officer Community saw an improvement in overall
retention in fiscal year 2021 but challenges still persist for certain
Type/Model/Series (T/M/S). Aviation Department Head (DH) Selection
Board declination rates remained above the historical average. The
strike fighter (VFA) community continues to experience 25 percent
gapped DH pilot billets. Despite the improvement in retention, Naval
Aviation saw a drop in DH bonus take rates. The Navy supports targeted
incentives for communities with the greatest retention challenges,
especially as airlines resume hiring post-COVID. Naval Aviation
continues to meet operational requirements, but long-term health of
some communities remains challenged by current retention behavior.
us army's efforts to recruit
12. Senator Hirono. Lieutenant General Stitt, the CDC estimates 71
percent of young Americans are unfit for Military Service. Major
reasons for disqualification include obesity, education deficits,
criminal records and prior drug use. Has the implementation of the
Army's ten short-term recruiting initiatives introduced by Secretary
Wormuth eased the pressure?
Lieutenant General Stitt. The Army continues, as it has for
decades, to evaluate each applicant utilizing the ``whole-person''
concept. Of the ten short-term recruiting initiatives introduced, the
Army is focusing on those that directly support marketing and
recruitment processing. In direct support of recruitment efforts, the
Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower & Reserve Affairs signed a
policy (Academic Skills Development Program) on July 22, 2022 to allow
CAT IV & CAT I-IIIB (``opt-in'') to attend a no greater than 90-day
program to elevate their Test Score Category (TSC) by taking the Armed
Forces Classification Test (in-service ASVAB). The program is a direct
support function of the Future Soldier Prep Course (FSPC), via a proof-
of-concept endeavor w/volunteers currently in the training base, has
seen greater than 75 percent success in those Soldiers increasing their
TSC and in the fitness track, 73 percent were moving to basic training.
The Army remains committed to investing in America's youth with
programs like this one.
13. Senator Hirono. Lieutenant General Stitt, are the short-term
goals of reduced standards and offering cash incentives working as
expected?
Lieutenant General Stitt. The Army has not reduced standards. The
Army remains fiercely committed to maintaining standards of excellence
and recruiting quality over quantity as it has for the past decade. The
Army's enlistment incentive program saw sizable returns by offering
fully qualified applicants a monetary incentive to ship within 30 days
to Basic Combat Training (BCT). However, the Army determined that
applicants were more motivated to join when given a choice for their
first duty station upon completion of training. Based on this feedback
from new recruits, the Army is working to ensure that the maximum
number of locations are available to an applicant.
14. Senator Hirono. Lieutenant General Stitt, are the new physical
fitness and testing pilot programs having an impact on recruiting
goals?
Lieutenant General Stitt. There are no indications the new Army
Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) has impacted recruiting. Future Soldiers are
primarily focused on the Occupational Physical Assessment Test (OPAT),
which determines the Future Soldiers' Military Occupational Specialty
and are not required to take the ACFT when they contract.
impact of mhs genesis
15. Senator Hirono. Ms. Miller, one issue affecting the Services'
ability to recruit qualified applicants is the roll-out of MHS Genesis,
a new electronic health record system that was launched earlier this
year. While designed to make it easier to see the entirety of a
recruit's medical history, the Services are concerned that MHS Genesis
has increased ``contact to contract'' time. The Services note that this
processing backlog is caused by incomplete electronic health
information, an increase in applicant disqualification, and an increase
in total processing time. Recruiters have also pointed to a shortage of
doctors and personnel as contributing factors. Are you considering any
changes to MHS Genesis to address the concerns that recruiters have
raised?
Ms. Miller. Whereas the initial roll-out of the congressionally
mandated use of MHS Genesis caused some disruption to the recruiting
environment, USMEPCOM continues ongoing communication and partnership
with Services to mitigate challenges and barriers to the recruiting
mission and support policy initiatives/pilots to reduce the contact to
contract timeline.
USMEPCOM and Defense Health Agency (DHA) conduct weekly
coordination to research and develop system change requests that are
more suitable and better support the USMEPCOM and Recruiting Services'
mission. The most significant effort of this focused partnership is the
initiative to open the domain aperture of medical information. This is
a MHS Genesis enterprise system change which requires a significant
investment by DHA. Opening this aperture will allow a lookback in
applicant medical history from 6 months to 3 years--allowing USMEPCOM
Medical Officers to see a more complete picture of the applicant's
health history, thus allowing for a more informed qualification
decision.
As part of our ongoing efforts to streamline and refine our use of
MHS Genesis, we have implemented a Medical Accession Records Pilot that
evaluates the feasibility of reducing the time limitations for 38
disqualifying medical conditions from `any history of' to various
timeframes. Additionally, we have authorized the Services to conduct a
Conditional Delayed Entry Program that allows applicants with specified
disqualifying medical conditions to contract in a conditional DEP
status while awaiting adjudication of Service waiver decision, thereby
reducing the `contact to contract' rates. Moreover, USMEPCOM has
created a virtual medical prescreen cell that allows MEPCOM medical
professionals from across the country to utilize MHS Genesis remotely
to review medical records as a means to increase capacity and through-
put.
16. Senator Hirono. Ms. Miller, would you consider pausing HMS
Genesis until it is fully funded and studied?
Ms. Miller. At this time, no. USMEPCOM was one of 23 waves
scheduled in a congressionally mandated multi-year strategy to deploy
MHS Genesis across DOD. USMEPCOM was included in the Defense Health
Agency (DHA) wave timeline established in 2019 for a 2022 deployment.
The decision to deploy MHS Genesis in fiscal year 2022 was based on
several factors centering on the availability of authoritative health
information to improve qualification decisions as early as possible.
Prior service medical conditions to include concealed medical history
accounts for approximately 46 percent of all ``Existed Prior to
Service'' discharges at initial entry training, at great cost to the
Services and the taxpayer.
There is no ideal time to shift from self-disclosure to validation
through Health Information Exchanges (HIEs). MHS Genesis is
contractually scheduled to be completed in 2024. While the current
recruiting environment is notably challenging, there is no guarantee
that pausing MHS Genesis will result in different outcomes as the
recruiting environment may not be markedly different in 2024. The
Department has a statutory responsibility to ensure individuals
entering the Armed Forces are able bodied.
cost of living allowances (cola)
17. Senator Hirono. Ms. Miller, Cost of Living Allowances (COLA) is
an important retention tool to ensure that servicemembers and their
families can cover their expenses while stationed in places like
Hawaii, which have higher-than-average prices for goods and services.
Understandably, servicemembers and families stationed in Hawaii were
alarmed to learn this month that the DOD was planning to reduce COLA
rates for Hawaii. With inflation running near its highest levels since
the early 1980s, it seems counterintuitive that COLA should be reduced
by 10 points for Hawaii Island, Kauai, and Oahu and by 8 points for
Maui. Why did recent DOD calculations result in a proposed reduction in
COLA for servicemembers in Hawaii?
Ms. Miller. First, given that inflation is increasing more in the
continental United States than in Hawaii, the relative purchasing power
between servicemembers stationed in CONUS and those stationed overseas,
to include Hawaii, is narrowing. In other words, the fact that it is
more costly to live outside of CONUS is not as true as it once was.
That said, no decision has been made to reduce COLA in Hawaii. The
Department authorized U.S. INDO-PACOM to conduct an out-of-cycle Living
Pattern Survey (LPS) and Retail Price Schedule (RPS) survey to obtain
more current data, and we are in the process of determining the best
time to conduct these assessments. COLA rates could possibly change
(either up or down), or remain unchanged, based on analysis of data
from these new surveys; however, it is too early to know.
The Overseas Cost-of-Living Allowance (COLA) is a non-taxable
allowance designed to supplement servicemembers pay when assigned to a
permanent duty station (PDS) outside the continental U.S. (OCONUS)
(i.e., foreign countries, U.S. territories, Alaska, and Hawaii) to
ensure they maintain an equivalent level of purchasing power as their
CONUS counterparts. Many factors affect the computation of Overseas
COLA rates, including the costs/prices of non-housing goods and
services in both CONUS and at overseas locations, the shopping patterns
of servicemembers and their families (including where they shop and how
much they shop on base, off-base, or online), as well as changes in the
relative importance of some goods and services over others (their
weights).
18. Senator Hirono. Ms. Miller, when is a final decision expected
on any adjustments to COLA for Hawaii?
Ms. Miller. No decision has been made to reduce COLA in Hawaii. The
Department authorized U.S. INDO-PACOM to conduct an out-of-cycle Living
Pattern Survey and Retail Price Schedule survey to obtain more current
data, and we are in the process in determining the best time to conduct
these assessments. Once these surveys are complete and the data has
been analyzed, we will make a final decision at that time.
__________
Questions Submitted by Senator Elizabeth Warren
privatized military housing
19. Senator Warren. Ms. Miller, Lieutenant General Stitt, Vice
Admiral Cheeseman, Lieutenant General Miller, Dr. Strobl, we continue
to hear concerns about completely inadequate military housing. A recent
Military Housing Privatization Initiative housing survey done by Armed
Forces Housing Advocates of 1,000 residents in two days shows that 50
percent of respondents would not re-enlist in the military if they must
continue to reside in MHPI projects due to ongoing systemic issues with
the homes. With the current housing crisis occurring across the nation,
that relegates it essentially necessary for military families to reside
in MHPI homes, what is your plan to make joining and re-enlisting in
the military an attractive job prospect for families that experience
substandard living conditions, particularly in high-cost areas of
living?
Ms. Miller. The Department continues to take actions to resolve
this issue. We believe that no servicemember, or their families should
ever have to live in substandard housing. While we agree this must be
resolved, it is important to note this situation is not pervasive
across all military housing. With regard to recruiting and retention,
we believe positive messages regarding the vast opportunities and
benefits that come with military service need to be further highlighted
to offset the constant negative messages.
Lieutenant General Stitt.
The Army is working together with privatized housing
landlords to ensure safe, high-quality, affordable housing is provided
where servicemembers and military families want--and choose--to live.
This includes providing increased opportunities for tenant engagement
and ensuring that tenant concerns are addressed in a timely,
transparent and responsible manner.
Privatized housing companies whose tenant satisfaction
falls below average on the annual Tenant Satisfaction Survey must
create action plans to correct deficiencies and identify items that are
most important to residents. The action plans, which must be approved
by the Army, are monitored by installation leadership and the
Commanding General, Installation Management Command (IMCOM).
Privatized housing companies are investing over $3
billion in calendar year 2021 to 2026, into privatized family housing
on Army installations. In addition, the Army will invest over $1.5
billion from fiscal year 2023 to 2027 to improve and construct Army-
owned housing and an average $1 billion per year, fiscal year 2021 to
2030, to renovate/modernize existing barracks and construct new
barracks.
Soldiers and families are encouraged to use existing and
improved reporting systems to request maintenance for their quarters.
Additionally, soldiers and families are encouraged to bring any housing
issue to the installation Military Housing Office (staffed by
government personnel), their installation leadership, and the soldier's
chain of command. Installation leadership continues to conduct town
halls for residents to ensure lines of communication remain open.
Vice Admiral Cheeseman. We understand the burdens that
unsatisfactory housing conditions place on our servicemembers and their
families. Certainly, such conditions may factor into sailors'
reenlistment considerations and is exactly why the Department of the
Navy (DON) remains focused on MHPI program oversight and accountability
and our continued commitment to providing servicemembers and their
families with safe, quality housing. To achieve this goal the DON has
taken numerous steps to hold our MHPI partners accountable including:
Reinforcing installation commander responsibility for
day-to-day oversight of housing quality and services provided by the
MHPI project companies;
Hiring an additional approximately 290 government housing
personnel to augment housing oversight, quality assurance, and customer
care services, and establishing housing councils and resident
advocates;
Renegotiating performance incentive fee criteria with the
MHPI companies to better measure MHPI partners' performance;
Requiring MHPI projects to implement electronic work
order systems that are visible by tenants and government housing staff;
Implementing the uniform DOD housing standard requiring
installations to inspect and approve housing units at each change of
occupancy, in addition to other required housing inspections;
Improving training for commanders and housing staff.
Apart from a small number of key and essential personnel,
servicemembers are not required to reside in privatized housing and the
DON is committed to leaving it as a choice for military personnel on
whether they reside in MHPI housing.
Lieutenant General Miller. Servicemember Housing is very important
to the DAF both for families living in MHPI projects and the
approximately 80 percent of servicemembers who live in local
communities. CEL & Associates, Inc., a nationally recognized survey
company, conducted the annual Tenant Satisfaction Survey of all MHPI
tenants from October 2021 through December 2021, and found 77.7 percent
of tenants are satisfied with their housing. While the satisfaction
score and the high occupancy rate in MHPI projects (greater than 95
percent for more than the past 2 years) indicates most MHPI tenants are
satisfied with privatized housing, we have taken the following actions
to ensure we are providing safe, quality homes where airmen and
guardians choose to live among their various housing options:
Hired 60 Resident Advocates to aid members to resolve
issues or concerns.
Added 147 positions to Military Housing Office (MHO)
responsible for increased inspections and oversight at the installation
level.
Initiated five lines of effort to Empower Residents;
Integrate Leadership; Improve Communication; Improve Oversight and
Standardize Policy resulting in the identification and implementation
of 51 action items. To date, 49 of the 51 action items have been
completed.
Implemented a 1-800 24/7 Air Force Housing Call Center,
which MHPI tenants can call and have their concern addressed by the DAF
Housing Program Executive Office.
Implemented Resident Councils at each installation, with
volunteer members of the MHPI communities across all rank bands and a
direct line to the Installation Commander.
Developed and deployed templates, guidance, and training
for MHO personnel to use for move-in, move-out, and change of occupancy
maintenance inspections and work order validation.
Working with MHPI project owners, OSD, and OMB to
financially restructure projects for modernization to keep homes
marketable.
In accordance with NDAA Section 3051, conducting
independent home inspections. As of 30 Sep 22, over 4,200 units at 7
installations inspected and preliminary results found units to be
structurally sound and habitable.
Implementing revised NDAA Section 3036 provision to
redirect 2.5 percent of monthly payments to underfunded projects,
redirecting resources for life, health, safety concerns or to enhance
quality of life.
Dr. Strobl. It is DOD policy to ``rely on the private sector as the
primary source of housing for accompanied and unaccompanied personnel
normally eligible to draw a housing allowance.'' This has historically
resulted in approximately 25 percent of military personnel residing in
government-owned housing or choosing to reside in privatized housing.
Under the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI),
Military Departments partner with the public-private sector to own,
operate and maintain housing facilities on DOD installations in a
manner comparable to off-base private sector housing. Under the MHPI,
the Department of the Navy (DON) has privatized nearly all on-base
family housing in the U.S. During the initial development period, the
private sector MHPI companies have constructed or renovated 16,796
Marine Corps family housing units out of the original planned end-State
of 23,153, or approximately 73 percent of the overall Marine Corps MHPI
family housing inventory. Apart from a small number of key and
essential personnel, servicemembers are not required to reside in
privatized housing and the Marine Corps is committed to leaving it as a
choice for military personnel on whether they reside in MHPI housing.
The Marine Corps provides oversight of the MHPI projects that
operate on its installations, reporting to the DON. To ensure the
quality of MHPI housing, the Marine Corps has increased its Government
housing staff to ensure that Government personnel are available to
advocate for the housing concerns of military tenants and to provide
day-to-day oversight to ensure the MHPI projects provide quality
housing and customer service consistent with project legal agreements.
Marine Corps Military Housing Offices (MHOs) assess homes during
changes of occupancy and followup with tenants within 15 and 30 days
after they move in. Additionally, condition assessments are conducted
on an annual basis and the Marine Corps MHOs track systemic issues
until resolution. Finally, the MHPI partner's annual and 5-year
recapitalization plans are reviewed at the installation, region and
Marine Corps headquarters level prior to approval, with the objective
of prioritizing life, health, and safety issues and ensuring project
sustainment and recapitalization as needed to guarantee quality housing
for servicemembers and their families.
The Marine Corps will continue to remain diligent in overseeing our
MHPI partners to ensure that they deliver quality housing and a
positive living experience in keeping with our commitment to attracting
and retaining our greatest asset, marines and sailors.
20. Senator Warren. Ms. Miller, Lieutenant General Stitt, Vice
Admiral Cheeseman, Lieutenant General Miller, Dr. Strobl, the physical
and emotional trauma that is caused to our servicemembers and their
families while residing in substandard living conditions is not only
heart-wrenching but costs our taxpayers thousands of dollars every
month via ongoing healthcare expenses from exposure to environmental
toxins, window falls, and more. This also affects military retention
and frankly, operational readiness. What steps have you taken to hold
these companies and their employees accountable since fiscal year 2020?
Ms. Miller. We have taken numerous actions since fiscal year 2020
to hold MHPI project companies accountable and to improve the housing
opportunities for servicemembers who choose to live in privatized
housing. Some of those actions included:
Withheld performance incentive fees at sites with data
anomalies based upon independent 3rd party audits on maintenance data
systems.
Placed two project owners on performance improvement
plans for systemic performance issues.
Renegotiated Performance Incentive Fees strengthening our
ability to address poor performance and responsiveness to residents'
and Commanders'.
Worked with POs to establish an independent third-party
work order survey system for feedback collection from residents
regarding response, completion, and customer service of maintenance
actions.
Standardized the annual Tenant Satisfaction Survey and
changed the deployment process to one coordinated by DAF to ensure
tenants' responses are not unduly influenced by the project companies;
results can be trusted as an accurate measure of tenant satisfaction.
Revamped our annual site visit process placing additional
emphasis on the resident experience.
Implemented Portfolio Assessment Program with emphasis on
operational performance allowing senior DAF leadership focus on
underperforming projects and community action plan implementation to
drive improvements.
Negotiated with MHPI project owners (9/10) for adoption
of the 18 rights in the Tenant Bill of Rights as required by the Fiscal
Year 2020 NDAA; implementation underway as State lease addendums are
submitted, reviewed and approved by DAF.
Worked closely with the Department of Justice in their
investigations of MHPI project companies including findings of fraud
and estimations for restitution payments.
Lieutenant General Stitt.
The Army has fully implemented the Military Housing
Privatization Initiative Tenant Bill of Rights at all of its
installations with privatized housing.
The Army established new incentive-fee metrics to hold
housing privatization companies accountable for maintenance and
customer service. Customer satisfaction--which is determined by factors
such as work-order-completion data and tenant-survey scores--accounts
for 30 percent of the award. Privatized housing project companies with
scores of 69 percent or lower are ineligible for incentive-fee awards.
When necessary, the Army has issued formal letters of
concern to companies for issues and increased oversight until the
issues are resolved.
The Army has implemented an Environmental Hazard Response
Registry for housing.
The Army has implemented 100 percent ``change of
occupancy'' inspections and 100 percent assurance checks on life,
health and safety work orders.
The Army has hired independent third-party experts to
perform comprehensive financial and development reviews
The Army has established Habitability and Displaced
Residents Policies; the IMCOM Commanding General conducts weekly, by
name, reviews of displaced residents and works closely with privatized
housing companies to get families back in home expeditiously
Vice Admiral Cheeseman. The Department of the Navy (DON) remains
focused on making continuous improvements in MHPI program oversight and
partner accountability in furtherance of our commitment to safe,
quality housing for servicemembers and their families. To achieve this
goal, the DON has taken numerous steps to increase MHPI partner
accountability, including, but not limited to:
Navy Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC)
coordinated the semi-annual update to our MHPI handbook, which includes
detailed information for Military Housing Offices (MHOs) on overseeing
maintenance operations as well as sections on Guidance for Change of
Occupancy Maintenance Inspections, the Dispute Resolution Process, the
Tenant Bill of Rights, and the Plain Language Briefs.
The DON has reinforced Installation Commander
responsibility for day-to-day oversight of housing quality and services
provided by the MHPI project companies.
The DON hired approximately 290 additional government
housing personnel to augment housing oversight, introduce quality
assurance functions, and expand customer care services. This has
allowed the DON to perform broader and deeper monitoring of day-to-day
MHPI project operations. With these additional resources, NAVFAC stood
up a new Quality Assurance Program and designated positions to focus on
oversight of MHPI maintenance operations, while Commander, Navy
Installations Command (CNIC) devoted 68 of its 147 new positions to
inspecting homes.
NAVFAC negotiated updated performance incentive fee
criteria with the MHPI companies that more effectively and, with more
granularity, measure MHPI partners' performance from the perspective of
the resident experience and the DON's expectations. The new criteria
place less emphasis on straight mathematical calculations in favor of
detailed analysis and a greater degree of DON discretion, including:
o Expanding the resident satisfaction criterion to consider
move-in and work order survey results in addition to results from the
annual tenant satisfaction survey;
o Elevating the importance of and broadening the scope of
maintenance management, including Change of Occupancy Maintenance and
work order management;
o Measuring completion of preventive maintenance activities and
execution of capital repair and replacement projects;
o Increasing the total DON discretionary portion in the areas of
greatest concern to residents: resident satisfaction, project safety,
and maintenance performance.
NAVFAC has improved the processes governing DON
validation of incentive fee requests, which include demanding better
and more accurate partner submissions, eliciting feedback from a wide
range of DON participants in the MHPI enterprise, and performing
thorough internal review and validation of partner data.
DON staff at all echelons interact regularly with MHPI
partners in formal and informal settings to prevent problems from
arising wherever possible and to monitor MHPI partner problem
resolution.
The DON has required projects to implement electronic
work order systems that are visible by tenants and allow DON housing
staff real-time oversight of maintenance activities.
The DON has implemented the uniform DOD housing standard
requiring installations to inspect and approve housing units at each
change of occupancy, in addition to other required housing inspections.
DON personnel conduct those inspections.
The DON has improved training for Commanders and housing
staff to enable them to more effectively oversee MHPI partner
performance at the installation level and to act more quickly to
address performance deficiencies.
The DON fully implemented the Tenant Bill of Rights as
issued by DOD in fiscal year 2021 at all our installations with
privatized housing.
NAVFAC has invoked contractual remedies where performance
has been inadequate, such as issuing notices of dissatisfaction to MHPI
property managers.
Lieutenant General Miller. USD(P&R) defers to USD(A&S) for these
responses.
Dr. Strobl. Leadership Engagement: Since fiscal year 2020, Marine
Corps leadership has played a more active role in overseeing the
management of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI)
companies that own and operate MHPI housing projects on Marine Corps
installations, increasing leadership engagement in project oversight.
Leadership at all levels meet with Marine Corps MHPI partners regularly
to discuss tenant concerns, review housing budgets, and property
conditions. In addition, the Marine Corps has reinforced installation
commander responsibility for day-to-day oversight of housing quality
and service provided by the MHPI projects.
Third Party Inspections: In accordance with Section 3051 of the
Fiscal Year 2020 NDAA, the Marine Corps has launched the first phase of
its independent, third-party inspections to receive unbiased feedback
on the condition of our MHPI housing units. These inspections are
performed in accordance with DOD's newly established uniform housing
standard, as required by Section 3051 of the Fiscal Year 2020 NDAA. Any
identified life, health or safety issues are passed on immediately to
the MHPI partner to address.
Restructured Incentive Fees: Consistent with DOD policy issued in
fiscal year 2020, the property management incentive fee structure for
all Department of the Navy (DON) MHPI projects has been revised,
putting greater emphasis on tenant satisfaction (40 percent),
maintenance management (35 percent), project safety (15 percent), and
financial management (10 percent). These changes ensure that MHPI
partners are addressing tenant concerns, properly maintaining the
privatized housing facilities, ensuring the safety of the homes, and
expending finances appropriately to guarantee adequate housing for
marines and sailors today and over the long-term life of the projects.
When warranted, the Marine Corps will withhold project incentive fees
or work with DON to place the MHPI company on a performance improvement
plan.
Tenant Bill of Rights, Including Dispute Resolution: The Marine
Corps has fully implemented the MHPI Tenant Bill of Rights issued by
DOD in fiscal year 2021 at all installations with privatized housing.
Our installation Military Housing Offices (MHOs) continue to educate
and inform servicemembers and their families who live in MHPI housing
about rights as MHPI tenants, to include the dispute resolution process
that is one of the 18 MHPI tenant rights. This formal Dispute
Resolution Process requires an independent assessment of a tenant's
complaint, with full resolution within 30 days (60 days if an extension
is granted).
Audits/Quality Control Reviews: In accordance with 2019 DOD
guidance, the DON reviewed its entire MHPI portfolio to identify
potential inappropriate business practices and implemented reforms to
enhance DON monitoring and auditing of MHPI projects to detect and
deter violations of U.S. antifraud law by MHPI companies or their
employees, and to inform decisions regarding project incentive fee
payments and the need to take corrective measures to address MHPI
company/project performance. Additionally, since fiscal year 2020,
several DOD OIG and GAO audits have been initiated to assess that the
DOD MHPI project oversight and implementation of MHPI reforms have been
properly completed.
21. Senator Warren. Ms. Miller, my office has received reports that
some private military housing companies do not allow spouses to be
listed as tenants. Does the Department of Defense know how many
companies and installations have this policy?
Ms. Miller. USD(P&R) defers to USD(A&S) for these responses.
22. Senator Warren. Ms. Miller, does the Department of Defense know
how many companies and installations will not honor a maintenance
request if it is not filed by someone listed as a tenant on the lease?
Ms. Miller. USD(P&R) defers to USD(A&S) for these responses.
23. Senator Warren. Ms. Miller, my office has also received reports
that the consequence of not listing spouses on the leases for
privatized military housing in domestic violence situations leaves that
spouse vulnerable to retaliation and homelessness. When the
servicemember, as the lease holder, is no longer welcome in the home
their spouse is then kicked out. In one case this may have led to a
spouse withdrawing a protective order that may have saved her life.
Does the Department of Defense have any policies in place to support
those spouses or allow for a compassionate transition?
Ms. Miller. The Family Advocacy Program (FAP) supports victims with
victim advocacy services. Victim advocacy services are available 24/7
and can help a victim to find safe temporary civilian housing, if
available, when their home is no longer safe. Under certain
circumstances, the Installation/Garrison Commander may authorize FAP
funds to secure safe housing for a victim of child abuse and neglect or
domestic abuse when all other resources have been exhausted.
Transitional Compensation for Abused Dependents (TCAD) can also be
a resource for victims of abuse and can be accessed through FAP victim
advocacy services once the servicemember sponsor has been separated
from military service due to child abuse and neglect and/or domestic
abuse. TCAD can provide temporary relief to families by providing
monetary compensation, access to supportive services such as counseling
and advocacy, and TRICARE medical benefits, up to 36 months from
application date.
Due to child abuse or domestic abuse, a family who is stationed
outside of the continental United States may find that they need to
return to the United States while the servicemember remains overseas.
This can be authorized as an early return of dependents (ERD) under the
Joint Travel Regulations (JTR). Per the JTR, table 5-22 2.b.d., a
dependent may return early from OCONUS locations when there are
compelling personal reasons. This includes, but not limited to, marital
difficulties, unforeseen family problems, reasons of a humanitarian or
compassionate nature, or other situations such as inadequate housing,
which adversely effects the servicemember's performance of duty.
medical disqualification impacts on recruiting
24. Senator Warren. Lieutenant General Stitt, Vice Admiral
Cheeseman, Lieutenant General Miller, Dr. Strobl, in their most recent
annual report, the Accession Medical Standards Analysis and Research
Activity noted that between fiscal year 2016 and fiscal year 2020, 13
percent to 16 percent of all applicants were initially medically
disqualified during the accessions process. Of those applicants, up to
20 percent were disqualified because of a ``Learning, Psychiatric, and
Behavioral Disorder.'' What efforts have the Services, in coordination
with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and
Readiness (USD[P&R]), taken to evaluate the surveillance trends seen in
medical disqualifications and consider them in potential revisions to
the DOD-wide or Service-specific medical qualifications for accession
into the military?
Lieutenant General Stitt. From the perspective of Americans being
physically/medically unfit for service, the Army, in very close
coordination with OSD, is piloting the Conditional Delayed Entry
Program (DEP). The intent of the pilot is to reduce delays between the
Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) Medical Exam and
contracting due to service medical waiver requirements for applicants
affected by certain disqualifying conditions. This pilot is designed to
improve the Army's contact to contract time for candidates whose
disqualifying condition(s) is/are, in most cases, determined to be
waiverable based on an agreed upon set of conditions between U.S. Army
Recruiting Command (USAREC) and U.S. Military Entrance Processing
Command (USMEPCOM). The pilot allows applicants to contract and enter
DEP while awaiting waver decisions. In addition, and from a more
macrolevel, all services are working with OSD to help bolster the
efforts with the Medical Accession Records Pilot (MARP) created to
evaluate the feasibility of reducing the time limitations on 38
disqualifying medical conditions by utilizing verifiable medical
information available in Military Health System (MHS) GENESIS, the
Department's electronic medical system of record.
Vice Admiral Cheeseman. The Navy Recruiting Command medical waivers
team participates in the monthly DOD Accessions Medical Standards
Working Group (AMSWG) where data on any specific waiver trends across
the services is presented by the DOD Accessions Medical Standards
Research Activity (AMSARA). From the information presented, revisions
to the Accessions and Retention standards are considered. Surveillance
trends in entry level separations from recruit training are also
analyzed from time to time. All available information is taken into
account when considering recommendations for DOD policy revisions.
Lieutenant General Miller. USD (P&R) is piloting a program to
evaluate the feasibility of reducing the time limitations on 38
disqualifying medical conditions with an historically high waiver
approval rate, by utilizing verifiable medical information available in
Military Health System (MHS) Genesis, the Department's electronic
medical system of record.
Additionally, the Accession and Retention Medical Standards Working
Group recently completed the 2021 review of the current DODI and
proposed changes to the timelines for medical approval, gender-specific
verbiage and a host of other positive changes, based on empirical data
and evidence as well as operational requirements and current population
health trends.
Dr. Strobl. Department of Defense Instruction 6130.03 sets the
medical enlistment standards for the Department and we defer to Navy's
Bureau of Medicine (BUMED) for policy establishment and revision.
However, if the applicant is medically disqualified at an entrance
processing station, we have the opportunity to submit a medical waiver
to BUMED for a review and recommendation. The service typically
approves favorable BUMED recommendations. This process provides service
data for analysis and future revisions of Department policy.
25. Senator Warren. Ms. Miller, Lieutenant General Stitt, Vice
Admiral Cheeseman, Lieutenant General Miller, Dr. Strobl, the Military
Entrance Processing Command (MEPSCOM) is beginning their roll-out of
MHS Genesis, the new electronic health record that DOD anticipates
completing the full deployment in 2023. Task and Purpose recently
reported that MHS Genesis is delaying or further delaying the accession
medical evaluation and processing of medical waivers. Are you aware of
such delays and how are you working with the Defense Health Agency and
the Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization (FEHRM) program
office to mitigate these process barriers?
Ms. Miller. With the deployment of MHS Genesis and increased access
to authoritative medical history of applicants (as opposed to relying
solely on applicant self-disclosure), we experienced, as expected, an
increase in the number of potentially disqualifying conditions
identified in applicants (30 percent pre-MHS-G to 58 percent post-MHS-
G). This in turn increased the number of applicants medically
disqualified by one-third (20 percent to 29 percent). The influx of
increased waiver requests for these disqualifying conditions has slowed
waiver processing by the service waiver authorities as they adjust to
the higher demand. The specific delay in waiver processing is unique to
each service.
Lieutenant General Stitt. On March 10, 2022, USMEPCOM launched MHS
GENESIS to the remaining MEPS and two Remote Processing Stations
(RPS)--having all 67 processing stations live with MHS GENESIS. As
before, USMEPCOM and DHA provided onsite support during the first 7
days of the full deployment to afford over-the-shoulder training/
support to MEPS personnel.
As anticipated (based on MHSG implementation at Medical Treatment
Facilities (MTFs)), USMEPCOM experienced a slight decrease in
operational capacity for the first 30 days as users learned the system
and adapted to a historically high level of throughput. USMEPCOM has
since returned to previous efficiency levels with medical exams and
maximum prescreen processing times actually reduced from 30 to 10 days.
After 5 months of operations with MHSG, we conclude the system is
working generally as expected; however, gaps in information available
through the Health Information Exchange (HIE) tool has emerged as the
key challenge for both USMEPCOM and recruiting partners.
Although DHA connects with approximately 65 percent of hospital
networks, they do not control the quality and quantity of health data
shared through those networks, resulting in inconsistent health history
and/or incomplete record sharing.
USMEPCOM is able to make a qualification decision based on the
records in HIE on approximately 71 percent of applicants, resulting in
approximately 29 percent of applicants who are asked to provide
supplemental paper records. However, the overall raw number of
applicants who are required to collect documents is lower post-MHSG (29
percent) vs. pre-MHSG (38 percent). Pre-MHSG however, the majority of
the record retrieval occurred prior to prescreen submission to the
MEPS. Post-MHSG increased the frequency in which recruiters are
required to submit supplemental paper records after the first prescreen
submission to the MEPS, thereby creating an additional review of the
applicable paper records, extending the contact to contract timeline
and increasing the uncertainty of when prescreen review would be
competed.
Services' note three primary reasons for the increase in contact to
contract time: 1) records returned for lack of medical records in HIE;
2) an increase in disqualification rates requiring an increase in
applicants waiting on waiver approval; and 3) pre-MHSG recruiters
expected 70 percent of their applicants to floor within 48 hours
because they did not disclose any medical conditions; now HIE provides
authoritative health information on an applicant's medical history,
which requires 5 to 10 days to review, adding to the contact to
contract timeline.
USMEPCOM is addressing the concerns through a combination of
efforts and pilots:
Innovative business practices made possible by MHSG such
as virtually cross-leveling workload across all MEPS and a new
Prescreen Support Coordination Center (PSCC);
Executing new pilots/processes to support Service
Partners--Medical Accessions Records Pilot (MARP), Opening of HIE
aperture, Conditional Delayed Entry Program (DEP) Pilot;
Ongoing DHA/Cerner engagement to focus partnership on
utilizing HIE capabilities to support USMEPCOM and Recruiting Services'
mission.
Access to authoritative health information is leading to the
discovery of disqualifying or potentially disqualifying conditions with
increased frequency. Since MHS-G deployment across USMEPCOM in March
2022, 29 percent of all medical exams result in a disqualification
decision compared to 20 percent for the same time period in fiscal year
2021.
The services may choose to waive a medical standard based on the
specific needs of the individual service and the degree of the
individual's diagnosis. Due to increase in disqualifications, as a
result of additional information available via the HIE, waiver request
volume and review timelines have increased. Each service, through their
Service Medical Waiver Review Authorities (SMWRA) establishes their own
individual process, but also has the ability to request additional
consults/test to provide more information as a means to ultimately
determine the applicant's potential for a successful military career.
Implementation of MHS-G has improved the fidelity of the process by
providing access to a more comprehensive medical history record and
allowing for more informed qualification decisions.
Vice Admiral Cheeseman. Yes, Navy has experienced a delay in
processing applicants since the introduction of MHS Genesis. With the
implementation of MHS Genesis, Navy initially observed an increase of
29.6 days (from 33.8 days to 63.4 days) from the date of an applicant's
final interview until their first recorded contract when comparing data
from June to November 2021 with data from December 2021 to May 2022.
Navy addressed internal inefficiencies impacting this delay and
realized an improvement of 3.5 days from June to September 2022 (from
63.4 days to 59.9 days). Navy is working with Center for Navy Analysis
(CNA) analysts to perform a root cause analysis to better understand
where additional delays are being realized to further address the
delays with resources or policy changes and to inform discussions
between Navy and MEPSCOM on this topic.
Lieutenant General Miller. Yes, the DAF is aware of the increase in
processing time following the MHS Genesis rollout. There are continued
efforts to enhance records quality and availability with health
information exchange partners, such as expansion to the Care Quality
network with a record locator service to improve queries for missing
records. The Defense Health Agency estimates that the inclusion of the
Care Quality network may increase record coverage to as much as 90 to
95 percent. Furthermore, a ``seamless exchange'' effort is in
development to remove data duplication, provide data provenance and
auto-ingestion of data from trusted partners that meets stringent
quality requirements to reduce provider time to ingest the data from
external partners.
Dr. Strobl. We fully support the intent of the MHS Genesis;
however, current implementation has made recruiting more challenging.
Specifically, the Health Information Exchange (HIE) pull at accessions,
and the additional time it takes to process, has inhibited production.
We support more resourcing in order to decrease processing time. It is
worth noting that our data has not shown a significant spike in medical
disqualifications, which we attribute to how well our recruiters screen
applicants.
26. Senator Warren. Ms. Miller, what quality assurance measures are
being implemented and training programs are being delivered to MEPS
staff in preparation for, or during the deployment of MHS Genesis?
Ms. Miller. The Defense Health Agency (DHA) prescribes the training
required for each user role for government employees and contracted
medical providers. MEPS personnel were, and continue to be, trained in
accordance with the DHA mandated user role training via Joint Knowledge
Online (JKO) platform. USMEPCOM has established standard operating
procedures to manage and ensure all members are properly trained before
gaining access to the system and have the correct system user role
assigned. USMEPCOM vigilantly manages who has access to the system,
quickly removing those who have departed the command and granting
access to newly assigned personnel. Currently, USMEPCOM has over 3400
trained users active in the system.
27. Senator Warren. Lieutenant General Stitt, Vice Admiral
Cheeseman, Lieutenant General Miller, Dr. Strobl, each service is
responsible for reviewing and providing recommendations on medical
waivers for applicants. AMSARA also reports that the Navy, Marine
Corps, and Air Force processes approximately 4,000 medical waivers
annually, while the Army processes about 8,000 medical waivers
annually. What is the average length of time to process a waiver once
all medical documentation is received from an applicant?
Lieutenant General Stitt. In general, the average processing time
for a medical waiver is between 21-45 days if complete medical
documentation is presented up front. In cases where there is incomplete
medical documentation, the medical waiver process could take longer.
Vice Admiral Cheeseman. The average length of time for the Navy
Recruiting Command medical waivers team to process a waiver once all
medical documentation is received is between 1 and 2 days.
Lieutenant General Miller. The current average timeline for
processing a waiver is approximately 40 days.
Dr. Strobl. Once all medical documentation is obtained, which can
take from seven to over 30 days depending on the HIE pull, the average
time to process a medical waiver from the Recruiting Station to the
date of completion is 2.2 days. Due to improved coordination and
partnership with BUMED, the average processing time has dropped by
almost 93 percent over the past few years; previous processing time was
close to 30 days.
28. Senator Warren. Ms. Miller, in June 2022, the Secretary of
Defense announced policy changes that allows certain servicemembers
with HIV to continue serving in the military without any restrictions
on deployability or eligibility to become a commissioned officer.
However, these policy changes do address applicants with HIV who may
still be medically disqualified from joining the military. Why are
applicants with HIV, but perhaps are clinically undetectable and have
no clinically undetectable and have no symptoms, still disqualified
from joining the military?
Ms. Miller. The Secretary of Defense released a memorandum on June
6, 2022 updating the Department's policies on HIV-positive personnel
serving within the Armed Forces. Under the updated policies,
individuals who are seeking a commission as a Military Service Academy
cadet/midshipman, a contracted SROTC cadet/midshipman, or current
Service members in an in-service commissioning program that have been
identified as HIV-positive, are asymptomatic, and who have a clinically
confirmed undetectable viral load will have no restrictions applied to
their deployability or to their ability to commission solely on the
basis of their HIV positive status. It is important to note that the
memo is not applicable to new accessions at this time.
Additionally, the Secretary of Defense also directed the
establishment of a working group to develop proposed standards for
conducting case-by-case determinations with regards to accession,
retention, and deployability of individuals who have been identified as
HIV-positive, are asymptotic, and have a clinically confirmed
undetectable viral load and to consider additional HIV-related matters,
as appropriate. The working group is actively working to consider and
make recommendations on how best to address HIV-related issues within
the Department.
__________
Questions Submitted by Senator Gary C. Peters
benefit disparity between components
29. Senator Peters. DODI 1215.07 (Service Credit for Non-Regular
Retirement), states that it is DOD policy to use uniform procedures to
manage the crediting and accounting of active and reserve service of
servicemembers for non-regular retirement. The Command and Control
CBRNE Response Enterprise (C2CRE) consists of two Army Reserve
component task forces that maintain a full-time posture to meet mission
requirements. One task force is an Army Reserve organization, while the
other is an Army National Guard organization. These organizations
perform the same mission and are each subject to non-regular
retirement, yet only the Army Reserve organization is earning the Early
Retirement Credit. Attempts to correct this disparity were met with
concurrence by the Deputy Director of the Army National Guard and
acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs
in 2017. However, they were halted by the Principal Deputy of the
Assistant Secretary of Defense while acknowledging soldiers performing
the same mission were receiving different benefits. Constituents in the
National Guard organization have expressed their frustration to my
office for what they feel is the unequal treatment for their service to
our nation.
Ms. Miller, how is the Department of Defense addressing issues such
as this in attempts to retain servicemembers that may consider leaving
due to unequal treatment?
Ms. Miller. The Department is addressing the equity disparity
through continued legislative efforts to enact Reserve component (RC)
Duty Status Reform (DSR). RC DSR would fundamentally change the current
RC duty status authority structure and would align pay and benefits to
the newly established duty categories creating benefit parity across
the RC. The Department's RC DSR proposal has strong support from the
Services, the National Guard Bureau, the Adjutants General Association
of the United States (AGAUS), the Council of Governors and the
Department of Veteran Affairs. With continued congressional support,
the Department remains committed to getting this legislation enacted.
accounting for the impacts of non-federal activations of national
guardsmen
30. Senator Peters. Lieutenant General Stitt and Lieutenant General
Miller, the Army and Air Force must consider the challenges facing the
National Guard as it forms a critical component of your overall
personnel readiness. Data provided by National Guard Bureau indicates
that the quantity of guardsmen that failed to earn enough retirement
points for a creditable year of service has increased sixfold (0.64
percent to 3.85 percent) from 2012 through 2021, with nearly half of
this spike (2.1 percent to 3.85 percent) coming after 2019. While many
factors contribute to this data, the timeframe coincides with
unprecedented strings of title 32 and state activations to support
civil authorities during the COVID pandemic and civil unrest.
What are your services doing to ensure that the resources poured
into recruiting and training soldiers and airmen in the National Guard
are protected from retention issues that may be caused by high levels
of Non-Federal deployment and potential burnout?
Lieutenant General Stitt. The Army National Guard (ARNG) as part of
the total Army provided extraordinary support to our communities and
our country during the COVID pandemic. The effects of the COVID
pandemic in concert with myriad other factors collectively inhibited
the abilities of ARNG soldiers from earning sufficient retirement
points for a creditable year of service. The Department of the Army
provided policies to allow the Reserve components (ARNG and USAR) to
conduct drill weekends virtually to help RC soldiers earn adequate
retirement points for creditable year of service during the COVID
pandemic. Recruiting and retaining talent within the Army in all
components is our number one priority.
Lieutenant General Miller. The ANG has maintained high retention
rates of 91 percent or higher over the past 3 years. The increased
activations for domestic operations missions have not negatively
impacted retention. Results from exit surveys and feedback from
Retention Managers indicate that ANG members view the Covid-19
operations as a way to contribute to their local communities. The vast
majority of duty performed by ANG Airmen was in Federal status vs.
State status, which did not negatively impact members acquiring enough
points for a ``good year.'' Additionally, ANG has been focused on
quality of life initiatives to retain airmen, including career
broadening opportunities, and access to resources such as financial
planning and childcare during drill weekends.
31. Senator Peters. Lieutenant General Stitt and Lieutenant General
Miller, would you consider a process that protected guardsmen from
failing to achieve retirement year credit by accounting for time served
in a non-Federal status to fulfill minimum Federal retirement point
requirements?
Lieutenant General Stitt. We are fully committed to ensuring all
our Reserve component soldiers (ARNG and USAR) achieve retirement year
credit for services performed in support of our communities and our
country. The Department of the Army is open to exploring options
enabling all our soldiers to receive appropriate retirement credits. It
is the Department of the Army's priority to make sure we take care of
our soldiers and their families. My staff and I are fully committed to
working closely with the ARNG and the USAR to explore options and
concepts for RC soldiers to receive appropriate retirement year credits
for their service, and to ultimately achieve full retirement.
Lieutenant General Miller. The ANG does not typically perform non-
Federal service for extended periods of time, by design Domestic
Operations missions are for emergency response. Longer term missions
typically equate to a Presidential declaration which usually provides
Federal resources for continued duty. For airmen who do perform State
Active Duty (non-Federal) missions, they would have the opportunity to
make up any time missed as a result of that duty.
Specific to the mission impact/limitation related to the COVID-19
Pandemic----On 6 January 2022, Secretary of the Air Force delegated
authority to the Director, Air National Guard to grant retirement
points pursuant to Section 516 of Public Law 116-283 and DODI 1215.07,
Service Credit for Non-Regular Retirement, paragraphs 2.3.f. and 3.6.
__________
Questions Submitted by Senator Thom Tillis
marketing and advertising
32. Senator Tillis. Lieutenant General Stitt, the Army requested
$691 million for recruiting and advertising in fiscal year 2023, this
is only two percent more than was appropriated in fiscal year 2022.
Given inflation, this small increase in funding is actually a cut.
Given the challenging recruiting environment, do you think the Army
should be looking to increase the budget for recruiting and advertising
more than they have in the President's Budget request?
Lieutenant General Stitt. The Army, through the Army Enterprise
Marketing Office, was allocated fewer dollars than requested for the
last three budget years and incurred decrements after the President's
Budget was signed, further reducing the reach of our marketing
messages. We have submitted Unfunded Requirements (UFRs) for additional
marketing and recruiting resources each of the last 3 years. The Army
is transitioning to a new marketing campaign and relaunching the Army
brand in fiscal year 2023. The Army intends to prioritize marketing and
recruiting in order to ensure messaging reaches not just more
prospects, but the right prospects and influencers alike, making our
efforts more efficient and effective, and sustaining our All Volunteer
Force.
33. Senator Tillis. Ms. Miller, across the board, does the
Department spend enough on marketing and advertising to have a real
ability to change the public narrative regarding military service?
Ms. Miller. As a fundamental tenet of the All-Volunteer Force, the
Department relies upon its citizens to volunteer in sufficient numbers
to meet end-strength requirements. The Department does undertake
considerable effort to articulate a cogent ``value proposition'' to the
American people that military service is a noble calling worthy of
their time and talents. The Department must continue to invest in
sustained resourcing for marketing and advertising in direct support of
recruiting not just to generate leads but also to grow consideration
for service. Approximately 15 percent of young adults (17-35) report
receiving impressions about military service from military
advertisements, with about half of these young adults (55 percent)
reporting that this impression was positive. However, over half of
young adults (57 percent) report receiving an impression about the
military from various media sources (e.g., newspapers, websites, social
media, TV shows, movies, etc.) with few of these young adults reporting
that this impression was positive (30 percent). Thus, currently our
advertising reach is limited based on current spending. The nature of
today's fragmented media landscape contributes to an environment where
the Department needs to invest in a plethora of channels/platforms to
reach all segments of the recruiting market. Marketing dollars needed
to work harder to break through the clutter to change the broader
public narrative regarding military service.
military compensation
34. Senator Tillis. Ms. Miller, DOD surveys say that pay and
benefits are the number one reason for people to consider enlisting in
the military. The most recent Quadrennial Review of Military
Compensation found that enlisted pay is estimated to be at the 85th
percentile of comparable civilian wages. That is a good news story.
What is the Department doing to better educate the American people
about the value of the military compensation and benefits package?
Lieutenant General Miller. While the Department and the Services
consistently present messages that highlight the military's competitive
employment package, focusing on these benefits is not enough to change
how the youth of today view the military. The Department and Services
believe that marketing and outreach campaigns must focus on bridging
knowledge gaps, correcting misperceptions, and providing positive
messages that raise the esteem of joining the military. Such actions
are critical to broadening the general interest in military service.
Our messaging strategies must also highlight the intrinsic aspects of
military service and how the military can help today's youth achieve
their personal and professional goals.
fiscal year 2022 recruiting status
35. Senator Tillis. Lieutenant General Stitt, the Army started this
fiscal year with a goal of recruiting 65,000 new soldiers, it later
revied this goal down to 60,000. Can you please tell us how many
recruits the Active Duty Army will actually achieve this year?
Lieutenant General Stitt. The Army accessed 44,901 soldiers in
fiscal year 2022.
36. Senator Tillis. Lieutenant General Stitt, Vice Admiral
Cheeseman, Lieutenant General Miller, Dr. Strobl: The recruiting
business relies on something called the ``Delayed Entry Program'' or
DEP to bank recruits during the summer months in order to have an
adequate supply of new recruits during the slower winter months. It's
my understanding that all of the services have depleted the DEP in
order to achieved the fiscal year 2022 recruiting mission. Please tell
us how many recruits you typically like to have in your DEP at the end
of the year, and what percentage of that you currently have?
Lieutenant General Stitt. Historically, the Army has worked to
maintain a DEP that is approximately 30 percent of its following year's
accessions mission. The fiscal year 2023 DEP at the end of fiscal year
2022 was 4,800.
Vice Admiral Cheeseman. Navy targets entering a given fiscal year
with 50 percent of the Future Sailors (FS) needed to achieve the annual
recruiting mission already contracted into the Delayed Entry Program
(DEP). Given the fiscal year 2023 Active component accession mission of
37,700, Navy would have ideally entered fiscal year 2023 with 18,900
Future Sailors in DEP. Navy actually entered fiscal year 2023 with
4,652 Future Sailors in DEP. This is 24.6 percent of the DEP target.
Lieutenant General Miller. The DAF prefers to have 25 percent of
the following year's accession's goal ready in the Delayed Entry
Program (DEP) bank. The DAF entered fiscal year 2023 with 16.75 percent
of its annual goal in the DEP bank.
Dr. Strobl. We traditionally target a DEP start pool of 53 percent
of the next year's accession mission. However, given the current
environment, the Marine Corps began fiscal year 2023 with a DEP start
pool of 29.5 percent.
37. Senator Tillis. LTG Stitt, VADM Cheeseman, Lt Gen Miller, Dr.
Strobl: What does a small DEP mean for the recruiting mission going
into the next year?
Lieutenant General Stitt. Historically a small DEP places more
pressure on recruiters to meet their mission each month with no
``reserves'' in the bank to allow for unforeseen loses in the future
soldier program. The Army entered fiscal year 2022 with a DEP that was
smaller than 30 percent of that year's mission and through some of the
previously mentioned initiatives has managed to compensate for those
recruits who typically would be in the bank. With the Army's
implementation of the Future Soldier Prep Course (FSPC) and other
initiatives, fiscal year 2023 is an opportunity to re-build the DEP to
a level that allows for an efficient flow of applicants into the
training base while simultaneously looking ahead on the next recruit.
Vice Admiral Cheeseman. Navy typically operates with 40 to 50
percent DEP, which enables us to surge when accession requirements
increase and to ensure that Navy is able to level-load accession
requirements by rating such that the training pipeline fills all
available school quotas while minimizing student wait times. With
Navy's DEP at 4,652 as of 1 October, Navy projects a contract and ship
environment through the first 8 months of fiscal year 2023 (October-
May) where most Future Sailors will ship within 30-45 days of their
initial contract. Additionally, Navy will not ship at Recruit Training
Command (RTC) capacity at the beginning of fiscal year 2023 and will
leave many school seats unfilled. The final trimester (June-September)
will conversely include shipping weeks that stretch RTC to capacity as
Navy maximizes shipping of graduating seniors to overcome accessions
shortfalls earlier in the fiscal year.
Lieutenant General Miller. The health of the DEP going into the
next fiscal year is a crucial indicator to the level of difficulty and
obstacles we may face to meet end-strength requirements. For the DAF, a
small DEP means the DAF will need to recruit an additional 15 percent
of our annual goal during the recruiting year. This is required to meet
fiscal year 2023 accession requirements and establish an adequate DEP
bank going into fiscal year 2024. The dwindling supply of recruits in
the DEP impedes the Air Force from filling all quarterly mission
requirements as in previous years (jobs are typically booked for the
following quarter). The DAF must now work to fill accession needs for
the current quarter which would normally be covered by the summer DEP
bank.
Dr. Strobl. The significantly smaller DEP start pool means that
meeting our recruiting mission in fiscal year 2023 will be more
difficult than in fiscal year 2022. A smaller DEP requires recruiters
to contract individuals to ship in the near term, which adds pressure
on the force and reduces poolee preparation time to be successful at
recruit training.
benefits of military service
38. Senator Tillis. Dr. Strobl, the Marine Corps is known for
discharging more people after their first term of enlistment than the
other branches. What are the benefits of serving in the Marine Corps,
even if for only a few years?
Dr. Strobl. Regardless of their career length, those who have
served in uniform depart our ranks with increased professionalism,
maturity, leadership, and skills that translate well into the civilian
sector. Our veterans serve ably in industries, commercial sectors, and
government throughout our Nation, bringing enhanced leadership and an
exceptional work ethos back to their civilian communities. Transition
programs like Skillbridge, education benefits like the GI Bill, and in-
service training and certification opportunities, combined with Federal
and State veterans hiring prefrences, also add to the benefits of
service. The badge of honor worn by all our veterans, regardless of
length of service, create a personal sense of pride and achievement
that contribute to individual fulfillment and underlie the high
functioning citizenship of our veteran community.
39. Senator Tillis. Lieutenant General Stitt, veteran unemployment
is lower than the national average and numerous studies have found that
those who serve in the military have higher incomes and are less likely
to be in poverty than non-veterans. A couple months ago, the paper I
referred to in my opening statement found that ``Army service closes
nearly all of the Black-White earnings gap.'' What is the Army doing to
better explain to parents, teachers, guidance counselors, and other
influencers that military service will help set young people up with
the skills and experience needed for a great life?
Lieutenant General Stitt. The influencer network upon whom our
young people seek advice and guidance constitutes one of the Army's
most important engagement opportunities. Understanding the benefits of
service in the Army and then communicating those benefits with the
American people are responsibilities the Army takes seriously.
The paper you referenced is ``Army Service in the All-Volunteer
Era,'' a peer-reviewed paper published in the Quarterly Journal of
Economics, the top-ranked journal in economics, by economists at West
Point's Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis, Brigham Young
University, and the U.S. Treasury. The paper was the product of
independent academic research and conducted on U.S. Department of
Treasury servers.
As this paper finds, the Army provides a world of possibilities to
American youth through valuable leadership experience, technical skills
training, excellent health care, and access to the GI Bill. The Army
knows the benefits of service in its ranks and is communicating those
benefits to America's youth and their influencers through 1) national
marketing campaigns, 2) senior leader public engagements, and 3)
recruiter-level engagements with local communities.
1. National Media Campaigns. The Army currently has several
national campaigns underway to inform America's youth and their
influencers of the benefits of Army service through multi-channel
content distribution (e.g., television, social media, direct mail,
etc.)
a. What's Your Warrior. Started in November 2019, this
campaign highlights the breadth and depth of Army opportunities by
communicating the many ways to be a warrior. The Army offers a far
broader range of professional roles and training than most Americans
realize. The purpose of the ``What's Your Warrior'' is to inform
prospects and their influencer networks on the substantial
opportunities to serve in meaningful ways they may have not before
considered.
b. Know Your Army. Started in April of this year, this
campaign highlights the wealth of Army benefits that can help today's
youth achieve their personal and professional goals. Market research
indicates the American people are not aware of the benefits package
associated with Army service. Furthermore, it is not clear to them how
these benefits enable a soldier's short-term and long-term goal
achievement and wellness. Targeted at both prospects and influencers,
``Know You're Army'' describes tangible and intangible benefits
conveyed through authentic storylines and vignettes.
c. Passions. Started in May of this year, this campaign
leverages real, currently serving, young soldiers to convey
relatability and trust with current eligible youth. The objective of
``Passions'' is to communicate to prospects and their influencers that
people like themselves or their young person have found purpose and
success through Army service.
d. Additionally, The National Guard campaign, ``The Next
Greatest Generation,'' and an officer focused campaign, ``Decide to
Lead,'' are currently building awareness for part-time opportunities in
the National Guard and informing the public of opportunities to serve
as officers in the Army.
2. In addition to the marketing campaigns described above, Army
senior leaders continue to communicate the benefits of Army service to
national audiences through engagements with the public. For example,
Army Senior Leaders in the accessions enterprise have recently held
engagements at the Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting
and Exposition, visited the National Future Farmers of America
Convention and Expo, and penned an Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal,
all highlighting the opportunities and benefits available to young
people in the Army.
3. Locally, Army Recruiters continue to directly engage with
prospects and influencer populations in primary and secondary schools
through 44 Battalions, with School Recruiting Programs (SRP) nested
within 6 Brigades across the Nation. School Recruiting Programs build
relationship between Army recruiters and local school systems to inform
high-school principals, counselors, and other staff and faculty of the
vast opportunities afforded by Army Service. United States Army
Recruiting Command also engages by participating in national, State,
and local level conferences with prospects and influencers, as well as
educator tours for the influencers.
Educating influencers on the benefits Army service provides to
young people is a vital component of the Army's recruiting efforts. The
Army takes this responsibility seriously and is currently engaged in a
multifaceted approach to inform influencers of the benefits of Army
service. The goal of these efforts is to revitalize the Army brand
among the public and to expand marketing expertise throughout the Army
enterprise. These efforts will yield higher-quality recruits and
deliver the talent required to field a force capable of Multi Domain
Operations.
40. Senator Tillis. Ms. Miller, why do you think potential recruits
and their families don't have a better impression of military service?
Ms. Miller. The low military presence in many American communities,
base closures, a declining veteran population and only 13 percent of 16
to 24-year-old youth having a parent who served in the military have
collectively contributed to military service being ``out of sight and
out of mind'' for many youth and their adult influencers. As a result,
youth and their families rely on stereotypes about military service and
servicemembers as the basis for their decision to serve. However, in
those areas with a larger military presence including more veterans,
military bases, military marketing and recruiters, we observe more
favorable association toward service.
access to high schools
41. Senator Tillis. Lieutenant General Miller, current law requires
high schools to provide military recruiters the same access to students
as colleges and other employers. In your experience, do schools comply
with this requirement? What do you do if they don't?
Lieutenant General Miller. In our experience, many schools do
comply with this requirement. If a school refuses to provide what is
required by law than the recruiter notifies their leadership for
support. If, after leadership engagement the school continues to refuse
to comply, then that school is entered into the Recruiter Access to
High Schools (RAHS) data base as a non-compliant school. Once it's
confirmed that two or more services have identified the same non-
compliant school, then these entities work directly with the Department
of Education, State School officials, and the non-complaint school to
obtain compliance.
42. Senator Tillis. Lieutenant General Stitt, are there any changes
to the law that would help improve the Army's ability to engage with
high school students?
Lieutenant General Stitt. In a time when recruiting is critical to
the viability of Army readiness and national security, we propose a
legislative change that would allow recruiters to visit high schools at
least monthly vice the access currently provided in law which states--
``the same access to secondary school students as is provided generally
to postsecondary educational institutions or to prospective employers
of those students.'' Having meaningful access to our high school market
is critical to build relationships, change the narrative about the
Army, and correct misconceptions about service. By updating this
language, recruiters will receive ``meaningful'' access to schools
versus ``passive'' access that they sometimes encounter.
We also propose legislation that benefits all students and the
youth today regardless if they choose military service or not as a
career option. We request to designate the ASVAB Career Exploration
Program as a ``nationally recognized assessment'' that would encourage
students to explore a wide variety of careers to help them align their
strengths and interests with a post-secondary plan that works. Often,
students try to make decisions about college or careers before they
have really spent time thinking about their own interests, values,
talents, and abilities. While the ASVAB measures developed abilities
and helps predict future academic and occupational success, the ASVAB
CEP is the only complete, federally funded career planning program
sponsored by the Department of Defense available at no cost to schools
nationwide. The goal of the ASVAB Program is to give students the
opportunity to explore a variety of careers using knowledge they have
gained about their interests and skills through assessment components
and structured activities.
Overall, ASVAB CEP benefits students, parents, educators, and
counselors, while empowering young people to know their options and
choose the best course of action. Through this comprehensive, no cost,
no commitment career planning resource, students receive a high
quality, career exploration and planning materials at no cost to high
schools throughout the country. It also gives students the opportunity
to explore a variety of careers in the context of their interests and
skills through assessment components and structured activities.
Students benefit by understanding that their grades and test scores are
only part of the picture when exploring career options. When making
career plans, it is helpful for students to have a good understanding
of their likes and dislikes, as well as their strengths. Often,
students try to make decisions about college or careers before they
spend time thinking about their own interests, values, talents, and
abilities. Students also benefit by understanding that their grades and
test scores are only part of the picture when exploring career options
and the fact that many other factors are important in determining which
occupations will bring personal success and fulfillment.
jrotc
43. Senator Tillis. Lieutenant General Stitt, is JROTC an effective
recruiting tool for the Army? If not, what can be done to make JROTC a
better recruiting partner?
Lieutenant General Stitt. Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
(JROTC) serves as a citizenship program and is not a recruiting
program. It has however, a positive impact on developing propensity for
service and recruiting. In accordance with 10 USC Sec. 2031, the
purpose of JROTC is ``to instill in students in United States secondary
educational institutions the values of citizenship, service to the
United States (including an introduction to service opportunities in
military, national, and public service), and personal responsibility
and a sense of accomplishment.''
Survey research conducted by the Department of Defense (DOD) Joint
Advertising and Marketing Research Studies indicates that between 2012
to 2021, 14-21 percent of Regular Army enlistments participated in
JROTC. United States Army Cadet Command (USACC) analysis indicates from
fiscal years 2019 to 2021, 44 percent of Regular Army enlistments came
from a school with a DOD JROTC program, and 21 percent came from
schools with an Army JROTC program. Additionally, the fiscal year 2022
Army Senior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (SROTC) On-Campus Market
Potential Survey indicates that 27 percent of freshman-year ROTC Cadets
and 23 percent of junior-year Cadets participated in JROTC. JROTC
Cadets earned 26 percent of Army SROTC scholarships in fiscal year
2021.
USACC has 1,716 JROTC programs across the United States and in
Department of Defense Dependents Schools overseas. We plan to expand to
1,729 schools in fiscal year 2023 and to 1,734 in fiscal year 2024 to
increase access to this critical youth citizenship program. We are
pursuing additional growth (fiscal year 2025 to 2029) to improve fair
and equitable distribution of JROTC programs across the country.
Congress' continued support of JROTC is crucial to supporting this
growth.
military and veteran service organizations
44. Senator Tillis. Ms. Miller, military and veteran service
organizations play an important role in helping the military and
veteran community, but at the same time they often paint a negative
picture of military service to those who not already part of their
community, who are exactly the people we need to serve. What can the
Department do to partner with MSOs and VSOs in the area of military
recruiting?
Ms. Miller. The Department and the Services recognize that personal
engagements, in concert with multi-media campaigns, are critical to
creating awareness of the many opportunities the military offers, as
well as narrowing the military-civilian divide. Outside of formal
recruiting functions, current and former Service members must serve as
active brand Ambassadors for the military. Post COVID-19, the
Department and the Services are currently working to rebuild
partnerships with community leaders to provide advocacy for military
service and overcoming misperceptions of the military among adult
influencers and youth. While the Department and the Services have
engaged with MSOs and VSOs in the past, we will continue to explore how
we can further expand the role of these recruiting partners as active
brand Ambassadors to achieve our recruiting goals.
afqt
45. Senator Tillis. Ms. Miller, please provide a summary of AFQT
scores since 2016 broken out by state, year, and AFQT decile.
Ms. Miller. The graph below provides requested scores, from fiscal
year 2016--fiscal year 2022, segregated by year and AFQT decile. This
data is as of August, 2022, and the fiscal year 2022 data represents
over 90 percent of scores from fiscal year 2022. Results demonstrate
that fiscal year 2022 score patterns are closely aligned with fiscal
year 2018/2019.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Analysis segregating data by State is not available. The ASVAB is
administered to applicants population who self-select to participate in
the ASVAB testing program. As a result, scores do not represent a
random geographic sample of American youth and do not accurately
describe ASVAB performance across the national youth population. Any
comparison and rank ordering of scores across sub-groups such as states
is likely to be non-representative of true differences between states
and is not an appropriate method to identify states with the lowest
performance.
__________
Questions Submitted by Senator Tommy Tuberville
pilot program
46. Senator Tuberville. Lieutenant General Stitt, beginning 13
October 2021, members of this Committee, myself included, were briefed
on a transformative, equitable, sustainable initiative involving
collegiate athletics and national service. It's a 2-part effort; the
first involving market intelligence delivered by a defense contractor,
and the second involving a new pathway to service, or what U.S. Army
Training and Doctrine Commanding General, GEN Paul Funk, referred to on
a video conference on November 30th 2021, as a ``21st Century pathway
to service.'' The state of Alabama's Congressional delegation offered
the Army our full support to pilot this program across our state's NCAA
Division 1 colleges and universities. On the 30th of November 2021, GEN
Funk asked the Contractor, Orchestra Macrosystems, to pilot the
program. To date, the Army has not moved forward despite the Army
acknowledging the existence of a contracting vehicle available for
usage, plus available funding. Will you look into this issue and report
back your findings on where it stands?
Lieutenant General Stitt. United States Army Training and Doctrine
Command, in conjunction with the Headquarters, Department of the Army
G-1 and the Assistant Secretary of the Army--Manpower and Reserve
Affairs, reviewed the Orchestra Macrosystems ``21st Century Pathway to
Service'' initiative for potential implementation. Due to the
significant policy implications associated with the initiative, there
is a requirement to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the 2d and 3d
order impacts if implemented. The Army already leverages collegiate
athletics through the Army Senior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
(SROTC) Program which is offered on 8959 campuses across the country.
Currently, United States Army Cadet Command (USACC) has 783 SROTC
collegiate athletes enrolled in the program with 559 (71 percent) on
scholarship. USACC will exceed its mission for fiscal year 2023 and
continues building the out-year commissioning cohorts through fiscal
year 2025 based on Army requirements.
Finally, the Secretary of the Army has stood up an Army Recruiting
Task Force (ARTF) to examine transformational changes required to
address the recruiting and retention headwinds the Army is and will
continue to experience. Orchestra's Macrosystems ``21st Century Pathway
to Service'' initiative has been recommended to the ARTF for
consideration since this initiative requires additional resources,
policy decisions, and could require transformational changes to
existing programs (ROTC scholarships).
external pressures
47. Senator Tuberville. Ms. Miller, the American public and this
Committee have heard a constant drum beat from Civilian and Uniform
leaders responsible for recruiting that a strong labor market is to
blame for America's failure to meet its Congressionally mandated end-
strength figures. What are you saying about America's military
leadership, the culture of our armed services, and the opportunities
that military service offers to Americans willing to serve that when,
apparently, military service is considered an option only when the
economy is poor? How can we expect this to be a sustainable model?
Better yet, how do we expect to execute multi-domain operations when
the American economy and its accompanying labor market are sound?
Ms. Miller. As a key tenet of the All-Volunteer Force (AVF), the
Department relies upon the willingness of the county's citizens to
volunteer in sufficient numbers to meet end-strength goals during both
good and bad economic times. The Department works hard to espouse a
cogent value proposition to the American people concerning the benefits
of service and does have a number of ``levers'' it is using, such as
recruiting and retention bonuses, digital marketing campaigns, and
enhanced recruiter manning, to manage the Force. Congress can support
our recruiting efforts by ensuring continued and frequent access to
high schools by our recruiters in order to provide an opportunity for
the Department to bring our value proposition to the youth of America
face-to-face.
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