    [Senate Hearing 118-662]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                                                           S. Hrg. 118-662

                      THE STATUS OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
                      RECRUITING EFFORTS AND PLANS FOR FISCAL
                      YEAR 2024

    =======================================================================

                                    HEARING

                                   BEFORE THE

                                SUBCOMMITTEE ON
                                   PERSONNEL

                                     OF THE

                          COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
                              UNITED STATES SENATE

                        ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS

                                 FIRST SESSION

                                   __________

                                DECEMBER 6, 2023

                                   __________

             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
    60-431 PDF                  WASHINGTON : 2025

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                          COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES

                         JACK REED, Rhode Island, Chairman

    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		DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska
    ELIZABETH WARREN, Massachusetts		KEVIN CRAMER, North Dakota
    GARY C. PETERS, Michigan		RICK SCOTT, Florida
    JOE MANCHIN III, West Virginia		TOMMY TUBERVILLE, Alabama
    TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois		MARKWAYNE MULLIN, Oklahoma
    JACKY ROSEN, Nevada			TED BUDD, North Carolina
    MARK KELLY, Arizona                  	ERIC SCHMITT, Missouri

    		    Elizabeth L. King, Staff Director
      		John P. Keast, Minority Staff Director

    _________________________________________________________________

                           Subcommittee on Personnel

                       ELIZABETH WARREN, Massachusetts,
                                   Chairman

     RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut	RICK SCOTT, Florida
     MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii		MIKE ROUNDS, South Dakota
     TIM KAINE, Virginia			DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska
     TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois            	TED BUDD, North Carolina

                                      (ii)

                             C O N T E N T S

    _________________________________________________________________

                                December 6, 2023

                                                                       Page

    The Status of Department of Defense Recruiting Efforts and Plans      1
      for Fiscal Year 2024.

                               Members Statements

    Statement of Senator Elizabeth Warren............................     1

    Statement of Senator Rick Scott..................................     3

                               Witness Statements

    Amrhein, Brigadier General Christopher R., USAF, Commander, Air       5
      Force Recruiting Service.

    Bowers, Major General William J., USMC, Commanding General,          11
      Marine Corps Recruiting Command.

    Walker, Rear Admiral Alexis T., USN, Commander, Navy Recruiting      14
      Command.

    Davis, Major General Johnny K., USA, Commanding General, United      19
      States Army RecruitingCommand.

    Questions for the Record.........................................    48

    Appendix--Reference to Rear Admiral Walker QFR#48................
    Recruiter Training on Fraternization Topics                          96

                                     (iii)

     THE STATUS OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE RECRUITING EFFORTS AND PLANS FOR
                                FISCAL YEAR 2024

                                  ----------

                          WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2023

                          United States Senate,
                             Subcommittee on Personnel,
                                   Committee on Armed Services,
                                                        Washington, DC.
        The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 3 p.m., in
    room 222, Russell Senate Office Building, Senator Elizabeth
    Warren (Chairwoman of the Subcommittee) presiding.
        Subcommittee Members Present: Senators Warren, Blumenthal,
    Hirono, Kaine, Duckworth, King, Scott, Sullivan, and Budd.

             OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN

        Senator Warren. This hearing will come to order. Please be
    seated. I am pleased to welcome you all to today's hearing to
    receive testimony on the military's recruiting challenges. The
    United States has the strongest and most capable military in
    the world because of the people who volunteer to serve in its
    ranks.
        To maintain that advantage, we must continue to attract the
    best and the brightest America has to offer. This is the second
    hearing in 2023 alone that this Committee has held on the
    military's recruiting challenges.
        During our hearing last March, we heard from the Under
    Secretaries of each of the military services. Today's
    subcommittee hearing includes the directors of recruiting from
    each of the military services to learn more about the
    challenges they face to attract the people we need to keep
    America safe.
        We are holding today's hearing at Senator Scott's request,
    but make no mistake, there is strong bipartisan concern that
    the military services continue to struggle to meet their
    recruiting goals. This year, the Marine Corps and the Space
    Force, the two services with the lowest recruitment goals, were
    the only services that met their recruiting targets.
        If we were assigning grades, those two services got an A,
    while the Air Force earned a B+, The Army got a B-, and the
    Navy a C+, and I think that's grade inflation. This track
    record would be worrisome on its own, but it is even more
    troubling because it appears to be part of a long term trend
    that shows that for years now the military has failed to
    connect with young people that we need to keep this country
    safe.
        The military is in a war for talent in a period of low
    unemployment. If we want a strong, vibrant military, and if we
    want to attract the best and the brightest, then we need to
    acknowledge the importance of making certain that all young
    people are welcomed and that those who serve in the military,
    all of those who serve in the military, will be treated with
    dignity and respect.
        Diversity matters and protection for those who serve
    matters. In February, this committee heard testimony from Dr.
    Bonnie Lynn, who served as a Senior Advisor for the Department
    of Defense in both the Obama and Trump administrations. She
    explained that cutting programs that support our military,
    including violence prevention programs ``would definitely hurt
    us.''
        We also heard from all of the services that programs to
    address racism and sexual assault are not a barrier to
    recruitment and retention. In fact, it is when those programs
    fail that young people question whether the military really
    will have their backs.
        Servicemembers and their families give up a lot to serve
    their country, including enduring constant moves and
    uncertainty. How we treat those who volunteer to serve has a
    direct impact on our ability to attract the next generation.
        In too many cases, servicemembers have felt ignored or
    taken advantage of when they have come forward to report
    problems. All three of my brothers served in the military, so I
    know firsthand both the benefits and the sacrifices of everyone
    who serves.
        In today's hearing, I look forward to hearing our
    witnesses' perspective on both recruiting and rebuilding public
    confidence in the military. First, I want to hear their
    perspective on red tape and the recruiting process.
        Second, public polling continues to show public confidence
    in the military is on the decline, and I want to hear our
    witnesses' perspective on how we can demonstrate to young
    people that the military is an institution worthy of their
    trust. Then third, I want to hear more about military housing.
        Several years ago, this Committee held hearings on
    shortfalls in military housing, including families being forced
    to live with mold, collapsed roofs, or exposed electrical
    wires. We changed the laws, putting in place a number of
    reforms to address these shortfalls. But here we are, several
    years later, and these reforms are still not fully implemented.
        In fact, families continue to report they feel like they
    are being silenced. Meanwhile, the GAO details military
    barracks also have problems with sewage overflow, mold and
    mildew, and broken windows and locks.
        I have run out of patience with military leaders who come
    before this Committee and promise that they will prioritize
    living conditions for servicemembers but somehow never managed
    to deliver.
        One last note. I do not wish to make this a focus of this
    hearing, but I want to make it clear that it was a grave
    mistake for one Senator to hold our military promotion system
    hostage over his personal disagreement with the Department of
    Defense policy.
        We need our commanders in the Pacific to deter China and
    our service vice chiefs to lead the military. I am relieved
    that he has released most of his holds, but he is weakening
    military readiness and undermining both recruiting and
    retention.
        The Senate should not go home for the holidays until we
    confirm the remaining nominees. Now, this year marks the 50th
    year of the All-Volunteer Force, so I look forward to hearing
    from our witnesses how the military can continue to adapt and
    evolve to keep us all safe. To our witnesses, welcome. Thank
    you for appearing.
        As I mentioned earlier, we are just going to have the one
    panel today composed of military service directors of
    recruiting. Brigadier General Christopher Amrhein, the
    Commander of the Air Force Recruiting Service, Major General
    William J. Bowers, the Commanding general for the Marine Corps
    Recruiting Command, Major General Johnny Davis, the Commanding
    General of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, and Rear Admiral
    Alexis T. Walker, the Commander of Navy Recruiting Command.
        I will now turn to Ranking Member Scott for his comments to
    open this hearing.

                    STATEMENT OF SENATOR RICK SCOTT

        Senator Scott. Thanks. First, I want to thank the
    chairwoman for holding this hearing. I appreciate her focus on
    the quality of our military and trying to solve this problem
    with regard to recruiting. Before I get into this with regard
    to the nominees, I hope that--virtually it is resolved, except
    for, I guess, the four stars.
        I hope that what will happen is we will go through this
    process quickly, and I know some people have some concerns and
    let's go through them. Let's do cloture. Let's get a vote on
    them, and so, we can get these done as quickly as possible.
        I agree with you, if we can get it done before we go off on
    holidays, we should go.
        Senator Warren. Good.
        Senator Scott. I think it is right----
        Senator Warren. That is bipartisan. We just want to get
    this done. Our military deserves it.
        Senator Scott. Yes. Just to give you guys perspective, this
    is my first time actually to be a ranking, and the reason I am
    doing this is because we have agreed we are going to work on
    these issues together.
        Because there is not an issue in the military that I can
    find as a partisan issue. I served in the military. I never
    thought it was a partisan job. I--you know, whoever the person
    was, that is who I worked for, so. As I said in our first
    subcommittee hearing here, I believe ending the military
    recruiting crisis should be our top priority.
        I don't know how we can expect to have a military if we
    can't solve this recruiting issue. I hope to use this hearing
    to better understand the scale of the problem and learn what
    our senior recruiting leadership is doing to improve the
    situation.
        I am a business guy. What you did is you find out what was
    the best thing working someplace and you--whether it was at
    your competitor, whether you or somebody you worked with, you
    took the best ideas and you implemented them, whatever you were
    doing. In fiscal year 2023, we know that three of our four
    largest military services failed to achieve their recruiting
    goals, as we talked about, by large margins.
        The Active Duty military force missed their goal by 15
    percent. That's 27,000 servicemembers. If you include Reserve
    forces, the shortage increases to nearly 40,000 troops, and if
    you look at what we have done now over the years, over the last
    few decades, our Reserve force, our National Guards are almost
    Active Duty now.
        So, they are really important. For context, this amounts to
    more troops than we currently have stationed in Germany or on
    the Korean Peninsula. The Army and Navy are in the worst
    position.
        Active Army is 30,000 soldiers smaller than it was just 2
    years ago. Navy is 12,000 fewer sailors today than it had last
    year. The only reason these numbers are not worse is because
    the services are doing everything they possibly can to retain,
    and they are doing a good job if you retain currently serving
    military personnel, but as we all know, that is not
    sustainable.
        These changes to the size of our military were not the
    result of a deliberate reduction in force plan. It is
    completely recruiting. Our smaller military is causing serious
    readiness concerns. To avoid creating a hollow force, the Army
    is beginning to implement force structure reductions that will
    affect the Army's ability to respond to the full spectrum of
    armed conflict.
        The world is not getting safer right now, as we all know.
    The Secretary of the Army has admitted that these force
    structure decisions are at least in part caused by a recruiting
    crisis. The shortage of sailors is making it harder for the
    Navy to adequately man our ships. We are 9,000 sea duty
    positions short.
        Ships routinely train for deployment with less than 100
    percent of the manning that they need. Ships without enough
    sailors are less effective and increase the danger to our own
    ships, as well as those around them.
        I don't know what it is like now, but when I was in, you
    actually didn't just work an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. job. You are
    already working long hours. I mean, when I was there, the only
    time we were actually off, you either head off 7 to 12 at
    night, or 12 to 5 in the morning. You were on the rest of the
    time.
        So, if you now have--if you have fewer people, I don't know
    how you are going to solve that problem. If that is not a risk
    to readiness, I don't know what it is, giving. We have got lots
    of dangers in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, I think it is
    imperative that the Department of Defense (DOD) figures this
    out.
        Some senior leaders seem to be unwilling to acknowledge the
    severity of the problem. A year ago, the Secretary of Defense
    said it is, ``a priority for me.'' Yet in his posture statement
    to Congress last spring, the Secretary devoted an entire
    section to meeting climate crisis, which we, and let's all
    agree, we want take care of our climate, but he left the
    recruiting crisis--he didn't even acknowledge it.
        So, we have got to--we have to figure this out. You guys
    are the key to doing this. I think the Army has to be commended
    for its initiatives to rapidly implement innovative ideas to
    attract more Americans to serve their country. Thanks for your
    time yesterday. The Marines continue to prove that it is not
    impossible to achieve recruiting goals because you have been
    doing it all along.
        I am a business guy, so in business, every environment is
    challenging. I mean, I have never had somebody say, oh, it is
    an easy time to make money, easy time to recruit, easier time
    to do anything. But it is never--in my opinion, it is never
    impossible to figure this out. So, Marines have figured it out.
        We all have to figure it out. So, I want to thank everybody
    for being here. I want to underscore that, you know, first off,
    I still don't get this, 8,500 servicemembers were involuntarily
    separated for refusing the COVID vaccine. I hope everybody is
    going after trying to get these wonderful men and women back in
    and treating them fairly, given them the proper--if they don't
    want to come back, making sure you give them the proper
    discharge orders.
        If you can, they ought to come back with pay, back pay
    because I think it was completely unfair. So, let me talk about
    one of my experiences. We get to, all of us--I don't know how
    many of you have already done in yours, but we get a lot of
    people nominated for these--we get 10, each of us get 10
    nominations for the Academies.
        We saw our numbers. My first year--I have been up here 5
    years. My first year was pretty good numbers and it started
    going down. So, we put a lot of effort into it this year and we
    had a 25 percent increase.
        We did it because we went around--we went around to the
    schools, and we pushed our way in to tell people what the
    opportunities were. It is probably the nicest thing I get to do
    up here. We get to pick, and I wish I could pick 100 people,
    but these kids that want to come serve, just wonderful
    individuals, all across this country.
        I know everybody is proud of the ones that are in their
    States, but I think everybody loves that opportunity to give
    these kids the opportunity. So, thank you for being here. I
    want to thank the Chairwoman again for hosting this meeting
    with me.
        Senator Warren. Thank you very much. Appreciate it, Senator
    Scott. So, if we could start with you, please, Brigadier
    General Amrhein. You are recognized--[technical problems].

     STATEMENT OF BRIGADIER GENERAL CHRISTOPHER R. AMRHEIN, USAF,
                COMMANDER, AIR FORCE RECRUITING SERVICE

        Brigadier General Amrhein. Thank you. Chairwoman Warren,
    Ranking Member Scott, and distinguished members of the
    committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear to discuss
    the recruiting efforts of the Department of the Air Force.
        At the end of fiscal year 2023, our Active Duty Air Force
    did not make a goal for the first time in 24 years. Several
    factors contributed to this, a lingering lack of access during
    COVID, a declining propensity to serve, intense competition for
    talent in a surplus U.S. job market, and a lack of familiarity
    of the civilian population to the U.S. military.
        All of these issues culminated to create a very challenging
    recruiting environment for all services. We have seen a steady
    decline in the military even being an option for our youth as
    they contemplate the future with propensity dropping from 13
    percent 4 years ago to 10 percent now.
        Only 12 percent of youth currently have a parent who
    served, compared to 40 percent in 1995. The DOD's Joint
    Advertising and Marketing Research Service Studies Organization
    characterized the youth market as having transitioned from
    being disconnected with the military to mostly disinterested
    with it.
        Reconnecting with our youth and breaking down unnecessary
    barriers to serve in our Air Force and Space Force is our
    priority over the next several years. This past year, we missed
    our enlisted recession recruiting goals by just under 11
    percent for the Active Duty, 31 percent for the Reserve.
        We did exceed the Space Force enlisted this session by
    nearly 10 percent. While the overall goals were missed, there
    were positive strides made throughout talent focused Air Force
    policy changes and robust Air Force recruiting service summer
    surge efforts. The Department of the Air Force immediately
    began evaluating ways to help our overburdened recruiting
    force.
        Overall, the Air Force began a transformation of the
    accession enterprise, and our Vice Chief of Staff led a cross-
    functional team to conduct a comprehensive review of our
    policies and requirements with focus on removing unnecessary
    barriers and joining--in joining and developing effective
    incentives to attract talent.
        The team synchronized Department of the Air Force, DOD
    accession requirements, as well as sister service requirements
    where possible to expand the reach for talent across the
    Nation. With these policy challenges expanded upon my written
    statement, we have changed the lives of individuals who would
    have otherwise been prevented from service in the Air or Space
    Force.
        It is important to note the caliber of our recruits remains
    the same. We have not and will not compromise on quality. In
    addition to the policy change initiatives, Air Force recruiting
    also implemented a command wide summer surge, focused on
    increasing recruiter presence within the community equal to a
    deployed operations tempo.
        These efforts built applicant leads and the delayed entry
    program, both of which helped us prepare for a healthy start to
    fiscal year 2024. There were lessons learned from the surge
    that are enduring and remain in place.
        Most notably, a more robust training program for our first
    level supervisors, as well as a maximized push of recruiter
    presence within the community. For fiscal year 2024, we are
    cautiously optimistic as the gains from the summer surge and
    the cross-functional team policy changes were substantial and
    have built solid momentum.
        We started with 32 percent of our Active Duty goal already
    identified and in the bank, compared to just 16 percent last
    year. That 32 percent is a little higher than what we typically
    try to have identified to begin each year, which brings that
    positive momentum.
        The cross-functional team initiatives continue to bear
    fruit as we have produced an additional 850 recruits who have
    shipped already in the delayed entry program for this year.
    However, we are rapidly approaching the winter months, which is
    the most difficult time.
        In keeping with the transformational changes needed to
    accomplish our recruiting mission, we stood up a strategy
    division and revamped that long term strategic plan for the
    organization within lines of effort along elevating favorable
    brand relevance, driving smart operations, bolstering force and
    families, and transforming and expanding the total force
    recruiting network.
        There will be continued challenges in fiscal year 2024 and
    beyond, which includes working medical accession processes, as
    well as increasing the connection with the American population
    for military service.
        We applaud the Deputy Secretary of Defense initiatives to
    resource USMEPCOM at levels needed to process applicants in a
    timely manner. In addition to OSD [Office of the Secretary of
    Defense] level initiatives, Air Force recruiting Service has
    increased the manning to our medical waiver division to tackle
    the large increase in medical waiver requests and also just
    went under contract to add medical administrators to our team
    who can take the burden of tracking down medical paperwork,
    giving back critical time to each recruiter.
        With regard to increasing with the American society, this
    challenge fuels our need for consistent capabilities to tell
    our story to the public through a number of avenues. In fiscal
    year 2023, our marketing program focused on the value of
    service in the Air and Space Force. With the funding, our
    marketing division leaned into both lead generation in the
    current fiscal year, but also postured for the out years.
        We increased the investment levels in our existing
    partnerships like Drone Racing League eSports and increased the
    total number of partnerships that explore new ways to connect
    with the public, as we launched a Woman in Sports campaign in
    partnership with Ultimate Fighter Championship League. Through
    these partnerships and more than 300 events, our recruiters
    were able to engage with the public.
        Our Air Force Chief of Staff tasked installation leadership
    to develop a more robust community relations that includes
    expanding in access, and we developed a Go Blue, Stay Blue
    campaign designed to give our wing commanders a toolbox to
    spread the message within the community.
        The Stay Blue arm of the campaign is designed to
    communicate early and often to our airmen the value of our
    Reserve components and the opportunities for continued service
    for the Force. Close relationships with our civic partners and
    community members are paramount to our Air Force recruiting
    mission and have provided increased opportunities to connect.
        In conclusion, I want to thank you once again for the
    opportunity to speak with you today. We are cautiously
    optimistic with the actions we have taken over the past year
    that have put us on the path to achieve our goal in fiscal year
    2024 for the Air and Space Force.
        While this momentum and early goal attainment proves
    promising, we must keep our hand on the throttle to continue to
    work challenge areas of medical processing, predictable
    resourcing, community involvement, and breaking barriers to
    service, all while we transform how we recruit in an era of
    great power competition. Thank you.
        [The prepared statement of Brigadier General Christopher R.
    Amrhein follows:]

         Prepared Statement by Brigadier General Christopher R. Amrhein
     state of air force recruiting: efforts to innovate and expand interest
        Chairwoman Warren, Ranking Member Scott, 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.
        At the end of fiscal year 2023, our Active Duty Air Force did not
    make goal for the first time in 24 years. Several factors contributed
    to this; a lingering lack of access during COVID, a declining
    propensity to serve, intense competition for talent in a surplus US job
    market and a lack of familiarity of the civilian population with the US
    military. All of these issues culminated to create a very challenging
    recruiting environment for all services. These factors are complex,
    with layer upon layer of cause and effect, but I would like to expand
    on the declining propensity to serve. We have seen a steady decline in
    the military even being an option for our youth as they contemplate
    their future with propensity dropping from 13 percent 4 years ago to 10
    percent now. Only 12 percent of youth have a parent who served,
    compared to 40 percent in 1995. DOD's Joint Advertising and Market
    Research Studies organization characterized the youth market as
    ``having transitioned from being disconnected from the military to
    mostly disinterested with it.'' Reconnecting with our youth and
    breaking down unnecessary barriers to serve in our Air Force and Space
    Force is our priority over the next several years.
                                fiscal year 2023
        This past year, we missed our enlisted accession recruiting goals
    by just under 11 percent for the Active Duty and 31 percent by the
    Reserve. We did exceed the Space Force enlisted accession goal by
    nearly 10 percent.
        While the overall goals were missed, there were positive strides
    made through talent-focused Air Force policy changes and a robust Air
    Force Recruiting Service summer surge effort. The Department of the Air
    Force immediately began evaluating ways to help our over-burdened
    recruiting force. The Department of the Air Force reevaluated societal
    norms, in certain areas, and adjusted some of our antiquated
    requirements to build a stronger relationship with this new generation
    of youth who have a much more limited understanding of opportunities,
    community and purpose our service provides. Overall, the Air Force
    began a transformation of the accession enterprise as our Vice Chief of
    Staff led a cross functional team to conduct a comprehensive review of
    our policies and requirements with a focus on removing unnecessary
    barriers to joining and developing effective incentives to attract
    talent. The team synchronized Department of the Air Force and DOD
    accession requirements as well as sister service requirements, where
    possible, to expand the reach for talent across the Nation. We have
    implemented a 2-year pilot program to authorize THC waivers which has
    already allowed us to access 181 new recruits since its implementation
    last spring and we expect approximately 200 additional accessions each
    year. We updated our Body Composition requirements to mirror the DOD
    requirement which brought us another 1,265 accessions with only one
    fitness failure at basic training. We also amended our tattoo policy to
    allow for small tattoos at the back of the neck and hands which brought
    us 176 recruits since we implemented the change last March.
    Additionally, we funded an Enlisted College Loan Repayment Program to
    attract even more talent and vector those talents to the needs of the
    Air Force. Since implementation this summer, 223 new recruits have
    qualified for this program, and we estimate 500 recruits may qualify
    annually. Finally, the Department of the Air Force implemented a
    referral program, which allows our airmen and Delayed Entry Program
    (DEP) members to refer contacts to our recruiters. When these contacts
    complete the accessions process and fully enter the Air Force or Space
    Force, our DEP members are eligible to enter the service up to the
    grade of E-3, and our currently serving members are eligible to receive
    a medal for a similar process. So far, we received nearly 600 referrals
    with almost 200 in the Delayed Entry Program. With each of these policy
    changes, we have changed the lives of individuals who would have
    otherwise been prevented from service in the Air Force or Space Force.
    It is important to note the caliber of our recruits remains the same;
    we have not and will not compromise on quality.
        In addition to the policy change initiatives, Air Force recruiting
    also implemented a command-wide summer surge focused on increasing
    recruiter presence in the community. Equal to a deployed operations
    tempo, this provided critical in-the-field training, incentivized
    short-notice shipment to basic training, and refined our processes to
    minimize timelines to the fullest extent possible. These efforts built
    applicant leads and the Delayed Entry Program, both of which prepared
    us for a healthy start to fiscal year 2024. Air Force recruiting surged
    and personnel extended duty hours for several months. Continued surge
    operations are not sustainable as an enduring effort as it will result
    in an eventual breakdown in the effectiveness, morale, and well-being
    of our recruiters. There were lessons learned from this surge that are
    enduring and remain in place, most notably, a more robust training
    program for our first level supervisors as well as a push to maximize
    recruiter presence within their communities.
                                fiscal year 2024
        We are cautiously optimistic heading into fiscal year 2024, as the
    gains from the summer surge and cross functional team policy changes
    were substantial and built solid momentum. We started with 32 percent
    of our Active Duty goal already identified and banked, compared to just
    16 percent last year. That 32 percent is a little higher than what we
    typically try to have identified to begin each year, which brings us
    positive momentum. For the Reserve, we are slightly behind our target,
    but the miss has been small enough thus far that we expect to be able
    to overcome the delta later in the fiscal year. The cross-functional
    team initiatives continue to bear fruit as we have produced an
    additional 850 recruits who have shipped or are in the Delayed Entry
    Program this fiscal year. However, we are rapidly approaching the most
    difficult recruiting months of the year, February through May.
        In keeping with the transformational changes needed to accomplish
    our recruiting mission, we stood up a Strategy Division and revamped a
    long-term strategic plan for the organization. Our lines of effort
    within this strategy are to:
          Elevate favorable brand relevance for the Air Force and
    build brand awareness for the Space Force
          Drive smart operations
          Bolster force & families
          Transform & Expand the Total Force Recruiting network
        There will be continued challenges as we move through fiscal year
    2024 and beyond however the most disruptive in the recent past has
    undoubtedly been the Health Information Exchange and implementation of
    Military Health System (MHS) GENESIS. The Health Information Exchange
    associated with MHS-GENESIS continues to bring challenges by uncovering
    more initial potential disqualifying conditions requiring extended and
    substantial records requests, and subsequently more records to review.
    To illustrate this issue, in fiscal year 2021, 81 percent of all Air
    Force applicants going to MEPS were qualified on their initial
    processing visit. In fiscal year 2022 (the start of MHS-GENESIS and
    HIE), this initial qualification rate dropped to 69 percent and ended
    fiscal year 2023 with a 58 percent initial qualification rate. This led
    to an increase of nearly 20 percent more waiver requests in fiscal year
    2023 than in the previous 2 years. Our accession waiver rates, to the
    retention standards, remain high at nearly 70 percent, and we estimate
    that we lost more than 5,000 recruits who walked away from this
    cumbersome process without even pursuing a waiver due to the delays.
    Additionally, we have not seen a difference in our medical removal
    rates at basic training with the implementation of MHS-GENESIS. We
    applaud the Deputy Secretary of Defense's initiative to resource
    USMEPCOM at the levels needed to process applicants in a timely manner.
    In addition to OSD-level initiatives, Air Force Recruiting Service has
    increased manning in our Medical Waiver Division to tackle the large
    increase in waiver requests and we also just went under contract to add
    medical administrators to our team who can take the burden of tracking
    down medical paperwork away from our recruiters. This will give three
    to 4 hours a week back to each recruiter to engage with their
    communities and potential applicants.
        We believe our biggest challenge going into 2024 is connecting with
    an American society that, as I mentioned earlier, has had a steady
    decline in the knowledge and propensity to serve in our military. This
    challenge fuels our need for consistent capabilities to tell our story
    to the public through a number of avenues. We are using the funding
    Congress provided for our marketing program in fiscal year 2023 to
    highlight the value of serving in our Air Force and Space Force. With
    the funding, our marketing division leaned into both lead generation in
    the current fiscal year and postured for future year recruiting
    success. The funds paid for a website, customer relations management
    system updates, and built an e-Recruiter program. This virtual
    interfacing program produced compelling accession rates, which gives
    our field recruiters additional bandwidth for more high-impact
    activities such as community engagements and to work more complex
    applications. We increased the investment levels in our existing
    partnerships, organizations like Drone Racing League and eSports, and
    increased the total number of partnerships that explore new ways to
    connect with the public. Through these partnerships, we added more than
    300 events for our recruiters to engage with the public. These efforts
    led to a 16 percent increase in new contacts, and a 9.5 percent
    increase in leads in the first 6 months alone.
        Additionally, these funds helped us launch a ``Women in Sports''
    campaign with the aim of establishing the Air Force as a champion for
    female athletics at all levels. It started with ads during the FIFA
    Women's World Cup and continues through partnership with organizations
    like the Supergirl Gamer Pro Series, Sorensen Motorsports, Women's
    Sports Foundation, and Play Like a Girl. Perhaps most importantly, the
    funds allowed us to set conditions for future year recruiting through
    large-scale media purchases, targeting prospects and their influencers
    alike. These campaigns are airing now and will continue into April
    2024.
        Air Force Recruiting Service also executes marketing for our Total
    Force partners. The marketing initiatives implemented by the Air
    National Guard (ANG) in fiscal year 2023 aided in increased brand
    awareness among the target audience by 8 percent. The marketing funding
    allotted to the ANG enabled ground-breaking partnerships in the
    Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Major and Minor League Baseball
    and select college athletic markets. Combined with other digital
    campaigns such as ``Serve Your Way'' and ``My Home Base,'' ANG
    marketing garnered more than 1.3 billion impressions. Signage at major
    UFC and MLB events will be viewed on video clips for years to come,
    resulting in an immeasurable positive awareness over the long term.
        The Air Force Chief of Staff tasked installation leadership to
    develop a more robust community relations outreach effort that includes
    expanding access to their bases. Over past twenty-plus years, the
    communities around our installations have lost an awareness of the
    military mission and people who are so vital to their community. We
    developed a ``Go Blue/Stay Blue'' campaign designed to give our Wing
    Commanders a toolbox of resources to spread the message of serving in
    the Air Force and Space Force when they communicate with their local
    communities. In addition, the Stay Blue arm of the campaign is designed
    to communicate early and often to our airmen on the value of our
    Reserve components and the opportunities to continue to serve in our
    Air Force, even after they complete their Active Duty commitments.
    Close relationships with our civic partners and community members are
    paramount to our AF recruiting mission by providing a familiarity of
    our mission and influencing our target demographic to consider serving
    in the Air Force or Space Force. We are currently partnering with the
    Air and Space Force Association as well as Secretary of the Air Force's
    civic leaders and local civic leader programs to expand our messaging
    of the Air Force and Space Force culture and what it means to serve.
        Air Force Recruiting's Detachment 1 operates in the pre-accessions
    space to inform, influence, and inspire youth through awareness. Our
    Det 1 recruiters focus on youth with an interest in aviation and hosts
    events which educate and illuminate a pathway from a notional dream to
    reality. In fiscal year 2023, they hosted more than 600 aviation-themed
    events reaching more than one hundred thousand youth. Det 1's notable
    partnerships include the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals,
    Women in Aviation International, the Dee Howard Foundation and Space
    Camp. A few of Det 1's programs include their Aviation Inspiration
    Mentorship, what we call ``AIM.'' These AIM mentors are diverse airmen
    in the flying community who interact with underserved youth and tell
    their story of being an Airman. Det 1 also works with our flying wings
    to help them become ``AIM Wings,'' allowing them to conduct Inspiration
    Flights for youth and their influencers. Det 1, in partnership with
    university flight schools, hosts multiple AIM High Flight Academy
    events each year helping young men and women experience the thrill of
    flight for the first time and culminating with the opportunity to solo.
                                   conclusion
        I want to thank you once again for the opportunity to speak with
    you today. We are cautiously optimistic that the actions we have taken
    over the last year have put us on the path to achieve our fiscal year
    2024 accession goals for the Air Force and Space Force. While this
    momentum and early goal attainment proves promising, we must keep our
    hand on the throttle and continue to work the challenge areas of
    medical processing, predictable resourcing, community involvement,
    breaking barriers to service--all while we transform how we recruit in
    an era of great power competition.

        Senator Warren. Thank you, General Amrhein. General Bowers.

    STATEMENT OF MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM J. BOWERS, USMC, COMMANDING
                GENERAL, MARINE CORPS RECRUITING COMMAND

        Major General Bowers. Chairwoman Warren, Ranking Member
    Scott, distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, it is a
    privilege to appear before you to provide you an update on your
    Marine Corps' recruiting efforts. Your Marine Corps exists to
    fight and win our Nation's battles.
        Our performance in recruiting speaks for us. Our combat
    heritage is embedded within Marine Corps Recruiting Command's
    DNA, and we share the same fierce competitive spirit to win no
    matter the challenge. Over the past generations, the Marine
    Corps has made institutional investments into recruiting to
    ensure that we are resourced with the very best commanders and
    the very best marine recruiters to accomplish this demanding
    mission.
        This has been and will continue to be our greatest source
    of strength as we face what some have called the most
    challenging recruiting environment since the inception of the
    All-Volunteer Force. Marine recruiters will continue to meet
    the expectations of our Nation by holding true to our warriors'
    ethos and our core values of honor, courage, and commitment. We
    compete for the best people in every zip code in our Nation.
        Our marine recruiters actively attract and inspire those
    young men and women of character to take up the challenge of
    earning the title, marine. We welcome all qualified and
    motivated applicants to take up the challenge of earning the
    title marine, but we refuse to lower standards.
        We understand that to meet the high, almost mystical
    expectations the American people have of their Marine Corps,
    that we must invest in attracting and inspiring the very best
    people our Nation has to offer to become marines. Despite our
    success in fiscal year 2023, the Marine Corps continues to face
    the same challenges as the other services.
        These are historic lows in qualification rates, low
    propensity to serve, labor market challenges, and a fragmented
    media landscape. These have all had a compounding effect on the
    recruiting environment. To combat these, Marine Corps
    Recruiting Command will do what marines have always done,
    innovate, adapt, and win.
        As such, we are focused on my top four priorities of
    quality training, improve manning, securing resources, and
    adapting our structure, and we are moving at speed to make
    these organizational changes.
        With your continued support, we will continue to, one,
    reinforce and expand the trust of the American people. Two,
    positively shape the future of the Marine Corps, and three,
    enable our marines and their families to be happy and
    successful. I look forward to answering your questions. Thank
    you for the opportunity. Semper fidelis.
        [The prepared statement of Major General William J. Bowers
    follows:]

             Prepared Statement by Major General William J. Bowers
                                  introduction
        Chair Warren, Ranking Member Scott, and distinguished Members of
    the Subcommittee, it is a privilege to appear before you today to
    provide an overview of your Marine Corps' recruiting efforts. We
    continue to be fortunate to serve in a Marine Corps comprised of tough,
    smart, elite, and ethical warriors who have volunteered to serve their
    county as the world's premiere crisis response force--your United
    States Marine Corps. Our screened, selected, and well-trained
    recruiters cover every zip code of America, and in the hallways of our
    High Schools. We are in a constant search to attract and inspire the
    most talented individuals within our Nation who can live up to the high
    standards that your Marine Corps demands. We refuse to lower our
    standards, because ultimately, we understand the price of long-term
    success in both peace and war.
        We are making mission, sustaining our high standards, and, in fact,
    increasing quality.
        Your marines achieved their fiscal year 2023 mission despite
    significant headwinds. Our success can largely be attributed to the
    individual marine recruiter, and their unrelenting drive to accomplish
    the mission--we select our best to find the next generation of marines.
    Marine Corps Recruiting Command's focus on training, manning,
    structure, and resources have served to enable and reinforce their
    success. Today, I hope to provide a deeper understanding of the
    recruiting environment and its challenges.
                       history of marine corps recruiting
        As we celebrated the 50-year anniversary of the All-Volunteer
    Force, or more accurately the All-Recruited Force, the United States
    Marine Corps continues to evolve and prepare to meet the requirements
    of its Nation. Marine Corps Recruiting has evolved for mission success
    over the past 50 years and continues to adapt to ensure mission
    accomplishment.
        To fully understand Marine Corps Recruiting, you must first realize
    that it was born on the battlefield. When General Wilson was appointed
    as the 26th Commandant of the Marine Corps in 1975, we were facing
    enormous challenges both internally and externally--including the
    critical requirements of recruiting, recruit training, and discipline.
    Led by General Wilson and his Manpower Chief, Lieutenant General Robert
    Barrow, the marines attacked the bureaucratic status-quo in a ``quality
    war'' with the same gusto that they took to the enemy on the
    battlefields of World War II and Korea, and implemented rapid change to
    recruiting. Recruiting commanders would now report directly to the
    Commanding Generals of the recruit depots, three out of four marines
    would have high school diplomas, and they would aggressively remove
    marines from the ranks those who demonstrated an inability or
    unwillingness to meet the standards of the Marine Corps. Under General
    Wilson's leadership, marines developed and installed ``systematic
    recruiting'' across the recruiting force to standardize actions and
    results, which marine recruiters still practice to this day.
        With continued emphasis on systematic recruiting and quality within
    Marine Corps Recruiting, the demographic challenges of the 1990's were
    still another hill that needed to be taken. An overall decrease in the
    population between 18 and 22 years old, coupled with declining
    education and propensity rates proved challenging for Marine Corps
    Recruiting. The 30th Commandant, General Carl Mundy, recognized the
    need to improve the organizational approach to recruiting; Recruit
    Depot Commanders, the Personnel Procurement Director, and the Deputy
    Chief of Staff for Manpower and Reserve Affairs reported in a variety
    of lines regarding recruiting matters. This dilution of command was the
    antithesis to the unity the Marine Corps strives to achieve. General
    Mundy would facilitate a ``one Corps' approach to recruiting'' through
    the creation of Marine Corps Recruiting Command; which he would say is
    ``the only regiment in the Corps that is in constant contact with its
    objective 30 days a month, without let up.'' The 31st Commandant,
    General Charles Krulak, would reinforce recruiting success through
    competitive screening and selection of Recruiting Station Commanders
    (Majors in command of our Recruiting Stations), and incentivize the
    successful accomplishment of a recruiting tour with choice follow-on
    assignments.
        In the years since, marines have always risen to the recruiting
    mission each year through strict adherence to systematic recruiting,
    upholding high standards, and an unrelenting dedication to mission
    accomplishment. The Marine Corps continues to put our best marines onto
    recruiting duty to emphasize the intangibles of service in the Corps;
    our comradery, teamwork, ethos, and core values. Holding true to these
    intangible benefits of being a United States Marine, the individual
    marine has and always will be our greatest weapon against a changing
    recruiting environment.
        In summary: We continue to achieve success by:
          Assigning our best to recruiting, and rewarding them for
    success;
          Structuring our Recruiting Command directly underneath
    the Commandant;
          Applying a Systematic Approach to recruiting; and
          Keeping our standards high.
                           the recruiting environment
        Despite our success in fiscal year 2023, the Marine Corps continues
    to face the same enlisted recruiting challenges as the other services.
    Historic lows in qualification rates, propensity to serve, public
    perception of the military, labor market challenges, a fragmented
    advertising environment, and policy changes with second-and third-order
    effects have all compounded to make this the most challenging
    recruiting environment since the inception of the All-Volunteer Force.
        Numerically, our recruiters are simply at a disadvantage.
    Generation ``Z'' is not only over five million people smaller than the
    previous ``Millennial'' generation, but we also continue to see a
    decline in Qualified Military Available (QMA) populations within the
    same group. The most recent statistics show that only 23 percent of
    current 17 to 24 year olds are qualified for military service without a
    waiver (down from 29 percent in 2013). We have also observed a
    reduction in male propensity to serve, down from 23 percent in 2001, to
    10 percent based on 2022 data.
        Our Commandant remains committed to providing adequate resources
    and the highest quality marines to make the accession mission while
    sustaining quality standards, but bottom-line, our recruiters must work
    harder while prospecting out of a smaller, less qualified, and less-
    propensed population. We continue to work with the Department of
    Defense on policies and resourcing of our United States Military
    Entrance Processing Command (USMEPCOM) to achieve the goals within the
    Military Health System GENESIS and the Health Information Exchange.
        The headwinds ahead of us are strong. We began fiscal year 2024
    with a historically low start pool of 22.5 percent, when our average is
    normally above 50 percent. Our pool is where our recruiters prepare
    candidates for the rigors of recruit training. This reduced start pool
    means our marine recruiters must focus on a finding individuals to ship
    in the near-term, thus reducing their time to physically and mentally
    prepare them for the rigors of recruit training and the transformation
    process from civilian to marine.
                        marine corps recruiting efforts
        Marine Corps Recruiting Command continues to address the challenges
    of recruiting head on. We remain laser focused on my priorities of
    training, manning, resources, and structure.
        Training. Over the last year, we have reinvigorated pre-COVID
    training that lapsed over the past years. As part of our Systematic
    Approach to Recruiting, we updated multiple training courses and
    increased emphasis within the high school and community college
    programs, which represent the lifeblood and bedrock of recruiting
    success. We fundamentally believe that a well-trained recruiting force
    breeds confidence, which ultimately leads to victory.
        Support for our Recruiting Force. We have further incentivized the
    career enhancing benefits of recruiting duty--and, despite the rigorous
    nature of the assignment, we have dramatically increased the number of
    volunteers seeking this challenging assignment. Additionally, we have
    been able to retain some of our most well-trained and dedicated
    recruiters through short term voluntary extensions, while sustaining
    the scheduled new joins to the force, thus increasing our overall
    number. We continue to reward those who undertake the challenge of
    recruiting. The Corps recognizes recruiting as a challenging and career
    enhancing assignment.
        Advertising and IT Support. We have resourced near-term increases
    to our advertising / modernization budgets, executed a technical
    refresh to our IT system and computers, and are coordinating budgetary
    increases for facility improvements and upgrades with OSD.
        Results and 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). In fiscal year 2023, the Marine Corps achieved
    99 percent for Education Tier 1 and over 65 percent for Mental Group I-
    IIIA--with no Mental Group IV.
        Recruiting is one of our Commandant's top priorities and Recruiting
    Command is getting the Corps' full support. We aim to achieve mission
    success in fiscal year 2024 through shared trust, accountability to one
    another, and a fierce competitive desire to win.
                           ways to improve recruiting
        Aggressive Resourcing. 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 success significantly more difficult.
        Modernization of our Advertising Tools. We thank Congress for
    provisions in the fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act
    that enable the DOD to develop a 3-year pilot program for the
    collection of Prospective Recruit Information (PRI). We are working
    with the DOD and our advertising agency to test and pilot a platform
    that capitalizes on this authority granted by the Congress and enables
    the ability to segment and reach prospects. These efforts could help
    identify prospective recruits, tailor marketing efforts, and better
    measure return on investment, while putting the Department on a level-
    playing field with the rest of the labor market who routinely use this
    capability.
        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
    military service provides to young Americans. Maintaining access to
    high schools and student directories remains a top priority for
    ensuring continued success.
        National Call to Service. In order to ensure recruiting success, we
    need your help. We need to continue to fund recruiting advertising and
    facilities, appropriately support Military Entrance Processing
    Stations, ensure school access, and bolster a whole-of-government
    national dialog on military and public service. Our veterans serve ably
    in industries, commercial sectors, and government across our Nation,
    bringing enhanced leadership and an exceptional work ethos back to
    their communities. We must converge at the highest levels to inform
    young men and women, and their parents and influencers, about the value
    of honorable service in uniform.
                                   conclusion
        The United States Marine Corps' highest priority and objective
    remains the recruitment, development, and retention of elite warriors
    in the highest State of combat readiness to support and defend our
    great Nation, now and into the future. We currently find ourselves in
    the most challenging recruiting environment since the inception of the
    All-Volunteer Force. We cannot wish this away, but must instead
    innovate, adapt, and take deliberate action across the Joint Force to
    win. Within Marine Corps Recruiting, we will continue to ensure our
    team of professionals is well-trained, well-led, manned, resourced, and
    structured to recruit the next generation of marines. We know that if
    we don't ``Make Marines,'' our Nation will not have a Marine Corps--and
    that is not acceptable. We will continue to recruit the very best of
    our Nation to ensure the future health and success of your Marine
    Corps.
        Semper Fidelis!

        Senator Warren. Thank you. Admiral Walker.

      STATEMENT OF REAR ADMIRAL ALEXIS T. WALKER, USN, COMMANDER,
                        NAVY RECRUITING COMMAND

        Rear Admiral Walker. Good afternoon, Chairwoman Warren,
    Ranking Member Scott, and distinguished Members of the
    Personnel Subcommittee. I appreciate the opportunity to appear
    before you today to discuss the United States Navy's recruiting
    efforts.
        Our nationwide team of dedicated Navy recruiters is focused
    on attracting the highest quality candidates to sustain
    America's maritime strength worldwide. While the Navy did not
    meet its recruitment goal for fiscal year 2023, we continuously
    adapted our processes to reduce an initially forecasted gap by
    50 percent.
        As we begin fiscal year 2024, we are again faced with a
    challenging environment and continue to scrub our processes to
    remove inefficiency, add recruiters, and expand the pool of
    qualified and interested candidates.
        Some of our most important initiatives for fiscal year 2024
    include a dramatic increase in the number of recruiters in the
    field, the establishment of a national recruiting operations
    center, and a new marketing campaign to reach the adult
    influencers in young people's lives. We will also expand our
    future Sailor Prep course at Recruit Training Command to
    broaden the talent pool through physical fitness and academic
    enhancement ahead of recruit training.
        In partnership with Congress, the Navy's monetary
    incentives have enabled us to influence the placement of
    shippers and remain competitive within the civilian market.
    Within marketing and advertising, our Forts by the Sea campaign
    allows us to reach every zip code to access previously
    undiscovered talent.
        Today, our advertising remains nearly 100 percent digital,
    resulting in a 30 percent increase in national leads and taking
    the message to where our future sailors are operating, which is
    online.
        Despite the recent and future challenges, our Navy team
    stands ready to take advantage of the opportunity to share
    positive military service experiences with future recruits and
    their influencers. We are grateful for this Committee's
    continued support and ask that each member consider personally
    engaging with their constituents and the media in a national
    call to service.
        Your public support for military recruiting will make a
    positive difference. We remain committed to working with
    Congress to recruit, develop, and retain a ready and lethal
    force. On behalf of the men and women of the United States Navy
    and their families, thank you for your sustained commitment and
    unwavering support.
        I stand ready to answer your questions.
        [The prepared statement of Admiral Walker follows:]

        Prepared Statement by Rear Admiral (Lower Half) Alexis T. Walker
                                  introduction
        Chairwoman Warren, Ranking Member Scott, and distinguished Members
    of the Personnel Subcommittee thank you for the opportunity to discuss
    the Navy's most important strategic asset--our people. The health,
    lethality, and capability of America's Navy are critical; the linchpin
    remains access to high-quality and motivated future sailors to meet the
    current and future mission of your United States Navy. With a
    competitive labor market, a shrinking pool of eligible candidates, and
    a low propensity to serve, recruiting future sailors has become
    increasingly difficult. Despite the challenges, our nationwide team of
    dedicated recruiters remains focused on attracting the best quality
    candidates from every zip code to sustain America's maritime strength
    worldwide, and our Navy continues to develop and implement innovative
    initiatives to build our force.
                  fiscal year 2023 navy recruiting performance
        The U.S. Navy's fiscal year 2023 recruitment goals were 37,700 for
    Active Duty enlisted sailors and 8,390 for Reserve enlisted sailors. As
    of Sept. 30, 2023, the Navy recruited 30,236 (80.2 percent) Active Duty
    sailors and 6,342 (75.5 percent) Reserve sailors. The U.S Navy's fiscal
    year 2023 recruitment goals were 2,532 for Active Duty officers and
    1,940 for Reserve officers. As of Sept. 30, 2023, the Navy recruited
    2,080 (82.1 percent) Active Duty officers and 1,167 (60.2 percent)
    Reserve officers.
        Despite a challenging and competitive environment, our talented
    recruiters made tremendous efforts in fiscal year 2023. These efforts
    resulted in 6,000 more contracted future sailors than the previous
    year, and helped us close the gap on our forecasted miss by 40 percent.
    We are pleased with the quality of recruits who joined the Navy, and
    these future sailors share our core values of honor, courage, and
    commitment.
                    status of meeting navy recruiting goals
        Initiatives that began in fiscal year 2023 have carried into fiscal
    year 2024 as the Navy builds more pathways of opportunity for all
    qualified individuals who choose to serve. The complexity of our
    current environment forced us to think creatively and challenge
    assumptions. Outreach and engagement opportunities continue to increase
    awareness about the Navy, its people, and its mission, while Navy
    recruiters and sailors across the Fleet continue to connect with
    qualified future sailors who desire to join the Navy and are motivated
    to serve in defense of our Nation.
        The Navy entered fiscal year 2024 in a similar posture to fiscal
    year 2023, with approximately 12 percent Delayed Entry Program(DEP) and
    a recruiting goal of 40,600 for Active Duty enlisted sailors and 7,619
    for Reserve enlisted sailors. The Navy's fiscal year 2024 recruiting
    goals for officers are 2,807 for Active Duty and 1,785 for Reserve
    officers. As of November 20th, the Navy recruited 9,044 Active Duty
    enlisted sailors, 870 Reserve enlisted sailors, 520 Active Duty
    officers and 133 Reserve officers.
                      factors impacting recruiting efforts
        The unemployment rate has remained near historic lows through 2022
    and 2023. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows unemployment at 3.9
    percent in October 2023. Persistent labor shortages in some industries
    and an aging population are likely to continue to contribute to a
    relatively tight labor market. Therefore, we do not anticipate much
    relief regarding recruiting challenges.
        Like fiscal year 2022, the fiscal year 2023 recruiting environment
    was one of the toughest in recent history. The propensity to serve
    remains low. According to a Department of Defense Youth Poll from the
    Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Joint Advertising Market
    Research & Studies (JAMRS), the propensity to serve among youth in our
    primary target demographic (16 to 21 years old) has been declining
    since the fall of 2018, decreasing from 13 percent in fall 2018 to 9
    percent in fall 2022. The decline from summer 2022 to fall 2022 was
    primarily driven by a decrease in male youth propensity from 17 percent
    to 10 percent in fall 2022. Additionally, the proportion of youth who
    reported never having considered serving in the military increased from
    49 percent to 54 percent between summer 2022 and fall 2022, consistent
    with recent historic highs for this metric.
        Of note, of the 33 million personnel in the 17 to 24-year old
    population, 16.5 million are considered high academic quality, meaning
    that they have As or Bs, with an estimated 50 or higher on the Armed
    Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) and only 4.6 million (14 percent) are
    considered high academic quality and eligible for service, which means
    that these individuals have no disqualifying medical or legal issue.
    Finally, 300,000 have a propensity to serve (1 percent of the total
    population). Aggregate military propensity is lower today than it has
    been since 2007. Additionally, the latest from JAMRS ``State of the
    Market'' study (released October 2023), shows the proportion of youth
    (ages 16 to 24) with a parent who has served in the military decreased
    from 40 percent in 1995 to 12 percent in 2022. Furthermore, the 2022
    College Market Study (released September 2023) shows that a plurality
    of college market youth perceive that the benefits of college outweigh
    the costs despite the financial burden of attending college.
                         initiatives in navy recruiting
        Navy recruiting is a priority for senior leadership and is an all-
    hands effort throughout the Service. Last month, the Chief of Naval
    Operations (CNO) released a message to the Fleet, specifically for
    command leadership, regarding the continued war for talent. She charged
    every command in the Navy with finding, coaching, and mentoring at
    least one quality recruit candidate this fiscal year. Additionally, the
    Secretary of the Navy sent more than 2,000 letters to high school
    principals to encourage recruiter collaboration and promote a positive
    view of military service.
        Navy Recruiting Command (NRC) continues to emphasize updating
    recruitment policies and expanding the eligible population by opening
    the aperture of qualified individuals without lowering standards. By
    carefully evaluating individual circumstances and granting waivers
    where appropriate, we have been able to tap into a broader talent pool,
    including individuals who may have previously been disqualified due to
    minor infractions or medical conditions. This flexibility has also
    helped increase our recruiting attainment and allowed us to consider
    candidates with unique skills and experiences that greatly benefit the
    Navy. The expanded policies, waivers, new initiatives, and pilot
    programs have been instrumental in increasing our pool of eligible
    candidates.
    Policy and Waiver Initiatives:
          Category IV: Allows for up to 20 percent of total
    accessions who attain an Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) score
    of 10-30 but have qualifying line scores to join the Navy Delayed Entry
    Program (DEP).

          Positive Drug and Alcohol Tests (PosDATs): Expanded
    PosDAT waiver authority by changing the wait window for retesting from
    90 days down to 60 days for marijuana and THC. Applicants were only
    allowed to retest on the 91st day after failing the DAT/receiving a
    PosDAT; however, they can now retest on the 61st day after receiving
    the PosDAT.

          Tattoos: Allows applicants to enter and serve in the Navy
    with tattoos on the body including the neck and ears, regardless of
    location or size (on a case-by-case basis), except the head, face, and
    scalp.

          Age: Increased age for Active and Reserve accessions, who
    must now report to Recruit Training Command prior to their 42d birthday
    (an increase from 39).

          Single Parent Policy: Allows for waivers for dependency
    status for Active and Reserve enlistment of unmarried individuals with
    custody of dependents under the age of 18.

          Tier II: Authorized the contracting and accessing of Tier
    II applicants with an AFQT score of 31 or above. Tier II applicants are
    non-high school graduates with a GED and previously were only accessed
    with a 50 or greater AFQT.
    Recruiting Initiatives:
          Recruiting Operations Center (ROC): Launched at the
    beginning of this fiscal year, the ROC oversees daily visualization and
    management of recruiting operations across the recruiting enterprise.
    The ROC was established to elevate barriers and efficiently reallocate
    resources to points and times of need through daily visualization and
    management of production that results in increased Net Contracts
    Attained (NCA).

          Every Sailor a Recruiter (ESaR): A program for currently
    serving sailors to share their experience and provide leads of
    interested applicants to Navy recruiting.

          Navy Recruiting Reserve Command (NRRC): Established to
    focus specific recruiting efforts on the prior service mission.

          Increased Marketing and Advertising (M&A): Increased
    budget to improve positive public perception of Navy service in the
    long term.

          Increased Recruiter Manning: Enables the Navy to have a
    greater reach and engagement with the youth population across the
    recruiting Nation.

          Enlistment Bonus: Leveraged to attract high-quality
    recruits to fill high demand rates. Future sailors can earn up to
    $140,000 in incentives (by completing requirements for critical jobs in
    the Navy).
        In addition to the policy levers and initiatives, the Navy's
    monetary incentives have enabled us to influence the placement of
    shippers and remain in contention with other Services and the civilian
    market. Current bonuses offered to candidates include:
    Up to $140,000 in combined enlistment incentives:

          $75,000 Enlistment Bonus Ceiling--Expanded opportunities
    for future sailors to reach or get close to the ceiling

          $65,000 Loan Repayment Program

          Currently offering $35,000/$25,000/$10,000 for Active
    component (AC) Future Sailors (FS)

          $25,000 for select Training and Administration of Reserve
    (TAR) FS.
                            recruiting modernization
        The Navy continues to employ the Forged by the Sea digital M&A
    campaign with success in reaching all demographics. In fiscal year
    2023, NRC communicated this value proposition via its latest
    advertising campaigns, including ``Never,'' the newest iteration of the
    Forged by the Sea campaign. With just 2 percent of eligible prospects
    indicating their motivation to serve, the remaining 98 percent say
    ``never'' to a Navy career before exploring the possibilities. This
    iteration addresses propensity directly by highlighting all the things
    sailors never thought they would do or achieve if they had not joined
    the Navy. It shows the breadth and depth of opportunities in the Navy
    while speaking directly to our target audience's common reservations
    about the Navy. The campaign captures authentic, relevant, and
    compelling content featuring real sailors while emphasizing inclusion
    and diversity.
        We use specific targeting and content strategies to appeal to a
    diversity of demographics and demonstrate what a Navy career can do for
    them. For example, the ``Make Your Name'' video series, which
    highlights empowering stories of female sailors and a YouTube masthead
    takeover during Women's History Month, reached nearly half of all women
    aged 18 to 24 in the United States.
        A focused budget has immediately impacted recruiting efforts by
    generating interest and online activity via digital advertisements.
    Additionally, Navy leveraged additional M&A resources to purchase media
    that speaks to our target audience and talks to the influencers who can
    provide added value by reinforcing potential candidates' career
    decisions. Specific examples include:
          They executed 30-second broadcast TV commercial during
    the Super Bowl in 16 major markets throughout the U.S., when viewers
    were expected to watch and talk about ads.
          Streaming platforms: Hulu, YouTube TV, and Sling, to
    include ads during peak viewing times, such as March Madness.
        In fiscal year 2023, we continued cultivating relationships and
    connections with professional organizations whose members share an
    aligned interest with the Navy. Additionally, the Navy ensures we are
    listening to feedback, identifying blind spots in our outreach
    initiatives, and continuing to penetrate markets that may have gone
    untapped in the past. The Navy also strives to serve multicultural
    students and communities through programs like Promotional Days, Junior
    Officer Diversity Outreach, and ``Divine Nine'' Ambassador Program,
    leveraging the Navy's built-in community of Active Duty fraternity and
    sorority members.
                            accessions supply chain
        The persistent recruiting challenges make exploring creative
    solutions to reduce attrition in Navy accession training more
    important. In response, the Naval Service Training Command (NSTC)
    domain created initiatives to give recruits more training opportunities
    while broadening the Navy's talent pool. An expanded
    Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) waiver policy, the use of alternate cardio
    during physical fitness tests, receptive acclimation at Recruit
    Training Command (RTC), and the newly created Future Sailor Preparatory
    Course (FSPC) (Physical and Academic) have demonstrated positive
    results in production of enlisted accessions to the Fleet.
        Expanded THC Waiver Policy The expanded THC waiver policy
    significantly diminished the number of THC positive attrites while
    meeting changing societal norms. Previously, only recruits who admitted
    use of THC could receive a waiver for a positive drug test. In
    contrast, recruits who tested positive but failed to admit did not
    receive a waiver and were separated. The expanded THC waiver process
    includes recruits who test positive for THC, admit to such usage, and
    then obtain a waiver prior to graduation once they go through a
    rigorous medical dependency screening process. Recruits only attrite
    due to a positive THC test if they are medically deemed to be
    dependent. As a result, only 31 recruits attrited in fiscal year 2023,
    compared to 450 in fiscal year 2022.
        Alternate Cardio The utilization of alternate cardio at RTC, which
    aligned policy with Fleet cardio options, minimized Physical Readiness
    Test (PRT) failures at RTC, yielding more sailors to the Fleet.
    Historically, recruits were required to complete the 1.5 mile run
    modality for the cardio portion of their official Physical Fitness
    Assessment (PFA). Recruits who failed the PRT entered a remedial
    fitness program and would retake the PRT, including the 1.5 mile run.
    In fiscal year 2022, 302 recruits attrited due to PRT failures. Under
    the new policy, recruits who fail their initial attempt of the run
    portion of the PRT can now utilize the bike for their second attempt
    and receive three additional opportunities to meet PRT standards before
    graduation. As a result, in fiscal year 2023, only one recruit attrited
    due to PRT failure.
        Receptive Acclimation at RTC Attrition due to psychological reasons
    was the leading cause of attrition in fiscal year 2023. RTC is looking
    at methods to further reduce this type of attrition at the early stages
    of training. A redesign of training during Processing Days (P-Days)
    aims to increase teamwork and cultural acclimation. Instead of the
    shock and awe approach, recruits experience a steady increase in
    training intensity throughout their 10-week training. In this process,
    the stress level is tailored to the specific training phase,
    establishing a setting where recruits can thrive. RTC emphasizes
    physical safety, opportunities, and skills to excel, associating
    setbacks with long-term growth. Early analysis has demonstrated that
    the approach has positively impacted early attrition.
        Future Sailor Prep Course One of the most notable new programs
    implemented at RTC is the FSPC. Modeled off the Army's Future Soldier
    Prep Course program, FSPC was created to broaden the recruitment talent
    pool of future sailors through fitness and academic remediation. FSPC
    provides more recruits opportunities to serve and become eligible for
    an expanded number of ratings.
        Recruits in the fitness track endure an initial 3-week fitness and
    nutrition curriculum to meet Navy body fat standards. After the initial
    3 weeks, FSPC-Physical Fitness Skills Development (FSPC-FSD) recruits
    have up to 90 days on a 3-week rolling basis to meet RTC standards. As
    of 20 November, 370 recruits have been enrolled in FSPC-Fitness, and
    280 have graduated from RTC.
        The academic track is in its pre-pilot Beta phase, with a pilot set
    to start in January 2024. Recruits participating in the FSPC-Academic
    Beta go through a 3-week Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
    (ASVAB) tutoring curriculum. The early stages of the Beta testing (103
    students enrolled; 58 completed the program) shown promising results
    with recruits increasing their ASVAB score by an average of 10 points,
    allowing for expanded job opportunities in critically needed rates to
    reduce gaps at sea.
                                   conclusion
        Attracting quality future sailors is the key to maintaining our
    advantage at sea. Despite the recent and future challenges, your Navy
    team stands ready to take advantage of the opportunity to share
    positive military service experiences with future recruits and those
    who influence them. We are grateful for this committee's partnership in
    helping to address these challenges. We remain committed to working
    with the Congress to recruit, develop and retain a ready and lethal
    force. 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 Warren. Thank you, Admiral Walker. Mr. Davis.

      STATEMENT OF MAJOR GENERAL JOHNNY K. DAVIS, USA, COMMANDING
             GENERAL, UNITED STATES ARMY RECRUITING COMMAND

        Major General Davis. Thank you, Chairwoman Warren, Ranking
    Member Scott, and fellow distinguished Members of the
    Subcommittee. I appreciate the opportunity to discuss Army
    recruiting efforts. I am honored to be here today to represent
    Army leadership and U.S. Army Recruiting Command.
        We are competing in one of the toughest recruiting
    landscapes I have seen in over 33 years of service. This
    recruiting crisis certainly did not appear overnight and cannot
    be repaired overnight, but our superstar recruiters work hard
    every single day to recruit the best and brightest volunteers
    who can deploy, fight, and win in a multi-domain environment
    worldwide, and I think about them constantly.
        This fiscal year, our recruiting team, with support of the
    entire Army, is working to achieve a mission of 55,000 regular
    Army sessions, plus a delayed entry pool of 5,000 plus, to
    14,600 Army Reserve accessions. As our recruiters manage
    current operations, we are continuously evaluating areas where
    we need to improve to overcome challenges presented by this
    current recruiting crisis.
        We are grateful to have the entire Army support, from Army
    senior leaders to our most junior soldiers, in our efforts to
    transform recruiting operations, as well as build relationships
    with today's generations and share the benefits of military
    service. The Army is an organization that teaches valuable
    skills and provides exceptional benefits.
        I want our Nation's youth to know the Army is a career
    accelerator, and I need them to lead us into the future. The
    personal benefits to service extend far beyond cash bonuses,
    health care, and housing allowances.
        The recruiting crisis we are experiencing today is a very
    complex problem with many variables, awareness, declining
    eligibility, medical, academic, physical, competitive job
    market. So, there is no one and done solution that will fix it.
    That is why we must transform the Army recruiting enterprise.
        The Secretary of the Army recently announced a
    comprehensive transformation to our recruiting enterprise,
    which will relook how we prospect, transform our workforce,
    establish an experimentation capability, improve capability for
    data analytics, and restructure our organization.
        This will be one of the biggest efforts in the command's
    history and will be implemented in a phased approach. Right
    now, the most important factor is ensuring we keep this year's
    mission in the forefront. Our efforts are geared toward
    attracting young talent and reintroducing the Army to the
    American public.
        We need your help to be successful in this effort. We will
    not lower our standards. We will not sacrifice quality for the
    sake of quantity. Army initiatives over the past year have
    shown real promise, such as the Future Soldier Prep course,
    transformational, 14,000 graduates, 95 percent success rate,
    both physical and academic.
        This would not be possible without support of Army senior
    leaders and Congress. We are still in the first quarter of the
    fiscal year and too early to estimate where we will finish in
    10 months, but I will say we are seeing momentum, and we will
    continue to build upon it. We will get this right because like
    my wife and I, we have skin in the game. We have two daughters
    that joined.
        One joined the United States Army. The other joined the
    Marine Corps. Your continued support helps us gain the
    necessary tools to attract and retain the soldiers that serve
    our great Nation. It is always an honor to come together with
    our sister services.
        We are grateful to this Committee for their continued
    support. I look forward to your questions. Thank you, ma'am.
        [The prepared statement of Major General Johnny Davis
    follows:]

                Prepared Statement by Major General Johnny Davis
        Chairwoman Warren, Ranking Member Scott, and fellow distinguished
    Members of the Subcommittee on Personnel, I appreciate the opportunity
    to discuss Army recruiting efforts. I am honored to represent the Army
    leadership, the military and civilian professionals, and the courageous
    men and women in uniform who serve our great Nation.
        The U.S. Army has come a long way in the last year. Our Army is the
    greatest Army in the world, but to maintain a competitive edge over our
    adversaries, we must ensure that our Army has the people with the right
    skills and talents to accomplish our mission. To that end and based on
    guidance from the Secretary of the Army and Chief of Staff of the Army,
    we have begun a transformation of the Army's recruiting enterprise. We
    continue to follow the Secretary of the Army's directive to
    strategically adapt the way we recruit and retain our Nation's best
    talent to sustain the All-Volunteer force. While in a volume fight, we
    are undergoing a historical transformation. We are building
    relationships with a new generation whose understanding and perception
    of what the military's role in society is different than previous
    generations.
        We generated positive momentum from fiscal year 2023 initiatives
    including the Future Soldier Preparatory Course, Soldier Referral
    Program, and our refreshed advertising campaign: ``Be All You Can Be.''
    Our efforts center around one focus: re-introducing the Army to the
    American public and inspiring a renewed call to service to rebuild
    trust among influencer and more importantly our youth. To ensure the
    Army has the soldiers necessary to meet the National Defense Strategy
    today and tomorrow, we have five recruiting enterprise transformation
    focus areas: Transforming how the Army Prospects, Transforming the
    Army's Recruiting Workforce, Creating an Experimentation Capability,
    Enhancing the Evidence Base for Recruiting Policy, and Aligning
    Leadership and Structure. Transformation activities will be executed
    across a span of several years in three phases: accomplish the fiscal
    year 2024 Mission, near-term, and long-term transformation initiatives.
    Transformation will consist of a wholesale change in who, how, and with
    whom the Army recruits.
        In line with the guidance from our Army senior leaders, I have
    established the following fiscal year 2024 priorities for U.S. Army
    Recruiting Command (USAREC).
        1)  Accomplish the Army's fiscal year 2024 recruiting mission.
        2)  Transform the Army Recruiting Enterprise.
        3)  As part of the Transformation, Realign Recruiting Enterprise
    Structure.
                    accomplish the fiscal year 2024 mission
        As the Commander of USAREC, my number one priority is to accomplish
    the Army's fiscal year 2024 recruiting mission. The competition for
    talent is fierce, and we must leverage the momentum we built in fiscal
    year 2023 as we continue building in fiscal year 2024. Recruiting will
    continue to focus on People, Mission, Training, Facilities, and
    Transformation. We are in a volume fight every day to accomplish our
    goal of 55,000 accessions and to place 5,000 contracts in our delayed-
    entry pool. Fiscal year 2024 will be challenging as we enter the fiscal
    year with a Delayed Entry Pool that is 8.4 percent of our accession
    mission, well below the target of 25 to 35 percent. It's not just
    volume. It's the right volume. It's talent and precision to address the
    present global challenges with talented men and women to command our
    modernized systems capable of overmatch in a multi-domain environment
    worldwide.
        To accomplish our fiscal year 2024 mission, there are three lines
    of efforts: building a positive command climate, taking care of our
    people, and making history! The key is Driving Positive Change--we
    cannot be comfortable with the same industrial process of the past. We
    must adapt the way we recruit, structure the force, solicit workforce
    feedback, train the force, incentivize enlistments, provide behavioral
    health support, reduce out-of-pocket costs on the recruiting force
    (parking fees and tolls), and foster innovative initiatives.
        In our geographically dispersed organization, our recruiters
    operate throughout the world, representing the Army and enlisting
    future soldiers. Military representation in communities throughout the
    country is vital, but it means our soldiers and their families are
    separated from the resources provided on military bases (military
    healthcare facilities, housing, childcare, etc.). Living in areas
    without a military presence can present challenges for recruiters and
    their families, and living in high cost of living area presents
    additional financial burdens. Our goal is to provide every recruiter
    the same level of support our soldiers receive on a military
    installation.
        The Army continues to improve how we select, incentivize, and train
    our recruiters as well as introduce new technologies that give us the
    competitive edge on the war for talent. Recruiting Command has already
    started a new Recruiter Selection Initiative that will better
    incentivize and select recruiters based on the following criteria: a
    Personality and Motivation Test, an Attentional & Interpersonal Style
    Inventory, and a Medical Screening.
        Fiscal year 2024 mission achievement will set the conditions for a
    successful enterprise transformation. The Army is cognizant that
    transformation activities need to be thoughtfully calculated and
    executed to ensure implementation does not have any negative impact on
    the fiscal year 2024 recruiting mission.
                   army recruiting enterprise transformation
    Transform How the Army Prospects
        We need to evaluate new methods, skills, messaging, tools/
    technology, and research to appeal to a broader swath of young
    Americans with the talents and skills the Army needs. We must take
    advantage of social media, text, and digital marketing tools to enhance
    our lead generation and conversion rates. We will work with industry
    and influencers to capitalize on technology and vehicles to drive
    awareness of and interest in the U.S. Army and the benefits of service.
    Initial areas we will address are impacts of our GoArmy website,
    advertising, and virtual recruiting operations.
        Today's youth are far more likely to pursue education beyond high
    school. Currently, high school seniors and recent graduates account for
    more than 50 percent of our annual contracts. However, they only
    represent 15 to 20 percent of the labor market. We will transform our
    prospecting to expand into a greater representation of the labor market
    and enter the larger prospect pool. In addition to the high school
    market, we will target those with more than a high school diploma, this
    includes a college degree, some college, or a technical certification.
    By fiscal year 2028, it is our goal for one third of new recruits to
    have more than a high school diploma.
        We are growing our analytical capability to incentivize and
    position our recruiting force, tailor marketing based on segmentation,
    and place our recruiters in the right place with the right training,
    products, and tools. Our quarterly Industry Engagement Program allows
    us to identify new tools to improve operations across the enterprise.
        As we transform how the Army prospects for talent, we will continue
    to innovate and leverage data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI),
    and machine learning (ML) to quickly identify the right talent and
    provide tailored messaging to potential talent. We are expanding our
    presence on both social media and digital job boards to communicate the
    Army's Employee Value Proposition (EVP). Expanding our market is
    critical to accomplishing the mission today and in the future.
    Transform the Army's Recruiting Workforce
        To recruit the best, it takes the best. Recruiting is no easy task,
    especially given the competitive job market. Selecting the right talent
    is the first critical task to create a professional workforce that can
    convey the Army's value proposition and benefits of service. The
    talents required of our recruiters in the modern labor market are very
    specific--we need to find the soldiers in our ranks who have those
    skills.
        We are incentivizing volunteering to serve in the USAREC. Not only
    does our target market need a value proposition but so does our
    recruiting force. The Army is introducing multiple initiatives to
    increase volunteer rates and make the assignment more career enhancing.
    Some of the incentives include:
          $5 thousand incentive for any volunteer who completes the
    recruiting assessment program and Army Recruiting Course until February
    2024
          Accelerated promotion for high-performing recruiters (250
    meritorious promotions per fiscal year, up to Sergeant First Class)
          Promote Department of the Army Select Recruiters (DASRs)
    one grade who produce 24 accessions (``shippers'') in a fiscal year
          Make company command positions multi-branch/branch
    immaterial to expand command opportunities to more officers.
        In the long term, we will examine transitioning from a borrowed and
    generalist recruiting workforce (DASRs) to a permanent and specialized
    talent acquisition workforce. Currently, enlisted personnel are
    selected from across the Army to complete a 3-year tour of recruiting
    duty as a DASR, during which they have the option to become a fulltime
    recruiter (79R) or return to their previous Military Occupational
    Specialty upon completion of their recruiting tour. As part of our
    efforts to transform the workforce, we are undertaking a detailed
    review of how both our current and future recruiting force are
    identified and sourced to ensure we leverage the widest pool of
    talented soldiers.
        Our recruiting workforce is a valued participant in a larger Human
    Resources community of practice. Specific tasks include developing the
    process to select, train, educate, employ, and manage an enlisted
    talent acquisition specialist MOS (42T/Recruiter) and talent
    acquisition warrant officer (420T). We will also conduct research into
    the development of a more specialized officer workforce.
        Initial areas of focus could also include modifying Army policy and
    practices to garner efficiencies and establishing partnerships with
    industry/associations/higher education organizations to establish best
    practices in career development, management, and curriculum. Our
    strategic focus is to enhance the culture, attract and retain top
    talent, and make USAREC an organization to which every soldier and
    civilian wants to belong.
    Create Experimentation Capability
        We will create an experimentation capability within USAREC to build
    a culture of innovation, generate evidence-based insights, and scale
    successes. We cannot expect the same success when relying on the same
    techniques and technology that bred success 10, 20, 30 plus years ago.
        Our experimentation element will initially be focused on expanding
    the prospect market. The Secretary of the Army has directed Army
    recruiting to devote additional effort to recruiting in the broader
    labor market. To reach these markets, one tool we will utilize is
    online job boards. With the experimentation capability, we will be able
    to test the effectiveness and efficiencies of new techniques, beginning
    with our prospecting operations. This operational element will comprise
    recruiters who will continue to recruit while testing new technologies
    and methods. We will account for potential risks to normal production
    caused by experimentation--recruiters performing `off mission' may be
    missioned for fewer than their peers due to assumption of innovation-
    related risk.
        The intent is for an `off mission' talent / team who can test and
    prototype novel but unproven techniques, programs, methods, markets,
    technologies and incentives. The team can and will question the status
    quo while trying new innovative ideas without the fear of failure. They
    will embrace change that can be implemented by our `on mission'
    recruiting force to improve success. This agile team will operate
    autonomously and will minimize impact on our recruiters who are focused
    on driving and delivering volume fight for fiscal year 2024 mission.
    One might say, this experimentation team can ``fail fast and fail
    forward.''
    Enhance the Evidence Base for Recruiting Policy
        Historically, the Army has reacted to recruiting challenges by
    implementing policies uniformly. This has largely precluded our ability
    to learn the precise effects of our policies. This initiative aims to
    solve this problem. It is critical to create an evidence-based learning
    and informed decision capability that will allow leadership to assess
    effectiveness of our accession efforts, including strategy, target
    markets, initiatives, and overall productivity using quantitative and
    qualitative data.
        Army Senior Leaders have directed an evidence-based learning
    capability in Headquarters, Department of the Army to determine policy
    effectiveness. The goal is to establish in-house analytics capabilities
    to better see ourselves. Utilization of Operations Research and Systems
    Analysts (ORSAs), economists, data scientists, and think tanks will
    ensure accessions policies are implemented in a way that the Army can
    learn what does or does not work. Innovation efforts must be
    synchronized with enterprise learning, and we must have the ability to
    implement best practices.
    Align Leadership and Structure
        Our objective is to formulate an organization that achieves greater
    efficiencies and synergies to optimize our marketing and recruiting
    outcomes. The new recruiting structure will allow us to realize
    enhanced productivity and success. In addition, I want to ensure our
    leaders' focus is on prioritizing people and organizational fusion over
    process and structure, cultivating trust and respect. In the end, we
    must integrate and link our strategy, goals, and execution to deliver
    consistent outcomes.
        The recruiting mission is vital to the Army's mission readiness and
    is a top priority for Army Senior Leaders. To ensure strength in
    communication and support between the Army Recruiting Enterprise and
    Army Senior Leaders, USAREC will be aligned as a Direct Reporting Unit
    to the Secretary of the Army and Chief of Staff of the Army.
        To align all Army accessions equities, U.S. Army Cadet Command and
    the Army Enterprise Marketing Office will be realigned under USAREC.
    This will enable a better synchronization of efforts to support Army
    recruiting for both enlisted and officers.
                                    closing
    50 Years of the All-Volunteer Force
        Men and Women from all states and territories have joined our
    military out of conviction, not compulsion. The members of our All-
    Volunteer Force are motivated by patriotism, pride, and principle--by
    the desire to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and by
    their love for our exceptional Nation.
        Over the past 50 years, our Army has recruited and retained
    patriotic and talented personnel from all walks of life. Those who have
    chosen to serve, enhance their skills, develop resiliency, and grow
    into leaders in their communities. They hone their skills as soldiers,
    but also as doctors, mechanics, teachers, data scientists, pilots,
    cyber warriors, astronauts, and Olympic athletes in our ranks. There
    are over 150 occupational specialties that provide opportunity to BE
    ALL YOU CAN BE! I encourage our youth to consider the Army and serve
    something greater than themselves. We also need your help--Members of
    Congress and your State and district staffs are among the influencers
    who can help us connect with young people in your communities, and
    share with them the value of service. No organization can bring out the
    best in people like the U.S. Army can. The strength of the Army is its
    people. I am proud of the commitment and proudly salute each American
    who selflessly raises their hand to serve our country and defend
    democracy.

        Senator Warren. Thank you very much. Appreciate it, General
    Davis. So, I will do the first round of questions and I will
    get started. When potential recruits apply to the military,
    they have to pass through several screens to actually enlist,
    including a medical screening to make sure that they are
    healthy enough to serve.
        Last year, the Department of Defense launched a new
    electronic health record system named MHS Genesis that is now
    used in the screening process. The screen is supposed to
    identify conditions that disqualify people from serving
    completely.
        But the MHS Genesis system appears also to be flagging
    applicants with manageable or long healed injuries, triggering
    the requirement for the recruit to obtain a medical waiver
    before they can actually join the military.
        One otherwise healthy applicant had to wait an extra 2
    months to enlist while she proved that a childhood wrist sprain
    was not a disqualifying medical condition, and this is not a
    one off problem.
        Data from the military services shows that in fiscal year
    2022, one out of every six recruits needed medical waivers, the
    highest proportion any time in the last 10 years. Now,
    obviously, we want a screening process that catches
    disqualifying medical conditions. But do each of you agree that
    it is a problem if our process is creating unnecessary barriers
    to enrollment? Can I just have a yes from everybody on that?
        Well, good, a thumbs up. I have got that from General
    Bowers. Everybody is good on this. Okay. I think this is where
    I want to start this conversation, because recruiters have told
    the press that this process is making their job a lot harder,
    and the data seem to back that up.
        The Navy saw an average time between an applicant's final
    interview until their first recorded contact nearly double.
    Army Recruiting Command found that wading through these waivers
    could add up to 70 days or longer to the application process.
        The Department of Defense Inspector General verified these
    delays. Look, it is a problem if it is taking healthy
    applicants longer to get through a bureaucratic screening
    process, but it is an even bigger problem if all of that red
    tape is causing some healthy applicants to drop out of the
    recruitment process altogether.
        The Department of Defense Inspector General also
    recommended that each of the services track medically
    disqualified applicants to ensure that they are notified if
    there are options to pursue a medical waiver and to better
    understand the reasons why they may choose not to request a
    waiver.
        Each of your commands agreed with this recommendation, but
    it is not in place for most of the systems. So, my question is
    when will that happen? How about we will go backward this time?
    General Davis, you want to start?
        Major General Davis. Thanks, ma'am. The current Army senior
    leaders are very aware of this and are currently working on it.
    I don't have the exact date, but they are absolutely working on
    it.
        Senator Warren. That is not my question, are you working on
    it. My question is, can you give us an estimate on when we can
    expect that this will be done?
        I mean, I hope you notice the irony that I am asking for
    questions about delays and what I am getting back are delays in
    answers. Got anything for me, General Davis? Okay. Admiral
    Walker, how about you?
        Rear Admiral Walker. Ma'am, thank you for the question. I
    do not have a specific date on when this will be implemented.
    We continue to look at inefficiencies in our process to try to
    wring out those inefficiencies so that we can bring more people
    into the Navy.
        Senator Warren. You don't have to go find this
    inefficiency. This one is big, and they are flashing lights all
    around it. I just want to know when you are going to get us see
    information, just the information so we can start fixing it.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Yes, ma'am. I will take that back,
    ma'am.
        Senator Warren. Okay. Gerald Bowers, I think you have a
    better answer.
        Major General Bowers. Yes, ma'am. So, we actively track our
    waiver process. All of our marines are trained how to submit a
    waiver, how to inform an applicant to go through the waiver
    process.
        More broadly, to your question on MHS Genesis and the
    accompanying health information exchange, the Deputy Secretary
    of Defense has recently stood up a task force to look at the
    challenges of implementation.
        We are all very encouraged by this. We look forward to this
    task force being completed in February 2024, and we look
    forward to the results because we need to see action in the
    field.
        Senator Warren. Okay. So, you have shown us it can be done.
    You have gotten this part done, right? You are telling me the
    marines have?
        Major General Bowers. Yes, ma'am. We aggressively track
    waivers. Have a waivers section in our operations section,
    Marine Corps Recruiting Command. Yes, ma'am.
        Senator Warren. Okay. All right, and General Amrhein.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Ma'am, thank you for the
    opportunity. As far as the process to inform everyone that is
    initially medically disqualified from MEPS, our recruiters
    inform them of the opportunity for a waiver so that there is a
    formalized process to get through and into our waivers division
    within the Air Force, off of the DOD standard.
        The formal IT system, I think you are--from the IG report,
    we will have in place by January 2021 with specificity on why
    someone----
        Senator Warren. January 2024----
        Brigadier General Amrhein. 2024. Thank you, ma'am, for the
    correction. With specificity on why a member specifically
    disengage from the recruiting process. Having that said, our
    Surgeon General within recruiting service keep--has kept a
    track of those that left the service or left the process during
    the medical accessions process writ large.
        From that, we were able to track the numbers of people that
    essentially walked away from the process. We don't know exactly
    at what point they walked away, but we know they did not
    complete through a full disqualification process, which only
    the Surgeon General within the Air Force can authorize.
        Senator Warren. Okay. Look, I appreciate that it takes time
    to set this up, but we cannot afford to lose people who have
    already demonstrated a willingness to serve. These are the
    people who say, I want to do this, especially if the only
    barrier is something that would be quickly dismissed by a
    medical review.
        Senator Blumenthal and I sent a letter to DOD about these
    concerns and the impact on recruiting. We requested answers by
    October, but DOD claims they can't get answers to our questions
    for months because they are waiting on information from each of
    the four of you.
        So, to each of our four witnesses, do you commit to working
    with DOD to get us these answers by the end of the year?
    General Amrhein.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Yes, ma'am. Absolutely.
        Senator Warren. All right. I like that. General Bowers.
        Major General Bowers. Yes, ma'am. Absolutely.
        Senator Warren. All right. Good. Good. Admiral Walker.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Yes, ma'am. Absolutely.
        Senator Warren. All right, and General Davis.
        Major General Davis. Yes, ma'am.
        Senator Warren. Okay. We are going to hold you to this.
    There is a real disconnect between the perspective of
    recruiters on the ground, seeing how this electronic health
    record system is undermining their efforts to meet our
    recruiting goals, and DOD's willingness to fix this problem.
        So, if we are going to fix this problem, we need to make
    sure we are all rowing in the same direction. That was a Navy
    allusion. All right. Thank you. Senator Scott, up to you.
        Senator Scott. Thank you, Chairwoman. First off, thanks,
    everybody, for your willingness to serve. Thank you for the
    sacrifice you have given and your families.
        You know, when I joined at 18, when I joined the Navy. I,
    if I think back, I think the President was--but I never thought
    about that. I never thought about the politics of being in the
    service. I went in because I wanted to serve, and there is a
    perception now that the military has become political.
        It is, you know, for whoever is the Commander-in-Chief. The
    Reagan Institute survey found, say--they say that the public's
    confidence in the military is dropping. Yes, fortunately, it is
    not the level of Congress or the media, but slower than it has
    been.
        So, they say the rate--they say that the primary
    influencers like military parents or relatives, teachers,
    coaches are less likely to encourage young people to go into
    the military because of, the military has become political.
        So, can each of you talk about, do you believe that is
    true? Is that what you are hearing? What if it is, you know,
    how are you dealing with it? Do you want to start, General
    Davis.
        Major General Davis. Yes. Thank you, sir. If I can add, and
    I have talked to many applicants, families, influencers across
    the Nation, and I will tell you, one of the major things that
    comes up is really awareness.
        I think this awareness is very critical as this
    population--so I will provide two examples. You know, first, we
    have in certain high schools during COVID without recruiters,
    so that's an entire, you know, two really, you know, coming of
    age generations without information to really understand the
    power of service.
        The other population of influencers, and I use always my
    own example. When I grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, my
    grandfather was a World War II vet. I spent a lot of time with
    him. But many of the homeowners on the North side of Milwaukee
    were also World War II or Korea war vets.
        Now, they were the ones that really answered my questions
    as a young 10 or 11 year old whenever I had an idea of service
    because they all spoke of it whenever they came together and I
    was always intrigued and had many, many questions. That is not
    the same today as in terms of that population.
        So, I mean, I have served, and I have moved all over the
    world with my family and we have been sometimes the only Army
    family in a neighborhood off post. So, I think this is--
    awareness is a key category. Again, sir, that is one of the
    things that really come up.
        Senator Scott. So, that makes sense. What do you think of
    this polarization? You know, there is this perception now that
    the military is a political part of whoever is in the White
    House. So, are you not hearing that? So, you think this is----
        Major General Davis. That is--and sir, I have talked to
    many families. I am not hearing that certainly at the level
    that it is what is----
        Senator Scott. Have you seen that report that they----
        Major General Davis. Negative, sir.
        Senator Scott. Yes, okay, and you just don't--it doesn't
    make sense to you? Okay. Admiral.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Sir, thank you. Likewise, we are not
    seeing that in the young women and men that we are recruiting.
    Through our marketing and advertising, we want to show the
    ability for every American to be successful and those are the
    stories that we share through authentic experiences and
    relating with the American public that we serve.
        As you have mentioned, 40 years ago, if you had 10 dinner
    tables, 4 in 10 of those dinner tables would have had a parent,
    a teacher who served. Today, it is roughly 1 in 10. So, we are
    trying to fill that narrative space about the positivity and
    benefits of service that isn't happening around the dinner
    table.
        Senator Scott. General.
        Major General Bowers. Senator, thank you for the question.
    We aggressively compete for the best talent in every gender and
    demographic group in the country, period.
        We do this by projecting our ethos and core values of
    honor, courage, commitment. We find that young men and women of
    character who want to be part of something bigger than
    themselves are responding to that call.
        Senator Scott. So, you are not hearing from your potential
    recruits that the military has become political?
        Major General Bowers. Senator, we are not hearing that.
    That is not a part of the recruiting pitch. That is not part of
    who we are.
        Senator Scott. That is how--you are not getting ask, so.
        Major General Bowers. Senator, no.
        Senator Scott. Okay. General.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Senator, like my joint
    colleagues here, I think the story is very similar. That does
    not resonate with the issues that are on the minds of the
    recruits from a recruiting force.
        I think General Davis captured it as well as the others, I
    think this is about awareness and telling our story, and making
    sure that, you know, that that divide that Admiral Walker
    brought out about how many have that common understanding of
    military service is very, very important.
        That is on me to be able to do to ensure that our
    recruiters, every airman and guardian in our Air and Space
    Forces are charged to be recruiters and tell that story. Within
    that story, we are an apolitical entity by nature.
        Senator Scott. So, you are not hearing it either?
        Brigadier General Amrhein. No, sir.
        Senator Scott. Good. Thanks.
        Senator Warren. All right. Thank you. Senator Kaine.
        Senator Kaine. Thank you, Madam Chair, and to the
    witnesses, thank you for your service. Just to level set here,
    General, I think you indicated that the Air Force did not meet
    its recruiting guidelines for the first time in 23 years. Is
    that correct?
        Brigadier General Amrhein. That is correct, sir. Since
    1999.
        Senator Kaine. General Bowers, you indicated the marines
    did meet their recruiting guidelines, correct?
        Major General Bowers. Yes, Senator.
        Senator Kaine. Admiral Walker, for how many years has the
    Navy not met its recruiting guidelines?
        Rear Admiral Walker. Fiscal year 2022 was the--our first
    time, fiscal year 2023, excuse me, was the first time we hadn't
    made it.
        Senator Kaine. Okay, and then General Davis, how about for
    the Army?
        Major General Davis. Last 2022 and 2023.
        Senator Kaine. Okay. So, relatively recent phenomenon.
    Marines haven't experienced it yet, but you are wary, and you
    are not complacent. I thought it was interesting, the Air Force
    recent phenomenon. Space Force doing okay. General Bowers, you
    used a word we don't hear in the committee room a lot,
    mystical.
        We don't hear that in a lot of testimony. But I do think
    there may be a bit of a mystique about both the marines and
    Space Force that can help, so we might think about, is there a
    way to replicate that more broadly? I will admit some bias as
    the father of a marine, but I do think that sort of mystique as
    an issue.
        We had testimony at a hearing earlier this year before the
    full committee where the Army presented results of a survey
    about this propensity to serve question. I thought it was
    interesting because what we heard, and I think that this could
    be generalized potentially to other service branches beyond the
    Army, is the top reason that people expressed an unwillingness
    was a belief that they would fall behind their colleagues.
        So, I am going through high school. I have some talent. I
    have colleagues who are thinking about going to college. There
    is a belief among those, and it may be those who don't have
    military members in their families, but the stories that they
    are hearing or maybe the stories that they are not hearing,
    lead them to conclude that if they serve in the military, yes,
    they can be some--part of something greater than themselves.
        That is a plus, and they are not overly worried about their
    physical safety. That was not one of the top issues. But they
    worry that if they serve in the military, they are going to
    fall behind so that at 4 years or 8, or 20, or 30, when they
    leave, those who didn't serve in the military will have moved
    ahead of them in terms of opportunities.
        I think that is a really key issue. So, talk about how you
    are trying to solve that issue to convince young people that
    service in the military, in addition to having patriotic
    benefits, is something that with tuition assistance and the
    leadership training you get, as well as the technical training,
    you are not falling behind anybody.
        In fact, you are getting the ability to trampoline to
    higher and higher levels of success. Talk about how you make
    that pitch to young people.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Thank you for the question. I believe
    that individuals join the Navy for one of three reasons, to get
    away from something, to get to something, or to change
    something about themselves, all with the idea of becoming a
    better version of themselves.
        To a young woman or man who would say, I am delaying. I
    would say, absolutely not. If you are coming out of high
    school, as you mentioned, we will train you in a skill set and
    give you that experience there.
        If you are already in service or in industry and not ready
    to commit full time, you can join us as part of the Reserves.
    You mentioned tuition assistance and a robust GI bill that will
    enable you to further your education as well.
        So, all of these--you build leadership skills, you build
    teamwork skills, enable you to either develop or continue with
    the career path and a lifestyle. So, I would tell them that the
    Navy offers every opportunity to be successful, however they
    define it.
        Major General Davis. Sir, thanks. The fall behind, the
    leaving the family, deploying, I have seen that, sir. You know,
    I also thought about the same things, about the--you know, as
    an 18 year old in Wisconsin.
        But what I have learned and what I share is, I first of all
    share my Army story that this is certainly a life accelerator.
    We are, you know, acting on this with our future, just current
    generation. I use that example as the Future Soldier Prep
    Course, those that would not otherwise qualify.
        We have said, no, they are fully qualified, Let's bring
    them in and invest in them. The success of that, as I have--and
    I would offer everyone to take the opportunity to visit, is
    transformational because those young men and women that are
    now--we are investing in, they see the acceleration in their
    careers and their lives and now are going on to basic combat
    training and serving in leadership positions. That confidence
    continues to go.
        Senator Kaine. My time is almost expiring--[technical
    problems]. We are facing similar recruiting challenges in the
    military industrial base. Hiring people in to be shipbuilders,
    sub-builders, etcetera.
        The Navy has stood up a training facility in Danville,
    Virginia to train the submarine base of the future that is
    really interesting, and my staff and I have been visiting and
    watching it in action. One of the speakers at a recent
    graduation was there training to be a shipbuilder and had been
    referred there by a recruiter.
        Some of the people who may not meet all of your
    qualifications, and please keep your standards high, they still
    want to serve the country. Just because they may not meet the
    qualification to come into one of the service branches, there
    are other ways they can serve the defense mission of this
    country.
        In this instance, this individual had been told, hey, here
    is a program where you can train to be a shipbuilder. You can
    train to build subs, and the person was doing it with a real
    patriotic sense of duty and service to the country, even though
    they weren't going to be wearing the U.S. uniform.
        So, I hope we might combine the recruiting challenges both
    for our Active Duty and Reservist, and our industrial base.
    Maybe share best practices and even refer back and forth,
    because all aspects of this spectrum of defense right now need
    some help in the workforce side in a tight labor market, and I
    think we can help each other out. With that, I will yield back,
    Madam Chair.
        Senator Warren. Thank you. Senator Budd.
        Senator Budd. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thanks for
    hosting this to my colleague from Virginia, Danville, Virginia.
    Virginia is awfully close to North Carolina, so perhaps we
    could learn what you are learning up there. Absolutely.
        So, the services, most of the services are facing the most
    difficult recruiting environment since the inception of an All-
    Volunteer Force. As we heard in the opening statements, Air
    Force, Navy, Army all failed to reach their recruiting goals
    this year. General Bowers, congratulations. Appreciate your
    work.
        To address the recruiting crisis, I believe we must focus
    on increasing the number of Americans eligible to serve and to
    seek ways to increase the propensity to serve. So, I would like
    to ask each of you, if you would, to talk about--and it is a
    four part question, if you will. Talk about one, the ways that
    the service is working to expand the pool of eligible
    applicants.
        Second, without lowering standards, and I think in some
    opening statements you all mention about not lowering
    standards. Three, increasing propensity to serve.
        Four, what can't the services do that you all need help
    from us on? If we begin with Air Force and work our way across.
    Just brief answers, if you would. I have got a couple of other
    questions.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Okay, sir. Thank you. From a
    ways to expand the pool, again, we have used our rebuilt
    strategic plan to really get after this, sir. Some of this is
    in marketing, being able to get into places and spaces we have
    not explored before.
        Some of the partnerships that are discussed, all with
    identifying the aim to identify talent. Additionally, we have
    developed an e-recruiter program that actually has the ability
    to take what we call national leads and continue to work them
    through the process. So, that gets us into spaces that we may
    have not been able to work before and gives us capacity within
    the line recruiter force to maybe work some of the more direct
    or lengthy session pieces on that.
        So, our e-recruiter works a lot where the medical process
    or other is what we call a simple screen. That is into
    opportunity that then gives bandwidth for our recruiters to be
    out and about and in spaces that are not. Additionally, we do
    have a detachment within the headquarters.
        It is called Detachment One, and its aim is to bolster
    aviation opportunities in underrepresented areas for those that
    have never had the opportunity maybe to fly or even see an
    airplane, or what it does, as well as marry that up with our
    wings.
        We have several wings that fall under that or inspire wings
    to do that in that capacity. So those are a few of the ways
    across the spectrum of what we aim to do that expand to be able
    to have opportunities for folks of quality to come into our
    force.
        Senator Budd. Thank you.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Yes, sir.
        Senator Budd. General Bowers.
        Major General Bowers. Thank you, Senator.
        Senator Budd. Well done on hitting your goals.
        Major General Bowers. Thank you, Senator. In the Marine
    Corps, we like to replace propensed with inspired. So, to say
    only 9 percent of the youth are propensed, that means there is
    91 percent waiting to be inspired.
        By our best marines, with our best commanders, projecting
    our ethos and core values the chance to be part of something
    larger than themselves, to truly make history, we find that it
    is working, attracting and inspiring the right young men and
    women of character to become marines.
        Major General Bowers. Thank you. Admiral Walker.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Expanding the pool, we have
    established, in mirroring what the Army did with their Future
    Soldier Prep Course, the Navy has instituted a Future Sailor
    Prep Course, both physical and academic, to allow as many
    people who are eligible and capable and meet our standards to
    join the Navy. We are adamant about not lowering our standards.
        We want people to meet them. In terms of increasing the
    population, our marketing and advertising campaign, we are able
    to communicate to our target demographic to share the full
    experience of what it means to be a sailor so that we can
    dispel any of the myths about service that concern them, and
    for help needed, a national call to service.
        When I say that I mean a conversation from public leaders
    about the benefits of service and how those--how sailors can
    use their service to further their lives. Those are the things
    that would help.
        Senator Budd. Thank you. General Davis, I want to ask you,
    in addition to that, in the limited time that I have, in your
    written testimony, you highlight the Army's recruiting
    enterprise transformation plan.
        So, what benefits does the Army anticipate achieving from
    these new reforms, and when does the Army expect these to be
    finalized?
        Major General Davis. Thank you, Senator, for that question.
    Some of these will occur right away, Senator. So example, how
    we prospect may--the techniques that we train our recruiters on
    how to do this may change quickly.
        Because I believe some of the techniques by which we are
    using, or our recruiters are connecting with the current
    generation, is really unchanged from when they contacted me in
    high school.
        So, that is one area--that some of the things that we may
    change very quickly. In terms of the workforce, that is another
    area, Senator, that may take a little bit longer because now we
    have got to look at each, how we train, how we select, and what
    is the particular knowledge, skills, and behaviors we want from
    future recruiters.
        That is different than from what it is right now. So, all
    of these are being looked at right now from our operational
    planning teams. They are briefing--I mean, the briefs are going
    directly to the Secretary of the Army and the Chief of Staff
    for the Army for approval.
        But these are actively ongoing, in addition to, hey, what
    can we do right now to, hey, do we need to expand, you know,
    Future Soldier Prep Course? What additional structure do we
    need to act on a particular initiative?
        Senator Budd. General, as this rolls out, will you commit
    to keeping us informed about developments on this?
        Major General Davis. Yes, Senator.
        Senator Budd. Thank you. I yield back.
        Senator Warren. Thank you, Senator Budd. Senator Hirono.
        Senator Hirono. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Thank you
    all for coming to testify. I know that you all are facing major
    challenges because private sector is very busy trying to entice
    people to join up with them, and so, you know, you are facing a
    lot of those kinds of challenges.
        I have to assume that you are wanting to attract people
    from all backgrounds, all racial backgrounds, et cetera, et
    cetera. I am wondering whether, as we have an awareness of some
    realities such as the barracks that are uninhabitable and there
    are these quality of life issues, I am wondering in your
    recruitment efforts, do your potential recruits ask about
    things like, where do I get to live?
        You know, what is the quality of life conditions? So, do
    you get those kinds of questions, and are those barriers to
    people signing up with you all? Any of you. No? It is not a
    problem?
        Major General Davis. Yes. So, the questions we get for many
    of our applicants, two things, hey, do I have an opportunity to
    select duty--station of choice. That is a big one, and so, that
    is really connected with the current population.
        In terms of quality of life, we tell our--you know, we
    train our recruiters share your story because quality of life
    is a huge decision factor in terms of service to the country.
    Barracks, you know, it has not come up, but from parents that I
    speak with, ma'am, yes, it does come up. Hey, I want to make
    sure quality of life is in place.
        I will tell you all, this is a priority for the Secretary
    and the Chief of Staff of the Army. We are just--they just
    spoke about that earlier today.
        Senator Hirono. I mean, really when--let's say that you are
    successful in recruiting and then they show up at their
    barracks and it is really bad condition, mold, etcetera.
        So, we do need to improve those elements of service. That
    is why there is a program, pilot program to give military
    secretaries greater authority to replace substandard barracks
    and standardize barrier requirements.
        So, that is something that some--that I have certainly
    pushed for. Now, you mentioned, you agree that diversity is
    important. You need to attract all kinds of people. I know
    that, for example, and this is for General Bowers, there was a
    report that there were only five African American marine
    fighter pilots, which is not even 1 percent of the marine
    fighter force.
        General Bowers, the results of an independent study
    regarding the lack of diversity in pilots concluded the Marine
    Corps cannot overcome generations of discrimination and
    mistrust merely by removing barriers to participation in top
    tier jobs, such as fighter pilots.
        Instead, it must establish new pathways to reach and
    recruit African Americans and entrust the role of, ``chief
    diversity officer'' to the commandant himself. General Bowers,
    what is the Marine Corps doing to address these concerns?
        Major General Bowers. Yes, Senator. Thank you for the
    question. As noted, the Marine Corps is aggressively competing
    for the best talent in every gender and demographic group in
    the country.
        For our officer recruiting mission for fiscal year 2023
    just concluded, we had the highest diversity percentage we have
    ever had. So, it is working. Our message is resonating with
    young men and women of character out there. We will continue to
    aggressively compete in every--for every market.
        I think the issue becomes also one of retention and how we
    retain our best marines, which is a priority of our commandant.
        Senator Hirono. Well, that is another issue. So, can we
    look forward to having more than five African American fighter
    pilots at some point?
        Major General Bowers. Yes, ma'am.
        Senator Hirono. How long do you think that would take?
        Major General Bowers. Ma'am, I am not the Deputy Commandant
    for marine aviation. I know that we are assessing African
    American officers. They are doing well. I can take that one for
    the record and get back to you, ma'am.
        Senator Hirono. We want them to succeed. I am not talking
    about fast tracking, but some of these things have to be done
    in an intentional way. I would like it to be noted that we pay
    attention to the kind of opportunities that are created for our
    people. There is just one more thing, ma'am.
        Oh, well, is it okay--I just want to. You are going to stop
    me? If you don't mind, there was a time where single parents
    could not join without requiring them to resign custody of
    their children.
        I believe that that is something that is being changed. Is
    that limitation being changed in terms of your recruiting?
        Rear Admiral Walker. Yes, ma'am. One of the initiatives
    that we put in place in fiscal year 2023 is a single parent
    waiver that allows a single parent to have up to two dependents
    under the age of 18, but no younger than one, and join our Navy
    and continue to serve.
        Senator Hirono. So, do the rest of you allow single parents
    to join?
        Major General Bowers. We have a process whereby they can
    join, ma'am. Yes, ma'am.
        Senator Hirono. Okay.
        Major General Davis. Same, ma'am.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. We do as well, ma'am.
        Senator Hirono. Yes. I think you also should think about
    cryopreservation as a way to help, especially women, but men
    too, in terms of family planning. It would enable, I think,
    more of them to contemplate joining because of that option.
    Thank you.
        Senator Scott. Thanks, Senator Hirono. Senator Sullivan.
        Senator Sullivan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and gentlemen,
    thank you for your testimony on a really important topic. I
    wanted to ask all four of you very quickly, first question is,
    in terms of access.
        I read somewhere that over 5,000 high schools don't allow
    recruiters on their campus. Maybe that is wrong. Maybe that is
    right. But what is your experience in that regard? Are there
    any high schools in America who are saying to you all, hey,
    sorry, we don't want you here?
        My view is, we shouldn't allow that, right, that high
    school doesn't want the Navy to come recruit and whatever
    Federal funds that high school is begging for, they don't get a
    dime. Similarly with universities. I went to a university that
    banned ROTC [Reserve Officer Training Corps] for over half
    century. Pathetic, in my view.
        They are talking about leadership and then they kick off
    ROTC. When I went, I went to Harvard, they had a club called
    the Spartacus Youth Club on campus. It was a club dedicated to
    young communists, but they didn't allow Army, Air Force, Navy,
    ROTC on campus. Shows Harvard's values.
        But again, under Federal law, universities are not allowed
    to ban ROTC on campus, or they lose Federal dollars. So, my
    first question to all of you is, is there anywhere you have
    seen problems with access, either universities or high schools,
    where they just tell you, hey, sorry, you are not welcome here?
        Because, and maybe we take it for the record. I would like
    a list. I would like a list, right. Defending the Nation is
    everybody's job, and if we have high schools or universities
    who are saying, sorry, Army, you are not good enough for us,
    the Congress of the United States, the Senate should know.
        So, just very quickly, are there--have you run into that?
    Are you hearing about that? Somewhere I read about 5,000 high
    schools, which to me seem like a lot.
        Major General Davis. Sir, that is a--that seems like a lot.
    That is not what we are seeing in the Army. It is not so much
    that access is a problem.
        What I would offer is, I think, meaningful access, wherever
    a young recruiter shows up to a particular school, they will
    say, absolutely, you are welcome, but we would like you to set
    up your recruiting table let's say in the cafeteria 16 on
    Friday.
        So meaningful access we can get your help in terms of
    having our young recruiters share their story across all of the
    U.S.
        Senator Sullivan. Okay. Any other thoughts on that? Then
    again, I would like, if you don't mind all of you to take that
    for the record and maybe a little bit more of a deep dive,
    because it is really important. If there is a couple high
    schools and universities who are banning you guys, I would like
    to know.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Likewise, meaningful access, and what
    we notice is inconsistency in that access where one school will
    allow you to come in on a weekly basis, but another maybe only
    on a monthly basis. So that is the access challenge. But
    broadly speaking, we are not seeing any denial of access.
        Senator Sullivan. Okay. General.
        Major General Bowers. Senator, thank you for the question.
    What we did see in school years 2021 and 2022 where recruiters
    basically lost the ability to run a yearlong high school
    program due to the shutdowns due to COVID.
        Senator Sullivan. Right.
        Major General Bowers. So, what we have done in the Marine
    Corps is an aggressive training program for our marine
    recruiters to run an effective high school program with
    periodic access. We are seeing this is working. It is really
    getting that muscle memory back where recruiters are frequently
    visiting all their high schools.
        Senator Sullivan. Okay.
        Major General Bowers. Thank you, sir.
        Senator Sullivan. General.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Senator, thank you for that. I
    would agree with my colleagues across the board here. COVID did
    put a natural hindrance, I think, in access to schools writ
    large.
        We are not seeing systemic any schools, but I will take the
    point for the record to get precision back to you. But to their
    point, it is conditional access rather than full fettered in
    certain aspects.
        I think that aspect is what is very critical, is to be able
    to do that. Like General Bowers, we have also--coming out of
    COVID, part of our training program was to reinforce the
    operations to get into the schools so we could reconnect with
    them.
        But I think that--so you have that piece of it. But very
    much so, I have not seen systemic denials. Just qualified
    access.
        Senator Sullivan. Great. Let me, Mr. Chairman, I will wrap
    up with just two questions. General Davis, you talked about
    this issue, which I think is a really big one, how the number
    of people who are serving has diminished so you don't have the
    connection that you would normally.
        Are you working at all with veterans service organizations
    or groups like that? That is one question, and then just trying
    to get these under the timeline so the chairman doesn't gavel
    me out here.
        General Bowers, I know I am a little biased here, but I do
    know a lot about--a little bit more than some about Marine
    Corps recruiting. I know that in the Marine Corps, and your bio
    is a good testament to this, there has been a tradition for
    decades to put the top marines in recruiting. It is tough duty
    because you have got to make your mission every month. But it
    also kind of helps you in terms of promotion, right.
        So, at the end, it is not unusual at all to see several
    general officers and even Commandant of the Marine Corps who
    are--who had done recruiting before. So, that is an ethos that
    I think has been healthy, where it brings the top military
    officers and enlisted marines to do recruiting.
        So, do you think that is a model that is helping with
    regard to the numbers that the marines are meeting? I would be
    interested in the other services looking at that model. But
    General, can we start with you?
        Major General Davis. Yes, sir. So, absolutely. I am
    actively engaged with the VSOs. I have traveled extensively to
    speak at their conferences, either VFW, you name it, Foreign
    Legion.
        Just recently, I have sent a letter to every retiree in the
    United States Army through the Echoes to ask all of them for
    a--to really call to service to help us out there get the word
    out as influencers.
        Senator Sullivan. Great. So that is a good partnership.
        Major General Davis. Yes, sir.
        Senator Sullivan. Excellent. General Bowers.
        Major General Bowers. Senator, thank you for the question.
    It absolutely is a factor in the Marine Corps. It absolutely
    helps our culture, the ethos of Marine Corps recruiting, having
    our best marines, our best commanders out there on recruiting
    duty to attract and inspire the youth of America.
        Major General Bowers. All right. Any other, General,
    Admiral, do you want to comment on either of those two
    questions?
        Rear Admiral Walker. Absolutely. We are engaged with our
    veteran population, and it is part of a broader effort for our
    war on talent and call to service by the entire fleet.
        What we know from our historical data is this, is that if a
    recruiter walks out of his or her front door, it typically
    takes 10 individuals for that recruiter to garner one contract.
    If they walk out of that door with a referral from anyone, that
    ratio drops to 7 to 1.
        But if they walk out the door with a referral from anyone
    in the Navy, Active, enlisted, or Active Duty Reserve, retired
    or civilian, that ratio drops to 5 to 1. So, capitalizing on
    folks who have experience helps the recruiting effort.
        Senator Sullivan. Right. General, do you have any last
    comments on this?
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Yes, sir. Thank you for that as
    well. We have bolstered our partnership with veterans
    organizations and other civic leadership organizations that are
    out there. Most specifically and most recently, Air and Space
    Forces Association, the AFA, has stood up its own recruiting
    task force as well, and so we partnered with them.
        Many of them have served before, and so, part of this is
    telling our story. If somebody is there to be able to tell the
    story, the Air Force or Space Force story, then that is a
    multiplier, a force multiplier, and falls into our total force
    recruiting network.
        We are looking to expand that with Civil Air Patrol in the
    near horizon and develop the TTPs, tactics, techniques, and
    procedures for them. We don't need them necessarily to be
    specific recruiters, but we need them to be able to be there,
    be present, be in the spaces, and inform what our Air and Space
    service is about.
        Senator Sullivan. Great. Thank you. Thank you, Mr.
    Chairman. Madam Chair.
        Senator Warren. Thank you. Senator Blumenthal.
        Senator Blumenthal. Thanks very much. Thanks for being
    here. The reason I came to this hearing was to ask the two
    questions that Senator Sullivan has just asked you.
        [Laughter.]
        Senator Blumenthal. So, it just shows marines think alike.
    But what I would like to do is work with Senator Sullivan to
    submit more detailed questions on this access to educational
    institutions, because I have just discovered when I went to
    recruiters around Connecticut that in fact, the access is very
    diverse.
        When you talk about meaningful access, a couple of
    recruiters have told me, well, you know, they have career days
    at high schools. We are not permitted to come to the career
    days. They say to us, okay, you can come on Tuesday morning
    between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., just as students are working--
    have you ever been in a high school at these moments when the
    halls are filled with students rushing to their classes?
        You can have this corner over here. So, we are not denying
    access. We are going to give you this opportunity to be here.
    But not when it's career day, and they are booths, and
    everybody is going from one booth to another.
        So, I would like to explore in greater detail with Senator
    Sullivan. Maybe we will write you something or do something a
    little bit more formal. But I think this is really an important
    topic because it shows, going to your--you use this nice word,
    a euphemism, awareness.
        I just think there are a lot of parents who do not
    understand how good this would be for their kids as a career.
    You know, the skills they are going to learn, the discipline,
    all the stuff that you know very well. It is your selling
    point.
        To go to something, to get away from something, or to do a
    better version of yourself. Much better version of themselves
    coming out of the military. I would also like to explore as
    best we can this second question of, is the military devoting
    its ablest to recruiting? It doesn't have to be to the
    exclusion of everyone else.
        But you are presiding over a force. It should be a force of
    people. I want to make sure that we do as private industry
    does, and they focus on recruiting with their best people,
    putting their best foot forward as role models for those people
    who are out there trying to enlist people. We have an All-
    Volunteer--so, All-Volunteer Military.
        So, I want to drill down on that, not necessarily here,
    because it is probably a question that you want to answer--
    well, maybe we can explore it off the record rather than in the
    formality of an on the record proceeding where everything is
    taken down. Let me come back to this question of medical
    waivers, and I want to second what Senator--what you have heard
    from Senator Warren so powerfully.
        You know, the simple fact is that young people today just
    aren't as healthy as they were a decade ago, two decades ago.
    We see that in your numbers. I believe that is correct. You can
    say I am wrong in a couple of minutes when I give you the
    chance to say something.
        When I enlisted, when I went to Parris Island, even then, I
    don't know what the proportion was, I lost count, but a major
    number of recruits couldn't make it through 11 weeks at Parris
    Island.
        I don't know how many weeks it is now, and that is not a
    bad thing. You know, the fact that there are demands. My son,
    who was a Navy Seal, he went through BUD/S. He was, I think,
    one of--part of 10 percent that actually made it. Not a bad
    thing that people want to be a Navy Seal and maybe they can't
    make it.
        So, I am wondering whether we can--we should and can modify
    the medical requirements in a way that gives you the chance to
    shape young people who are probably overweight, a lot of them.
    Maybe not as sharp as they should be.
        Again, I, since I am out of time, unfortunately, I will
    have to beg the indulgence of the chairwoman for you to answer,
    but is that something that you think should be pursued? Admiral
    Walker.
        [The information referred to follows:]

        Brigadier General Amrhein. To overcome continued impacts of
    fitness shortfalls, the Army implemented the Future Soldier
    Preparatory Course (FSPC) program in August 2022. This program
    includes a fitness component to help recruits who are otherwise
    qualified for service to meet the Army's desired accession
    standards for body fat composition prior to basic training.
    3,893 recruits have graduated from the fitness component and
    moved on to basic training. This component of the FSPC has
    proven successful in unlocking potential within new recruits
    and demonstrates the continued Army investment in the youth of
    America without lowering accessions standards. The investment
    in these soldiers is resulting in a higher commitment to the
    Army.

        Rear Admiral Walker. Thank you. So, CNO recently signed out
    a personal forward message on the war for talent, and
    capitalizing on every sailor recruiter, because we do believe
    that every sailor, and that includes our civilians as well, is
    a recruiter.
        In that initiative, we have tasked all 5,000 commands in
    the Navy to identify and nurture an applicant through the
    process to bring them into the Navy. So, we are capitalizing on
    the full strength and full force of the Navy to help us bring
    in talented individuals into service.
        With regard to expanding the pool or improving performance,
    our Future Sailor Prep Course is we have a physical fitness one
    and an academic one. We stood up physical fitness in April
    2023.
        Our academic is in pilot right now. In full disclosure, we
    looked at the Army as a learning organization and said they are
    doing something really good there and we should do that too. On
    the physical fitness side, since that program has been and run,
    we have taken individuals who are outside of Navy physical
    fitness standards and through a 3-week course, enrollable up to
    90 days, have brought 95 percent of them within standards so
    that they could class up and participate in our basic military
    training.
        Our academic side is still in pilot right now, but we are
    seeing early successes where we are teaching individuals more
    problem solving skills and giving them the tools to improve
    performance so that they can move from one category of the
    ASVAB to a higher category, expanding the range of jobs
    available to them.
        But both of these initiatives are helping us to expand the
    pool and be more accessible to young women and men who want to
    serve.
        Senator Blumenthal. Thank you. In deference to my
    colleagues, I am going to ask that you respond in writing
    because two of my colleagues are here. But I really appreciate
    your very thoughtful and insightful testimony today. It is
    very, very important. Thank you.
        Senator Warren. Thank you, and thank you, Senator
    Blumenthal. Senator King.
        Senator King. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you for
    welcoming me to the committee, even though I am an interloper.
        A couple of questions for the record. Thank you. I would
    appreciate it if you all could give me some research on the
    relationship between the unemployment rate and recruiting. My
    sense is that one of the reasons we are having problems with
    recruiting is that we have probably--I can't remember a lower
    unemployment rate. In other words, young people have so many
    job options today.
        It would be interesting to see whether what we are seeing
    is some kind of structural problem or whether it is in major
    part a reflection of the State of the economy. So, perhaps
    someone at the Pentagon could look into that research. Second,
    I would be interested in some data on geographic diversity.
        In other words, where are your recruits coming from? I am
    concerned, I have seen data in the past, that our All-Volunteer
    Army and Navy and Marines and Coast Guard are turning in, and
    Air Force are turning into a geographically limited body. In
    other words, more recruiting from the South and Southwest, or
    more people coming in rather than from the North and the
    Northeast.
        So, I would be interested in that data. One of the
    problems--I am from Maine. One of the problems is we have lost
    Active Duty military bases in the Northeast almost entirely, so
    our young people don't ever see anybody in uniform.
        We had a naval air station in Brunswick for 60 years, and
    kids grew up in Brunswick seeing the Navy on the street. They
    were their coaches and their friends and their schoolteachers,
    and that is something we have to sort of actively overcome.
        There is a lack of exposure to the military among young
    people. So, those are some general observations. Senator Mike
    Rounds and I have a bill that I think is common sense, that if
    you are a dreamer, if you are a DACA recipient and you join the
    military and you serve for 5 years, you then have a pathway to
    citizenship.
        I hope you agree with me that that would be a potent
    incentive for quality recruits. Admiral, do you think that
    would work for you?
        Rear Admiral Walker. Thank you. We are open to any tool
    that will expand the pool of eligibles to serve.
        Senator King. That is a bill that that we have that is
    active now, and I am hoping it is something that we can get
    general agreement on. It is just, again, it is common sense. If
    you have served your country for 5 years, then maybe a path to
    citizenship makes some sense. Marijuana.
        Forty-seven percent of America is now in a State where
    marijuana is legal. The question is, to what extent is that a
    barrier to recruitment? Is it a, you know, it is a question,
    have you ever used marijuana? Is that a box that if it is
    checked, they are out?
        If so, I think that is something we are going to--you are
    going to have to revisit simply because a lot of these young
    people are growing up in States where it is perfectly legal.
    You or I may not agree with that, but that is the reality.
    General, what are your thoughts?
        Major General Bowers. Thank you for the question, Senator.
    There is a process for those who have used marijuana before to
    access into the Marine Corps. But the Marine Corps is a drug
    free organization.
        Senator King. I get that. No--I am not suggesting that at
    all. I am just suggesting not being a disqualification if it is
    in your past.
        Major General Bowers. Yes, sir. There is a process where
    young men and women who have used marijuana before can become
    marines.
        Senator King. All of you have that policy?
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Yes, Senator.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Yes----
        Major General Davis. Yes----
        Senator King. Thank you. This is a marketing advice, as I
    mentioned with Senator Kaine. There are few jobs in our society
    where a young person can have as much responsibility and access
    to training as in the military.
        You should sell that. I seriously think, I would like to
    see an ad in the Super Bowl that says, you want to get a head
    start? Join the Army, join the Navy. It is an opportunity that
    young people have that I don't think is marketed as much. I
    mean, I see the ads and, you know, a few good men and they are
    good--they are good.
        But one of your selling points is that you are giving
    people an opportunity at training that they would have to pay
    thousands of dollars for if they were going to a community
    college, or an access to leadership that they would never get
    at the age of 22, or 23, or 24.
        So that is free advice for what it is worth. One objection
    I have heard on the recruiting process is paperwork. That it is
    too slow. One of my constituents was trying to sign up and they
    asked him for his fax number. Come on.
        [Laughter.]
        Senator King. We got to--and he kept getting forms that he
    had to fill out, and it was often the same information, what is
    your Social Security number? So, I think you ought to look at--
    pretend you are an applicant and see what you are given for
    paperwork and whether it is efficient, whether it is needed, or
    whether it is a barrier.
        I would urge you to take a look at that, and the final
    question or comment is retention. One way to alleviate the
    recruiting problem is to have people stay longer. Is that a
    focus of your services, General?
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Sir, retention is a focus for, I
    think, all the services, and for the Air and Space Force as
    well. What I can say is right now in our Air Force, our
    retention rates are unbelievably high.
        I can get you--I can followup with specificity on the
    actual numbers. But to your point, those retention rates to
    retain have actually have trickle on effects with the ability
    within the Guard and Reserve because normally people would
    choose to complete their Active Duty service and choose to go
    do anything else.
        I do agree that retention is directly connected to a
    recruiting requirement. I can take any specifics back to the
    Air Force. I have a one that manages our retention, as far as
    if you would like specifics on retention initiatives. But those
    two are interconnected, sir.
        Senator King. I would assume in your jobs you would want to
    be pushing on other folks about retention because it takes the
    pressure off recruiting. General.
        Major General Bowers. Yes, Senator, thank you for the
    question. Retention is absolutely important to the Marine
    Corps. Our former commandant made it a top priority and we
    exceeded our retention goals. Our current commandant has it a
    priority and we are already well ahead of our retention goals.
        Senator King. Thank you. Admiral.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Likewise, Navy enjoyed really healthy
    retention goals in fiscal year 2023, and not only for the
    Active Duty, but we use retention in terms of Active Duty
    transitioning to the Reserves because the Reserves are as
    important a mission as is our Active component force.
        Senator King. Great. General.
        Major General Davis. Yes, sir. High--I mean, historically
    high retention rates lately. In addition to that, we have
    turned to these soldiers who have determined--you know, I am
    having--quality life. I am doing a lot of great things. I want
    to stay on Active Duty. We have asked them for their referrals.
        So, that is what triggered us to start a soldier referral
    program. Over 35,000 referrals. We have got about 1,500 in the
    Army just based off of the soldier referrals.
        Senator King. Well, I would love to see an ad at the Super
    Bowl this year that says, get a head start, and I won't ask for
    a commission even, so.
        [Laughter.]
        Senator King. Isn't there a football game coming up this
    Saturday?
        [Laughter.]
        Senator King. You have got both of them here.
        Senator Warren. As a fellow New Englander, I appreciate
    your point, Senator King, and I want to reiterate it about the
    importance----
        Senator King. We see no military.
        Senator Warren.--of if we don't have military bases in New
    England, we will not have recruits from New England. If we
    don't have recruiters in New England, we will not have recruits
    from New England.
        If we want to have a military that serves all of America,
    we have got to be out there with our military and with our
    recruiters every place, not just in the South or places where
    it has been rich pickings in the past. All right. Good. Senator
    Duckworth.
        Senator Duckworth. Thank you. Thank you, Chairman. I have
    to say, you know, adding to this recruiting, I mean, only 15
    percent of today's youth have a parent who served compared to
    1995 when it was over 40 percent of our youth had a parent who
    served. It really is important for our young people to see
    people who served.
        I am going to switch a little bit back to, and you talk
    about the soldier referral program. At a Readiness subcommittee
    hearing this spring, I heard from General Alvin and General
    George, at the time the respective Vice Chiefs for the Air
    Force and the Army, and I asked about issues with aviation
    bonus pay.
        In both instances, the services failed to process retention
    pay paperwork correctly, negatively impacting its members. In
    fact, in the Reserve components, among Reserve forces, we have
    reports going of the services not processing bonus pay going
    back to 2018, literally years behind in paying.
        To all of our witnesses, do bonuses remain a key recruiting
    tool? Is your service properly trained and equipped to process
    these bonuses, and deliver them in a timely manner to
    servicemembers?
        Rear Admiral Walker. Yes, ma'am. Bonuses remain an integral
    part to the recruiting effort, particularly in placement in our
    high demand ratings, think of nuclear, cyber warfare,
    information warfare, and our services posture to administer the
    bonus program.
        Senator Duckworth. Are you administering them in a timely
    manner? Are people getting their bonuses in time?
        Rear Admiral Walker. Yes, ma'am, they are.
        Major General Bowers. Thank you for the question, Senator.
    Bonuses really are not an important part of our recruiting
    process. We do have bonuses. They are processed in a timely
    manner, but they are not why young men and women choose to
    become marines.
        Senator Duckworth. Okay. Thank you.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Ma'am, our accession bonus
    program is effective. It is timely. It similar to the Navy. It
    has a weighted rating for some of the most challenged areas,
    such as special warfare and certain maintenance areas.
        We find--I have not gotten any feedback that the accession
    bonus program has not been timely in its payout, nor the
    enhanced college loan repayment program that was put in place
    to assume college loan up to $65,000 for anybody wishing to
    come into the service of the Air Force.
        Senator Duckworth. I would take a look at the Air Guard and
    the Air Force--and the Reserve forces as well. General Davis.
        Major General Davis. Yes, Senator. The bonuses remain an
    effective tool. What we have been able to do is align the
    bonuses with the focus, you know, military occupational skills.
    Right now, you know, infantry, you know, armor, field
    artillery, air defense artillery.
        So that is where we are aligning the--really precision with
    the bonus, but no problems in terms of a payout or nor the long
    repayment.
        Senator Duckworth. I would ask the Army and the Air Force
    specifically to go re-look, rethink your answers and look
    deeper, because I think there are problems. But please go
    further than that.
        Obviously, we have talked already about how the Marine
    Corps and the Space Force have met their recruiting goals. The
    other branches haven't.
        I would like to hear from each of you, what are the
    recruiting challenges that are unique to your service in
    particular, and what efforts are you trying to take into nest
    your recruiting needs within your unique force designs? Is
    there anything that we here in Congress can do to help you?
        Major General Davis. For the Army, the key with us is
    really getting all of the--I think, again, it goes back to the
    awareness, ma'am, that not everyone understands the 150 plus
    MOS [military occupational specialty].
        I think as we get around, I think our youth only understand
    maybe 15 or 20. But you name it from, cyber, UAS pilots, all of
    the key areas that are the really moving hot career fields
    right now are situated in the Army.
        That is really what is unique for us. It is just so many
    MOS and trying to get that word out. Then training our
    recruiters to be able to share that, that is really unique to
    us.
        Senator Duckworth. Okay. Thank you. Admiral Walker.
        Rear Admiral Walker. What we found in our analysis is that
    there is awareness broadly that we have a Navy, but what that
    Navy does specifically in peacetime is often not well
    understood. As an example, one of our surveys, you know, asked,
    which service is the most important?
        The response was the Air Force and principally wrapped
    around the reason, aircraft carriers. That when folks believe
    that everything military aviation belongs to the Air Force,
    once we are associated carriers with the Navy, the Navy became
    the most important force.
        So, educating our public about what the Navy does are both
    in conflict and in peacetime would be helpful. This is also,
    how you can help is in the narrative about service writ large,
    ma'am.
        Senator Duckworth. Thank you. General Bowers.
        Major General Bowers. Thank you for the question, ma'am.
    Our challenges in Marine Corps recruiting are the same as they
    have always been. Not everybody is fit to be a marine. We are
    not for everybody.
        We are looking for those select few, again, young men and
    women of character who, you know, are attracted to the ethos
    and the core values of being part of something bigger than
    themselves.
        Senator Duckworth. Okay.
        Major General Bowers. Thank you.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. You know, thank you for the
    question. Similar to General Davis, and I would say that it is
    about familiarity with all of the jobs. We heard that story
    on--from Admiral Walker on aircraft and aircraft carriers.
        I think it is recognizable from a brand standpoint that the
    Air Force has airplanes, but we also have medical
    professionals, civil engineers, doctors, you know, maintainers
    to be able to generate that air power and making sure that
    everyone understands you over 200 different Air Force specialty
    code, jobs if you will, that can come in, is a key component.
        I think a very big challenge when we are maximizing our out
    and about and our outreach to the communities is telling that
    full story, getting every airmen and guardian to tell them what
    they do for their Air and Space Force.
        Senator Duckworth. Thank you. Thank you, Chairwoman.
        Senator Warren. Thank you, Senator Duckworth. So, young
    people who are considering joining the military place a lot of
    weight on how those who are currently serving are treated, and
    it makes sense, joining the military is a big honor, but it is
    also a life altering commitment that requires a lot of
    sacrifice.
        Major General Davis, the Army has the greatest recruiting
    challenges of all the services, so let me direct this question
    to you. Do you think that quality of life is an important
    factor for potential recruits and whether or not they decide to
    enlist?
        Major General Davis. Yes, Senator, quality of life is
    important. I mean, I have children in uniform. I have--whenever
    I have visited, I take a look at the barracks situation just
    like any parent would. So, I think it is so very important. It
    impacts retention and continued service. So, yes, I 100 percent
    agree.
        Senator Warren. Good. Very important, 100 percent. You
    know, your predecessor said quality of life is, ``fundamental''
    to both recruiting and retention. Now, it should be obvious,
    what a way to start a question, but the way that DOD drags
    their feet on some of the issues around quality of life really
    makes me wonder if they get it.
        I have found this particularly frustrating when it comes to
    privatized military housing. For years now, at Congress's
    insistence, the Department of Defense has promised to repair
    substandard housing.
        One of the reforms we passed into law was that the DOD
    would be required to create a public complaint data base, which
    would allow tenants to be able to submit their concerns about
    their housing.
        It would also give us a way to ensure accountability for
    housing contractors and give military families information
    about the quality of their housing. Three years, 3 years after
    this law went into effect, DOD is only now in the initial
    stages of making this happen.
        Major General Davis, do you think that being responsive to
    these families' concerns makes these families and their
    servicemember more or less likely to recommend military service
    to others in their community?
        Major General Davis. Yes, ma'am. If we have the families'
    back, they are more likely to recommend.
        Senator Warren. Yes. Well, you know what really bothers me
    here is we still don't even understand the full scope of the
    problem of substandard military housing because information is
    hidden from the public.
        For example, it was only through a FOIA [Freedom Of
    Information Act] request by a journalist that we learned that
    the Army was failing to properly inspect homes with lead based
    paint and asbestos containing materials just to make sure that
    they were safe to live in. 41 percent of the military homes had
    no survey identifying asbestos risk areas.
        So, Major General Davis, do you think it is reasonable for
    military families to expect the Army to do basic due diligence
    to make sure that servicemembers and their families aren't
    breathing in fibers that could give them cancer?
        Major General Davis. Yes, Senator.
        Senator Warren. I know the questions seem so obvious, but I
    don't know what else to do to get the DOD to respond here.
        You know, what frustrates me here is that we have these
    private contractors who run much of the military housing, and
    these companies refuse to provide these inspections because
    they claim it costs too much.
        Even some of our military leaders have dismissed concerns
    about housing or actually blame the soldiers and their
    families. In fact, the Army commander at Fort Bliss said, and I
    quote, ``I don't have a mold problem. I have got a discipline
    problem,'' and that the soldiers needed to be better at
    ``adulting.'' Major General Davis, do you think that remarks
    like this tell soldiers or potential recruits that the Army has
    their back?
        Major General Davis. Senator, I won't speak for those
    remarks, but I will say the Secretary, the Chief, and all of us
    have these families' backs.
        Senator Warren. Well, when we fail to fix obvious problems,
    we will lose people's trust. Because DOD has been too little,
    too late in fixing housing problems, I have turned up the heat
    again.
        I secured a provision in this year's National Defense
    Authorization Act to create a Military Housing Readiness
    Council to hold DOD and the services accountable. I will not
    let this drop. DOD's negligence is shameful. Military families
    deserve decent housing, and that means housing without mold,
    housing without rats, housing without sewer backups--decent
    basic housing.
        I am sick of DOD fighting us tooth and nail on addressing
    military families' legitimate concerns and then being shocked,
    shocked that they have recruiting problems. It is long past
    time for DOD to implement the public complaint system and make
    those data available to families.
        If they want to claim to put people first, then DOD and our
    military leadership need to walk the walk. Thank you. Senator
    Scott.
        Senator Scott. So, they made it easier when I was in there,
    and they didn't give us any. We didn't have any privatized
    housing. I wasn't around when that happened, but it didn't seem
    like the way it was set up, there was any accountability.
    General Davis, can you talk about the Army Recruiting
    Enterprise Transformation Initiative and how it is working, and
    why you did it?
        Major General Davis. Yes. Thank you, Senator. The
    transformation based on the announcement about a little over 5
    weeks ago is clearly underway. The operational planning team
    came together, about 100 personnel with expertise across many
    different areas.
        From force management to personnel policy, to contracting
    structure all came together and are looking at each of the
    particular areas based off of the Secretary's announcement. You
    know, how we prospect--what--you know, how we are changing the
    workforce.
        These are all huge fundamental changes that are huge for
    this Command. The biggest change this Command has underwent
    over the last really 20 plus years. Each one has a major set of
    recommendations for the Secretary, and they just finished--
    Senator, they just finished up over the last week.
        That first brief to our senior leaders will really occur
    next week for the Secretary and the Chief to consider.
        Senator Scott. Good luck. I went over the memo the Army
    recently released about COVID discharge upgrades. Can you tell
    us what the Army gave to the board that is going to adjudicate
    these claims? If a soldier refused a vaccine but did not ask
    for a religious or medical exemption, will they--is the Army
    going to upgrade their discharge?
        Major General Davis. Senator, I will have to take that for
    the record. I don't know all the different details, but what I
    will say is there is a process for those that want to return to
    the service. Matter of fact, I think as of last--a few days
    ago, I think number is about 57.
        That is not all back on Active Duty. That is some who are
    on Active Duty and some who are awaiting their ship days to
    return to the active force. So, that process is working. But in
    terms of where they are discharged, the status of that, I just
    got to come back and give you more----
        Senator Scott. How are each of you dealing with people that
    were discharged but they didn't ask for an exception?
        Rear Admiral Walker. Thank you. We have contacted everyone
    who provided valid contact information once the COVID vaccine
    was rescinded, requirement was rescinded, and let them know
    that they could petition for reinstatement through Navy
    Recruiting Command. Since then, we have had two personnel
    return to Active Duty.
        Major General Bowers. Thank you, Senator. We contacted all
    of those who were discharged for refusing the COVID vaccine. We
    have contacted them about coming back. We have had 14 come back
    and there is another one pending.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. So, similarly, our Air Force
    personnel, Senator, reached out to all to notify them on the
    opportunities to return and the process to do so.
        Senator Scott. Where are you all on having--on people that
    were discharged for not taking the vaccine have to pay for
    their training? Did you guys, any of you do that? Nobody did
    that?
        Brigadier General Amrhein. No, sir.
        Senator Scott. Okay. Let's go ahead.
        Senator Warren. Okay. I have got one more issue I want to
    talk about. A Department of Defense survey finds that one
    reason that people don't join the military is because they fear
    being injured or dying. It is understandable. It is part of the
    job.
        But while we all accept that there are risks that come with
    fighting the enemy on the battlefield, I am concerned that too
    many servicemembers are receiving lasting energies--injuries or
    losing their lives due to accidents. In fact, accidents have
    been one of the leading causes of death for Active Duty
    servicemembers.
        Last week, an Osprey based in Japan crashed during an Air
    Force Special Operations training accident, taking the life of
    Jake Galliher, a young father from Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
    He leaves behind his wife, Ivy, and two little boys. His older
    son is 2 years old, and his younger child is just 6 weeks old.
        The Air Force does not believe that anyone on that flight
    will return home to their families. General Amrhein, does it
    hurt or help recruiting to show that the Air Force is taking
    safety concerns very seriously?
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Senator, thank you for the
    question. If I could please start by saying our hearts go out
    to the eight members that were lost due to that tragic
    incident, and they are in our thoughts and prayers at this
    time, their family and friends.
        Regarding safety, safety is at the forefront of Air Force
    operations, not only from the flying aspect, from almost
    everything we do, everything we do, ground safety, there is an
    element of safety baked into it.
        I think we take that extremely seriously, as well as you
    when you marry that up with the robust training programs that
    we have, that is what allows us to do our jobs to the maximum
    effectiveness and to maintain the ability to say we are the
    world's greatest Air and Space Force.
        From a recruiting standpoint, ma'am, I think that is the
    point to reemphasize, is that we have a safety culture, a
    safety mindset, and that have confidence that when you come
    into our Air and Space Force, you will be trained, you will be
    trained very, very well to be able to execute missions, ma'am.
    That is how I would answer that portion from a recruiting
    standpoint.
        Senator Warren. I appreciate that. In the wake of this
    tragedy, Jake's family has asked the Air Force to ground these
    three aircraft to prevent further loss of life. They are right
    to raise the question.
        The crash that killed Jake is only the latest in over a
    dozen accidents in the past 3 decades, including a crash in
    August that killed three marines. As Jake's father has asked,
    ``how many more of our servicemembers need to die on those damn
    planes?'' General, I know the Air Force shares this family's
    pain, and I appreciate your statement on that. But this family
    also wants to see action.
        The Air Force grounded the V-22 for safety issues last
    year. I think it is time to seriously consider doing so again
    with the Osprey until we can be confident that we won't lose
    any more lives in what appears to be a preventable tragedy.
        Senator Scott, do you have any more questions? All right. I
    want to thank all of our witnesses for your testimony today. I
    also want to thank you for the work you do every day and all
    the people who are working with you to recruit the best and the
    brightest.
        I want to thank John Clark, Gary Leeling, Andy Scott, Sofia
    Kamali, Noah Sisk, Jenny Davis, Sean O'Keefe, Katie Magnus, and
    Brendan Gavin for their work in putting together today's
    hearing. It takes a lot of people to make this work well.
        Our people remain our greatest strength as a Nation. If we
    have programs in place to support servicemembers and their
    families, we can prove to the next generation that we value
    their service and their sacrifice.
        If we get this right, it won't just be the recruiters
    convincing people to join the military, it will be everyone in
    the Force. So, I look forward to working with my colleagues on
    this Committee, with my Ranking Member Scott, and turning this
    crisis around.
        Thank you. This hearing is adjourned.
        [Whereupon, at 4:46 p.m., the Committee adjourned.]

        [Questions for the record with answers supplied follow:]

                 Questions Submitted by Senator Mazie K. Hirono
               efforts to target diversity shortfalls in the usmc
        1. Senator Hirono. Major General Bowers, the results of an
    independent study regarding the lack of diversity in marine fighter
    pilots concluded the Marine Corps cannot overcome generations of
    discrimination and mistrust merely by removing barriers to
    participation in top-tier jobs, such as fighter pilots. Instead, it
    must establish new pathways to reach diverse candidates and entrust the
    role of ``chief diversity officer'' to the Commandant himself. Major
    General Bowers, what is the Marine Corps doing to address these
    concerns?
        Major General Bowers. Our Marine Corps is dedicated to attracting
    the best individuals to serve our great Nation. We seek out individuals
    who bring a variety of experiences and talents to the battlefield. We
    want marines who process information in different ways and who,
    collectively, come up with a broad array of solutions to solve complex
    global problems.
        We will keep faith with the American people; they need to know that
    their Marine Corps reflects those that we support, that we defend. In
    large part we do. No matter your race, background, gender, or
    religion--there's a place for you in the Marine Corps if you aspire to
    serve and can meet our rigorous standards. When you do, you will have
    an equal opportunity to perform, succeed, and excel.
        To cast a wide net for Student Naval Aviators (SNA), the Marine
    Corps has numerous commissioning programs that allow both civilian and
    military personnel to obtain a commission as a Marine Corps Second
    Lieutenant and apply to become a SNA. The United States Naval Academy,
    with its STEM-focused curriculum-has historically provided roughly 25
    percent of the Marine Corps' aviation accessions annually.
        Additionally, we have two community outreach programs that help
    inform young men and women of the opportunity to become an SNA. The
    Marine Corps Flight Orientation Program (MCFOP) assists in the
    recruitment of highly qualified applicants and enhances public
    awareness of Marine Corps aviation through connecting applicants with a
    Marine Corps Pilot and allow them to fly together in a civilian
    aircraft. We also use Aviation Enhanced Area Canvassing (AEAC) events,
    which include Marine Corps Air Station tours and aviation focused
    events that all contribute to the successful recruitment of SNAs.
        Other programs, which offer a guaranteed opportunity to become a
    pilot include: Officer Candidate Course (OCC)-open to college seniors
    and graduates; Platoon Leader Class (PLC)-open to college freshmen,
    sophomores and juniors; Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC)-
    Offers 2, 3, and 4 year scholarships that lead to a commission;
    Enlisted Commissioning Program (ECP)--designed to provide the
    opportunity for marines who have earned a 4-year degree before joining
    the Marine Corps or during Active Duty to serve as Marine Corps
    officers; and Marine Corps Enlisted Commissioning Education Program
    (MECEP)-an enlisted-to-officer commissioning program designed to
    provide outstanding enlisted marines the opportunity to serve as Marine
    Corps officers.
                           citizenship for enlistees
        2. Senator Hirono. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, despite recruiting
    shortfalls, many immigrants, including over half a million DACA
    recipients, are barred from joining the military. Our country has a
    proud tradition of immigrants serving in the military, which we should
    support. Key to this is legislation like the DREAM Act, which would
    provide a pathway to citizenship for certain young people brought to
    the U.S. as children who now meet some requirements, like military
    service. How would legislation like this help each of your Services
    meet their recruitment goals?
        Major General Davis. Any legislation that opens the aperture to
    allow more qualified and propensed individuals to serve in the military
    will support the Army's recruiting mission.
        Rear Admiral Walker. First, it would increase the number of people
    eligible to pursue military service while meeting our high standards
    for character and performance. Second, those who would be newly
    eligible are also likely more propensed to serve, seeing military
    service as a way to meaningfully give back to their adoptive country.
    Finally, those brought to the U.S. as children are often ideal
    candidates for future service because they have a U.S. education,
    participate in ASVAB testing, and high school recruiting processes, and
    have the supporting records accumulated by U.S. and state-level
    government.
        Major General Bowers. The Marine Corps is always open to new ideas
    that will open the aperture for more quality recruits. We would be
    interested in working with Congress, the Department, and other Services
    on finding a way forward.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. A legislation change to title 10 USC 504
    could expand the pool of eligibles to serve by allowing immigrants a
    pathway to citizenship through military service.

        3. Senator Hirono. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, how has the Biden
    Administration's Immigrant Military Members and Veterans Initiative
    program affected your ability to reach and recruit from immigrant
    communities?
        Major General Davis. The Immigrant Military Members and Veterans
    Initiative (IMMVI) consists primarily of a partnership between the VA
    and the Department of Homeland Security. It is focused on consolidating
    relevant Federal resources for noncitizen servicemembers, Veterans and
    their families, caregivers and survivors. The Army does not have any
    statistical data concerning how the IMMVI impacts recruitment from
    immigrant communities. The Army defers to the VA and DHS concerning the
    specifics of the program.
        Rear Admiral Walker. As we are in a war for talent in a highly
    challenging recruiting environment, we welcome any initiative that
    offers opportunity to highlight military service. We always drive
    toward ensuring a diverse force that is comprised of people from all
    walks of life across our Nation and beyond. Specific to the Immigrant
    Military Members and Veterans Initiative, we have no data to understand
    its effect on our ability to reach and recruit immigrant communities.
        Major General Bowers. The Marine Corps continues to recruit from
    every zip code in the Nation. Recruiters have conversations with
    prospective applicants and inform them of their ability to earn their
    citizenship in accordance with current law.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. The DAF has not seen a change in
    recruiting policy due to this program.
                    mental health as barrier to recruitment
        4. Senator Hirono. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, current policies
    preclude some candidates from military service for what are now
    generally commonplace mental health conditions that have been found to
    not impact effective service. As our understanding and treatment of
    mental health improves, how are each of your services re-evaluating
    eligibility standards?
        Major General Davis. The Army has codified guidance for the team
    that reviews the waiver requests regarding Behavior Health (BH)
    conditions and medications. This guidance includes flexibilities of BH
    diagnosis based on history and BH meds that are older than 24 months.
    Additionally, we have codified for recruiting command that no waiver is
    needed for grief counseling, and ADHD without medication for over 24
    months. The Army is relooking all waiverable and non-waiverable
    conditions and treatments to determine what can be changed reasonably
    with updated standards of care.
        DOD adheres to criteria for applicants who have received mental
    health treatment as outlined in DODI 6130.03 Volume 1, ``Medical
    Standards for Military Service: Appointment, Enlistment, or
    Induction,'' May 6, 2018, as amended. To reduce barriers to service,
    DOD consults with the civilian medical community to ensure these
    standards align with the needs of DOD and increase accurate suitability
    determinations. Through the Accession and Retention Medical Standards
    Working Group, DOD also reviews the current standards related to mental
    health and completes periodic revisions, as appropriate. The DOD is
    also collaborating with the Military Services to assess the potential
    for relaxing several mental health standards.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Accessions standards published in Department
    of Defense Instruction (DODI) 6130.03 Volume 1 are regularly reviewed
    by the DOD Accession and Retention Medical Standards Working Group with
    periodic changes published for smaller revisions (the last was in
    November 2022) and total Volume 1 revisions completed every 4-5 years.
    In November 2023, the Services submitted suggestions to the Office of
    the Secretary of Defense for inclusion in the next revision, which
    would relax several of the mental health standards.
        Since formal changes or revisions to a DODI take time, in the
    interim, the Service medical waiver reviewer authorities have adjusted
    their waiver criteria for many of these mental health conditions if the
    individual's condition is stable and has good prognosis within the
    training and operational environments. In addition, the Services have
    proposed several mental health conditions be included on the Medical
    Accession Records Pilot list used by the U.S. Military Entrance
    Processing Command to qualify individuals who do not meet the Volume 1
    accession standards, but have shown a several-year period of stability
    for inclusion in the conditional Delayed Entry Program list. This
    allows the individual Services to contract disqualified applicants in
    advance of receiving a medical waiver.
        Major General Bowers. Marine Corps Recruiting Command is working
    with our recruiting and medical partners to review the current DOD
    Instruction on accession medical standards with an aim at modernization
    and improving opportunities for those who wish to serve their nation.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Mental Health conditions are certainly a
    major concern for all recruiting services. The Air Force Recruiting
    Service's Accession Medical Waiver Division (AMWD) regularly looks at
    the data for all diagnoses to see where it is appropriate to take more
    risk for accession. Of the top 13 medical conditions where a
    disposition was provided for an accession waiver request, 6 were mental
    health related. 5,360 dispositions (out of 14,080, or 38 percent) were
    for mental health conditions. A waiver was provided for these members
    about 60 percent of the time. The AMWD regularly provides waivers for
    those with less severe mental health conditions (e.g. those who sought
    counseling for stress or who were on medication treatment for short
    periods of time). Those who had symptoms/needed treatment for longer
    periods of time (over a year or more), or who had recurrence of
    symptoms after remission, are at higher risk of having symptoms while
    in the Air Force that impact mission capabilities. Decisions regarding
    whether to provide a waiver are made based on whether the clinical
    notes include a diagnosis of a disorder using the criteria in current
    medical literature.
        While it is true that public awareness of mental health issues is
    increasing and there are many different effective treatments, the
    impact on military readiness may still be very high. Therefore, any
    adjustments to mental health accession standards need to be made only
    after careful considerations. In the past few years, the AMWD has
    expanded the opportunities for those with a history of mental health
    problems to serve by reducing the required time of stability off
    medication/treatment prior to serving. How much time off medication/
    treatment is needed depends on the complexity and severity of the
    condition(s). We have previously used a period of 3 years for
    demonstrated stability, but we have recently reduced that time down to
    2 years, assuming there are no other confounding factors.
        Part of the mechanism to reevaluate standards and waiver decisions
    is dependent on having the ability to study data from prior decisions.
    The AF is currently working to establish a full-time capability to
    conduct analytic studies on operational outcomes from prior medical
    waiver decisions.
                      barriers to entry for single parents
        5. Senator Hirono. Major General Davis, Major General Bowers, and
    Brigadier General Amrhein, for several years the military Services
    (including the Coast Guard) have each enacted policy for the
    recruitment of single parents which required the applicant to give
    legal, physical custody of their child or children to another adult
    under the argument that being the sole custodian of a minor is not
    conducive with military requirements or lifestyle. For many single
    parents, and potential applicants, this would mean giving custody to
    the non-custodial parent, with no legal assurances they would be able
    to get custody of their children back. For many applicants this is a
    significant barrier to entry. However, DOD Instruction 1304.26 allows
    the Service Secretary authority to waive the custody requirement. Does
    new ascension policy require single parents to relinquish legal custody
    of their children while they attend entry level training?
        Major General Davis. The Army does not advocate relinquishing
    custody of dependents to become eligible for enlistment into the
    Regular Army. It is not the Army's intent or desire of the Army to
    require any person to relinquish custody of their children to qualify
    for enlistment. However, the Army recognizes that some persons for
    personal reasons have given up custody of a child or children.
    Accordingly, Army established rules so that a determination could be
    made for enlistment purposes. Applicants, who on their own accord for
    personal reasons have placed custody of a child or children in the
    custody or guardianship of the other parent or another adult by court
    order or written custody agreement between both parents that is valid
    under State law, and the applicant is not required to pay support for
    more than three dependents, then the applicant is eligible for
    enlistment.
        Notwithstanding, for several years, Army has allowed single
    custodial parents that has custody of a dependent under age 18 to
    enlist into its Reserve Components (US Army Reserve (USAR) and Army
    National Guard (ARNG)), provided he or she has an approved Family Care
    Plan (FCP) prior to enlistment.
        Major General Bowers. The Marine Corps is governed by DOD
    Instruction 1304.26 which states, ``Single parents who have sole
    physical or sole legal custody of minor dependents are not eligible for
    enlistment in either the Regular or Reserve establishments.'' The
    Secretary of the Navy has not waived this requirement, and therefore we
    remain in compliance with the Instruction. Therefore, currently, the
    enlistment processing cannot begin until 90 days have elapsed from the
    date of custody transfer. Questionable cases are forwarded to the
    appropriate region SJA for review before enlistment.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Transferring custody of family members
    to enter the Department of the Air Force (DAF) is prohibited. It is not
    the intent of the DAF to require any person to relinquish custody of
    their children to qualify for enlistment. Recruiting personnel must
    never counsel applicants to change their marital or custodial status
    for enlistment qualifications.

        6. Senator Hirono. Major General Davis, Major General Bowers, and
    Brigadier General Amrhein, what is the legal definition of your
    service's requirement?
        Major General Davis. Applicants for the Regular Army, who for
    personal reasons have placed custody of a child or children in the
    custody or guardianship of the other parent or another adult by court
    order or written custody agreement between both parents that is valid
    under State law, and the applicant is not required to pay support for
    more than three dependents, the applicant is eligible for enlistment.
        Under Army Policy, an applicant for the Regular Army may enlist if
    they are:

        (1)  Without a spouse and with no dependents.

        (2)  Married and, in addition to the spouse, has less than three
    dependents.

        (3)  Without a spouse and does not have custody of dependents.

        (4)  Without a spouse and required to pay child support for less
    than three dependents by court order.

        Pursuant to AR 601-210, para. 2-10d, it is not the intent or desire
    of the U.S. Army to require any person to relinquish custody of their
    children to qualify for enlistment. Under no circumstances will any
    Army representative advise, imply, or assist an applicant with regard
    to surrender of custody for the purpose of enlistment.
        Major General Bowers. Custody of minor children under the age of 18
    often is determined by the State statutes where they reside. Recruiting
    officials must remain familiar with the domestic relations statutes
    where they recruit. Unmarried applicants who have relinquished
    permanent physical custody of dependent children by court order (final
    decree issued) are eligible for a Marine Corps District waiver for
    enlistment once 90 days have elapsed from the date of custody transfer.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Recruitment of single parents is
    authorized with an approved waiver to help establish a care plan, and
    to inform the applicant that dependents are not authorized to join the
    applicant until all initial training requirements are completed.

        7. Senator Hirono. Major General Davis, Major General Bowers, and
    Brigadier General Amrhein, to what level of legal custody must an
    applicant relinquish?
        Major General Davis. The child or children must be placed in the
    custody or guardianship of the other parent or another adult by court
    order or written custody agreement between both parents that is valid
    under State law, and the applicant is not required to pay support for
    more than three dependents, the applicant is eligible for enlistment.
        Major General Bowers. DOD Instruction 1304.26 requires that
    applicants may not maintain sole legal or physical custody prior to
    recruitment. Single parents may achieve this through dual physical
    custody or dual legal custody of minor dependents for enlistment
    purposes, the Marine Corps relies on a divorce decree, adoption decree,
    legal separation agreement, or court-ordered custody to verify a change
    in custody.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Not applicable to DAF recruits. The DAF
    does not require relinquishment of custody.

        8. Senator Hirono. Major General Davis, Major General Bowers, and
    Brigadier General Amrhein, is your service, as the U.S. Navy has,
    issuing dependency-status waivers for this requirement as a way of
    broadening the recruiting pool? If so, how many waivers have been
    issued in the past 24 months?
        Major General Davis. Army does not allow single parents with
    dependents under age 18 to enlist into the Regular Army. Therefore,
    waivers are not considered. The Army is exploring options for single
    parents that would broaden the recruitment pool.
        For the Army's Reserve Components (USAR and ARNG), waivers are
    authorized. In fiscal year 2022 and fiscal year 2023, the recruiting
    commanders approved 81,854 accession waivers for single parents with
    dependents under the age of 18.
        In the past 24 months, USAREC approved 6 Army Reserve single parent
    waivers.
        Major General Bowers. Not yet, but the Marine Corps is reviewing
    the policy to explore options for allowing additional waivers to the
    current policy.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. The DAF has allowed dependency waivers
    for 15 plus years, and single parent waivers for almost 10 years. In
    the last 24 months, the DAF has approved 130 dependency waivers.

        9. Senator Hirono. Major General Davis, Major General Bowers, and
    Brigadier General Amrhein, if relinquishing custody is a requirement,
    is the applicant able to resume legal custody while on Active or
    Reserve Duty?
        Major General Davis. Those applicants, for the Regular Army, who at
    time of enlistment indicate they have a child or children in the
    custody of the other parent, or another adult will be advised and
    required to acknowledge by certification that their intent at the time
    of enlistment was not to enter the Regular Army, with the express
    intention of regaining custody after enlistment. All applicants will be
    advised that if they regain custody during their first term of
    enlistment, they are in violation of the stated intent of their
    enlistment contract with annexes. They will (unless they can show
    cause, such as death or incapacity of the person who has custody) be
    processed for separation (involuntary) for fraudulent enlistment
    pursuant to Army separation policy.
        Major General Bowers. Yes, after initial training requirements are
    completed.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Not applicable to DAF recruits. The DAF
    does not require relinquishment of custody.

        10. Senator Hirono. Major General Davis, Major General Bowers, and
    Brigadier General Amrhein, are affected applicants able to seek/resume
    custody of their children once they've completed their initial
    training?
        Major General Davis. Those applicants, for the Regular Army, who at
    time of enlistment indicate they have a child or children in the
    custody of the other parent, or another adult will be advised and
    required to acknowledge by certification that their intent at the time
    of enlistment was not to enter the Regular Army, with the express
    intention of regaining custody after enlistment. All applicants will be
    advised that if they regain custody during their first term of
    enlistment, they are in violation of the stated intent of their
    enlistment contract with annexes. They will (unless they can show
    cause, such as death or incapacity of the person who has custody) be
    processed for separation (involuntary) for fraudulent enlistment
    pursuant to Army separation policy.
        Major General Bowers. Yes, after initial training requirements are
    completed.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Not applicable to DAF recruits. The DAF
    does not require relinquishment of custody.

        11. Senator Hirono. Major General Davis, Major General Bowers, and
    Brigadier General Amrhein, are there limitations to the number or ages
    of dependents an applicant can have?
        Major General Davis. Army policy generally disallows applicants
    without a spouse who either have custody of their children; single, but
    responsible for providing court-ordered child support to three or more
    children; or, married but with three or more other dependents under the
    age of 18.Army policy provides that applicants for enlistment that are
    married with two or fewer dependents may enlist into the Army's three
    components (RA, USAR, and ARNG) without a waiver; and applicants for
    enlistment that are married with three or more dependents under age 18,
    may not enlist unless a dependent waiver is granted by General Officer
    level commander of the recruiting agency.
        Major General Bowers. Currently, in accordance with DODI 1304.26
    applicants cannot have more than three dependents at the time of
    enlistment. The service does not have a minimum age requirement for
    dependents.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. A waiver is required when married
    applicants have 3 or more dependents under age 18 or incapable of
    selfcare; a waiver is required when single parents have 1 or more
    dependents under age 18 or incapable of selfcare.

        12. Senator Hirono. Major General Davis, Major General Bowers, and
    Brigadier General Amrhein, is the onus, financial or otherwise, of any
    legal requirements placed on the applicant, or does the service assist
    with legal advice or processing?
        Major General Davis. All legal requirements, financial or
    otherwise, are the onus of applicants for the Army, who for personal
    reasons decide to place custody of a child or children in the custody
    or guardianship of the other parent or another adult.
        Major General Bowers. Marine Corps recruiters are prohibited from
    having any involvement in an applicant's decision to consider
    relinquishing custody of a minor dependent. Recruiting personnel will
    not advise, imply, or assist an applicant concerning custody of minor
    dependents. The legal decisions of the applicant are their
    responsibility. Servicemembers have access to the legal service support
    centers to receive legal assistance.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Not applicable to DAF recruits. No legal
    requirements are placed on applicants for dependency status.

        13. Senator Hirono. Major General Davis, Major General Bowers, and
    Brigadier General Amrhein, does your service provide any legal
    assistance once the applicant is in the military to reunite them with
    their dependents?
        Major General Davis. Soldiers in the regular Army and Reserve
    component on orders exceeding 30 days are able to seek legal advice on
    this matter or any other issue that may surface during the term of
    their enlistment through their servicing legal assistance office (LAO)
    . . . However, soldiers that relinquished custody of their children
    prior to enlistment would face potential separation for fraudulent
    enlistment during their first term of enlistment, absent the ability to
    show cause for their need to reinstate custody--such as the death or
    incapacity of the person who had custody of the children. While the
    Army provides free legal assistance to its soldiers, Judge Advocates
    are barred from appearing in State court to represent their clients and
    may only provide general advice regarding these matters.
        Major General Bowers. Servicemembers have access to the legal
    service support centers to receive legal assistance.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Not applicable to DAF recruits. No legal
    assistance is required because the DAF does not require relinquishment
    of custody. Dependents will reunite with the sponsoring servicemember
    in the same manner that all dependents join their sponsor post-initial
    training.

        14. Senator Hirono. Major General Davis, Major General Bowers, and
    Brigadier General Amrhein, are applicants with joint physical custody
    eligible for enlistment? If not, are waivers available for this?
        Major General Davis. Applicants to the regular Army with a joint
    physical custody agreement or court order requiring joint physical
    custody are not eligible for enlistment. However, applicants are
    eligible for enlistment if the court order allows modification of
    custody by written agreement of the parents, and if the other parent
    assumes full physical custody pursuant to that written agreement.
        Applicants for the Reserve component may be considered eligible for
    a waiver on a case-by-case basis.
        Major General Bowers. Yes, they are eligible for service with the
    appropriate waiver.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Yes, applicants with joint physical
    custody are eligible for enlistment but may require waivers if meeting
    the following criteria: when married applicants have 3 or more
    dependents under age 18 or incapable of selfcare; a waiver is required
    when single parents have 1 or more dependents under age 18 or incapable
    of selfcare.
                                   __________
                    Questions Submitted by Senator Tim Kaine
                    accessions information environment (aie)
        15. Senator Kaine. Major General Davis, what is your assessment of
    how AIE is progressing and what is needed to keep the program on track
    or to accelerate the implementation of this system to all recruiters?
        Major General Davis. The Army's Accessions Information Environment
    (AIE) is progressing well this year as the program has refined its
    agile approach to development. As of December, AIE has released 3
    software previews of the enlisted recruiting tool to early adopters,
    and we are receiving positive feedback providing immediate feedback and
    shaping of the program. Additional funding levels will allow
    acceleration of the AIE by 2 years.

        16. Senator Kaine. Major General Davis, how will AIE address Army
    recruiting challenges and improve the service's capabilities to process
    applicants seeking to join the service?
        Major General Davis. AIE will be the foundation across the Army
    Accessions Enterprise. This Commercial off the Shelf based solution
    will provide recruiters with industry standard software to better
    identify, engage, and recruit in the current and future recruiting
    environments. AIE will make the recruiter more mobile and productive
    through its ability for single data entry, device, and network agnostic
    approach with refined business processes. Recruiters will have the
    ability to better interact with potential prospects and provide timely
    and more relevant information to address their buying motives to
    enlistment. Additionally, AIE provides the ability for recruiters to
    remain in one system to take a lead all the way through contracting and
    shipping and receiving in the training base. The system will provide
    virtual, AI supported assistance and includes logic and validation
    support for first time acceptance of required documentation. Currently,
    recruiters are losing time in redundant data entry across multiple
    antiquated systems to provide the same services.
                  defense industrial base workforce shortages
        17. Senator Kaine. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, how can military
    recruiting commands be leveraged to contribute to the workforce
    shortages of our defense industrial base, particularly those of our
    submarine and shipbuilding industries?
        Major General Davis. Our military recruiters have the ability to
    tap into a potentially valuable resource of people willing to serve
    their country but are unable to meet the stringent military service
    criteria. The potential for serving in positions in the defense
    industrial base may appeal to recruits who don't meet the physical
    standards for uniformed service but still want to serve the Nation.
    This is an important area in which there is real potential to improve
    the Army's and DOD's talent pipeline, but we would need to do some
    piloting and testing to establish a system that links our military
    recruiters to our defense industrial base.
        Rear Admiral Walker. As our CNO testified to, we need a National
    call to service for people to support our defense industry, whether
    it's in small business, big shipyards or serving in the Navy--it's all
    service to our Nation. We need the capacity as a Nation to be able to
    deter our adversaries. When potential recruits seek opportunities to
    join the Service, but for one reason or another are not qualified,
    recruiters are able to provide them recommendations for other ways to
    serve our Nation, to include the defense industrial base.
        Major General Bowers. Marine Corps Recruiting Command is
    responsible to the Commandant of the Marine Corps for the procurement
    of qualified personnel in sufficient numbers by category and component
    to meet the established personnel strength levels, officer and
    enlisted, of the Marine Corps and Marine Corps Reserve. By keeping our
    promise and returning quality citizens, many veterans return home with
    the skills learned while serving on Active Duty. There are also
    opportunities for these veterans to fill these workforce shortages
    while also continuing to serve in the Reserves.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. The DAF is leveraging military
    recruiting commands to contribute to the workforce shortages by
    recruiters providing information about DAF civilian workforce
    opportunities especially to the 30 percent of Leads who are unable to
    access. Additionally, the AirForce Civilian Service program capitalizes
    on retired air Force Recruiting Service recruiters to serve as
    recruiters for the civilian workforce.

        18. Senator Kaine. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, what is the process by
    which information on training programs like the Accelerated Training in
    Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) program and similar opportunities can be
    disseminated during the Transition Assistance Program?
        Major General Davis. Transitioning servicemembers receive
    information for post service employment opportunities during their
    Individualized Initial Counseling (IIC) which takes place NLT 365 days
    prior to their transition date. Servicemembers are informed about
    training opportunities provided by the DOD SkillBridge program
    (SkillBridge) and the Army's Career Skills Program (CSP) that would
    allow them to obtain the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to
    successfully transition into a specific career field.
        Servicemembers can participate in On-The-Job Training (OJT),
    Employment Skills Training (EST), Pre-apprenticeships, Apprenticeships
    and Internships with organizations that have a signed memorandum of
    understanding (MOU) with the DOD or an Army Installation. The DOD
    SkillBridge program has over 2000 program opportunities with a signed
    MOU for servicemembers to choose from, the Army's CSP has over 200
    program opportunities with signed MOUs to operate on 31 installations
    for servicemembers to choose from.
        If a program like the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing
    (ATDM) does not have a MOU with the DOD or the Army to provide training
    opportunities for multiple servicemembers to participate in at one
    time, a servicemember can request an Individual Internship with that
    organization IAW policies and procedures outlined by the DOD.
        Rear Admiral Walker. There are numerous ways for employers to
    provide information on training programs and employment opportunities.
    The Transition Assistance Program is a collaborative interagency effort
    of the whole of government, co-led by the Departments of Defense,
    Veterans Affairs, and Labor. I would encourage employers or training
    programs to first contact the Department of Labor Veterans Employment
    and Training Service. They lead the efforts to provide transition
    workshops dedicated to both employment and training apprenticeship
    programs.
        Major General Bowers. Information on training programs and
    opportunities is shared and disseminated during the Transition
    Readiness Seminar (TRS) process.
        Introduction to training and program opportunities begins at the
    Individualized Initial Counseling (IC) based on the marines' post-
    transition goals and their Individual Transition Plan (ITP).
        At the Pre-Separation Counseling Brief, marines receive high-level
    transition-related information on available benefits, services, and
    resources.
        During the DOD Day of TRS, marines receive guidance on identifying
    skills, education, training, and credentials gained before and during
    military Service. Through completion of a gap analysis, Marines are
    assisted with identifying required education, training, and/or
    credentials for their chosen career fields. Marines also conduct
    research to find training, educational, and employment opportunities in
    order to complete the gap analysis.
        Marines receive career and training exploration guidance during the
    Employment, Vocational, and Education 2-day track. They receive
    valuable insights into the world of training, careers, and credentials;
    they also identify and explore training opportunities during the 2-day
    track.
        Training opportunities that are approved by DOD as SkillBridge
    Programs are listed on the DOD's website (https://skillbridge.osd.mil/
    ). Marines who are pursuing SkillBridge are instructed to select an
    opportunity listed on this site.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Transitioning airmen and guardians are
    provided information about a variety of post-separation job
    opportunities and training programs, similar to the Accelerated
    Training in Defense Manufacturing program, at various points during
    Transition Assistance Program (TAP). Skillbridge, which provides the
    opportunity to gain civilian experience and certifications through
    specific industry training, apprenticeships, or internships during the
    last 180-days of service, is one of the most popular. Through the
    Skillbridge program, airmen and guardians can find opportunities
    cutting across all aspects of the civilian workforce.
        The Individualized Initial Counseling phase, when airmen and
    guardians meet with a TAP counselor, complete a personal self-
    assessment and begin developing their Individual Transition Plan, is
    the first formal opportunity to learn about the various available
    programs. During the next phase, pre-separation counseling, they will
    cover additional topics including the variety of available employment
    resources, including certification and apprenticeship programs.
    Additionally, Department of Labor conducts a 1-day briefing on
    employment as well as provides two additional elective days that airmen
    and guardians can opt into covering topics such as the DOL Vocational
    Training Track.
                              asvab and afqt data
        19. Senator Kaine. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, have your respective
    branches completed any analysis of, or are there any efforts to compare
    servicemember performance outcomes with members' ASVAB or AFQT scores
    as a means of substantiating their predictive value?
        Major General Davis. The U.S. Army Research Institute for the
    Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI) conducts semi-annual analyses to
    establish the relationship between the Armed Services Vocational
    Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) and the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT)
    composite score and performance outcomes. At the end of Initial
    Military Training and in the first unit of assignment, AFQT is the
    strongest predictor of several performance outcomes including
    significant correlations with peer/supervisor ratings of knowledge and
    skill, an Army knowledge and skills test, attrition, and other
    performance outcomes.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Yes, Navy's Selection and Classification
    office performs regular and in-depth comparisons of sailors'
    performance outcomes to their ASVAB scores. All Navy ratings (jobs) are
    studied on a cycle of about 3-5 years; those studies validate the ASVAB
    instrument's ability to predict training success. Outcome data from
    recent trainees are used to build predictive models. The objective is
    to calculate ASVAB cutscores that balance the qualification ratio
    (proportion of newly accessed sailors who qualify via ASVAB for the
    rating being studied) against the proportion of trainees who
    successfully complete the training pipeline. Use of Navy training
    resources are optimized by finding a cutscore that can keep a rating
    manned, while assuring that those that meet the cutscore successfully
    graduate training and do not use excessive resources to do so.
        AFQT is used only for the initial selection of recruits for service
    and not for classification into ratings. The full ASVAB provides far
    more predictive power as to which individuals will succeed in which
    training paths, yet we remain beholden by law to AFQT as the standard
    for initial selection. This can be a difficult situation in the current
    environment as we may turn away candidates who qualify for an in demand
    rating but obtain a lower AFQT score. Our recently adjusted AFQT
    requirements provide an opportunity for Navy to study the success of
    new sailors with lower AFQT scores, particularly in the context of the
    Future Sailor Preparatory Course, which is an academic instruction
    program meant to provide acadmic skills development.
        Major General Bowers. The Marine Corps is moving forward with using
    the results of the Retention Prediction Network (RPN), a family of
    supervised machine-learning models, to help verify what factors
    (including ASVAB/AFQT) are particularly correlated with, or predictive
    of, various types of servicemember performance outcomes/successes. This
    includes Delayed Entry Program completion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot
    graduation, and Special Duty Assignment acceptance, with more RPN use
    cases continuing to be developed.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. The quality of the school system has
    some impact on an applicant's ASVAB score because the test measures
    what an applicant knows in addition to their ability to learn. ASVAB
    scores consistently predict the ability of a recruit to be successful
    in technical training and to perform successfully as an airmen. DAF has
    instituted a procedure of developing predictive success models by AFSC
    with cut scores tailored to an individual AFSC that uses the relevant
    ASVAB subtest scores and noncognitive measures from the TAPAS to
    minimize the impact of the quality of the applicant's education system.
    The model assesses the applicant on a broad spectrum of abilities
    relative to those who have successfully completed milestones within
    their specialty.

        20. Senator Kaine. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, an Army Times op-ed from
    April highlighted concerns that the ASVAB is subject to bias and does
    not accurately measure a recruit's aptitude to perform a job. Instead,
    it measures a snapshot of learned intelligence, evidenced by a
    comparison of the lowest AFQT scores by State which aligns with those
    states that have the lowest school ratings. Do you share these concerns
    and are you working with the Department of Defense to consider or
    implement any other measurements of aptitude?
        Major General Davis. Army has not conducted any individual study or
    research on the ASVAB in regard to biases, therefore we defer to DOD,
    the owner of the ASVAB to address those type of concerns. Army still
    has confidence in the ASVAB's ability to predict academic success
    during training. The Army also uses an occupational physical assessment
    test (OPAT) to assess a new enlistee's ability to perform the physical
    demands for specialty for which they enlist.
        Rear Admiral Walker. The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
    (ASVAB) has been generally shown in many studies and in decades of Navy
    personnel research to be a valid and reliable predictor of recruit
    aptitude. This is determined with validation studies, in which ASVAB
    scores are correlated with rating (job) training outcomes. In our
    decades of experience with the ASVAB, we have found that it is
    generally unbiased in what it does, in that ASVAB scores, when set to
    minimize demographic bias as we do, end up predicting success in
    training outcomes across demographic lines.
        It is true that the ASVAB substantially measures learned
    intelligence and other occupational skills as they are at the time of
    the test, which is reflected in the correlation of AFQT scores to
    school performance across states. However the ASVAB now measures skills
    other than learned intelligence, and the Navy has been working to
    incorporate additional ``fluid intelligence'' sub-tests such as tests
    in Assembling Objects and Coding Speed, which have been shown to
    increase opportunity for minority applicants without affecting training
    success. In the upcoming calendar quarter, we will introduce the next
    fluid intelligence sub-test, ``Mental Counters''.
        Beyond aptitude testing, Navy currently uses the Job Opportunities
    in the Navy (JOIN) for in-service testing, and will soon be
    administering the test to new accessions. JOIN matches sailors to
    ratings by interest, and research has shown that sailors who enter into
    a rating that scores highly on JOIN for them promote faster compared to
    their peers who do not. We have also recently begun the first phases of
    data collection to validate the Tailored Adaptive Personality
    Assessment System (TAPAS). If TAPAS is proven to be predictive and
    useful for Navy recruits, it will be used to supplement the cognitive
    aptitude assessment of ASVAB by providing a measure of personality.
        Major General Bowers. The Marine Corps continues to align to
    Department directed Accession standards for mental, moral and physical
    requirements. We continue to look to ways to open the aperture of the
    candidate pool of young people who desire the challenge of becoming a
    United States Marine and can meet the high standards of our Corps.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. The quality of the school system has
    some impact on an applicant's ASVAB score because the test measures
    what an applicant knows in addition to the skills and dispositions that
    may impact their aptitude to perform the job. ASVAB scores consistently
    predict the ability of a recruit to be successful in technical training
    and to perform successfully as an airmen. DAF has instituted a
    procedure of developing predictive success models by AFSC with cut
    scores tailored to an individual AFSC that uses the relevant ASVAB
    subtest scores and noncognitive measures from the TAPAS to minimize the
    impact of the quality of the applicant's education The model assesses
    the applicant on a broad spectrum of abilities.
                                   __________
               Questions Submitted by Senator Angus S. King, Jr.
    marijuana precluding recruits from certain military jobs and clearances
        21. Senator King. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, with a shrinking pool of
    volunteers, the military may need to adjust outdated entry standards.
    My understanding of the current Armed forces policy on marijuana use is
    it can initiate an arduous and unnecessary waiver process and raise
    security concerns about an individual's reliability and trustworthiness
    to access classified information, potentially even precluding them from
    certain jobs. This seems outdated as marijuana is rapidly becoming
    legal in in the U.S. What is your services' policy on potential
    recruits and officer candidates who: (1) admit to marijuana use, (2)
    with a past conviction for marijuana possession, and (3) have failed a
    drug (marijuana) test during the military entrance process?
        Major General Davis.

        (1)  Admit to marijuana use: Army has no established policy that
    prohibits enlistment simply for admitted marijuana use. However, the
    Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at the Military Entrance Processing Station
    (MEPS) may disqualify the applicant for habitual use indicating a
    psychological dependence on marijuana, as soldiers with a drug
    dependence are prohibited from enlisting by statute.

        (2)  With a past conviction for marijuana possession: Army requires
    a waiver for any applicant that has two convictions for possession of
    marijuana or paraphernalia. The Recruiting Brigade Commander is the
    approval authority for such waiver.

        (3)  Have failed a drug (marijuana) test during the military
    entrance process: Applicants that fail the drug test at the MEPS are
    required to wait 90 days after receipt of the results. The Army
    requires applicants that fail the drug test at the MEPS to wait 90 days
    after receipt of the results. After 90 days, the applicant can retest
    at the MEPS. If the results are negative, a waiver can be considered.

        Officer candidates generally must not have any civil convictions,
    adverse juvenile adjudication, pretrial diversion for felonies or past
    court-martial conviction, but may request a waiver.
        Any application for appointment will be disapproved if the officer
    candidate applicant refuses to consent to drug or alcohol testing.
        Members of ROTC will be disenrolled if they refuse to consent to
    testing, are diagnosed with a drug dependency, or test positive for
    marijuana.

        Rear Admiral Walker. Navy Recruiting Command policy is governed by
    DODI 1304.26, Qualification Standards for Enlistment, Appointment, and
    Induction.

        (1)  Navy applicants that admit to marijuana use prior to enlisting
    do not require a waiver for enlistment, but may require a waiver for
    certain programs. Furthermore, any marijuana use must be documented on
    their medical screening, security questionnaire and a handwritten
    statement regarding their drug use.

        (2)  Any police involvement requires a waiver and is dependent upon
    the amount, type and charge.

        (3)  Applicants who failed a marijuana drug test during military
    entrance processing cannot remain in the Navy's Delayed Entry Program
    (DEP) and before reapplying they must wait 60 days from the positive
    test date. On the 61st day or beyond they are eligible to retest and if
    the results are negative for drugs they are allowed a one time waiver
    and may enlist.

        Major General Bowers.

        (1)  Recruiting Station Commanding Officers are required to ensure
    that all marijuana usage is documented, before approving the service
    level review. These reviews occur rapidly and cause virtually no delay
    to the enlistment process when only marijuana usage is involved.

        (2)  There is a waiver process to allow enlistment for individuals
    with possession of marijuana convictions.

        (3)  There is a waiver process to allow enlistment for individuals
    that have tested positive for marijuana usage at the Military Entrance
    Processing Stations.

        Brigadier General Amrhein.

        (1)  Admission to past marijuana use must be disclosed during the
    recruitment process. Past marijuana use alone is not a disqualifying
    factor. Marijuana use after signing the AF Form 2030, USAF Drug and
    Alcohol Abuse Certificate, requires a drug waiver.

        (2)  Conviction of marijuana possession is considered a Category 2
    moral offense and would require a morals waiver.

        (3)  Applicants failing the Drug and Alcohol Test (DAT) at the
    Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) may retest with a drug
    waiver after 90 days post-DAT. The applicant's MEPS physical must be
    fully cleared by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) with a determination
    that the applicant is not drug dependent.

        22. Senator King. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, do all potential Marine,
    Army, Navy, and Air Force recruits and officer candidates require a
    drug waiver if they admit to marijuana use?
        Major General Davis. Army has no established policy that prohibits
    enlistment simply for admitted marijuana use. However, the Chief
    Medical Officer (CMO) at the Military Entrance Processing Station
    (MEPS) may disqualify the applicant for psychological drug dependence
    for admitted multiple times or habitual use of marijuana. Such
    disqualification would require a medical waiver for marijuana use.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Navy applicants that admit to marijuana use
    prior to enlisting do not require a waiver for enlistment, but may
    require a waiver for certain programs.
        For example, Cryptologic ratings (CTI, CTR, CTM and CTT) and the
    Cyber Warfare Technician (CWT) rating do not permit anything beyond
    experimental use of marijuana before accession. The same is true of
    Intelligence Specialist (IS) and Information Technology (IT) rating
    programs. More than `experimental' use of marijuana prior to joining
    would require a waiver.
        Major General Bowers. Yes.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. No, the DAF does not a require a drug
    waiver for past marijuana use. Only marijuana use after signing the AF
    Form 2030, USAF Drug and Alcohol Abuse Certificate, or testing positive
    on the DAT for marijuana use requires a drug waiver.

        23. Senator King. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, how long does this
    waiver remain in their military record?
        Major General Davis. Army enlistment waivers executed during the
    accessioning process are part of the Army Military Human Resource
    Record Official Military Personnel File and are part of a soldier's
    permanent record. The Official Military Personnel File remains in Army
    control for 62 years from a soldier's final separation date, then
    transferred to the control of the National Archives and Records
    Administration as a public record.
        Army enlistment waivers executed during the accessioning process
    are part of the Army Military Human Resource Record Official Military
    Personnel File and are part of a soldier's permanent record. The
    Official Military Personnel File remains in Army control for 62 years
    from a soldier's final separation date, then transferred to the control
    of the National Archives and Records Administration as a public record.
        Rear Admiral Walker. A marijuana waiver remains in an applicant's
    record as part of their permanent applicant record. While the marijuana
    waiver remains in the sailors' permanent applicant record, it will have
    no bearing on future service success or failure, although it may make
    them ineligible for certain career fields.
        Major General Bowers. Service level reviews are permanent within
    servicemembers' military records.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Waiver types are recorded on the DD Form
    1966, a standard form for every applicant joining the Armed Forces,
    that typically stays with each servicemember through the remainder of
    their career. The waiver type is reflected as a series of 3-letter
    codes; no other details of the waivers granted become part of the
    member's military record.

        24. Senator King. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, does this waiver
    increase the average time from entry into the program to arrival to
    basic training?
        Major General Davis. Yes, average time for a marijuana waiver is
    107 days. Applicants must wait a minimum of 90 days after testing
    positive at Military Entrance Processing Stations (MEPS) before
    retesting and starting the waiver process.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Navy recruiting can process marijuana waivers
    on a same-day basis, therefore there is no increase to average entry
    time for applicants who require these waivers.
        Major General Bowers. No, not significantly. From January 2019 to
    December 2023, the Marine Corps adjudicated approximately 82 percent of
    all marijuana waivers within the same day. Just over 5 percent took 3
    weeks or longer, but those cases are generally more complex or require
    additional documentation for approval/denial.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Given medical processing limitations,
    drug waivers typically take less than 30 days from initial request to
    final disposition and coincide with the rest of the enlistment process,
    resulting in little to no delay given the other timelines for overall
    accession processing which is primarily based on MEPS medical accession
    process as the longest in the process to clear.

        25. Senator King. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, does the marijuana
    waiver create unnecessary reviews and investigations for recruits and
    officer candidates?
        Major General Davis. If a drug waiver is required, processing time
    for the waiver will be a 90-day waiting period in order to retest at
    the MEPS, plus processing time to consider a waiver, which all depends
    on the applicants schedule and commitments. The approval authority is
    the recruiting battalion commander, which means the reviews are
    minimal.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Marijuana use alone does not create additional
    requirements other than a handwritten statement documenting substance
    use. Any police involvement resulting from marijuana use or possession
    may require an additional waiver, which potentially adds several days
    to the process and is dependent upon the charges and the final
    adjudication from the courts.
        Major General Bowers. No, MCRC has contributed to a decade-long
    decline in substance abuse within the Marine Corps by documenting every
    instance of admitted drug use, including one-time experimental use.
    Maintaining the excellence America expects of its marines is of the
    highest priority for MCRC, which is why we demand applicants meet our
    stringent mental, moral, and medical requirements. An applicant's
    history of drug involvement of any type is concerning, and we maintain
    strict internal controls to ensure any admitted use is formally
    documented and subsequently evaluated by the MEPS Chief Medical Officer
    (CMO) for patterns of addiction and/or abuse.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. The DAF drug waivers are necessary to
    provide the armed forces with airmen and guardians who understand the
    in-service policies and expectations regarding marijuana use as a
    servicemember.

        26. Senator King. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, does a marijuana waiver
    eliminate them from specific jobs?
        Major General Davis. Applicants provided a drug waiver at
    enlistment may not be eligible for certain jobs, such as military
    police or other specialties that require access to high levels of
    classified information.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Yes, there are specific jobs in which a waiver
    for marijuana use could be a discriminator. An applicant could be
    eliminated from up to 25 percent of available jobs in the application
    process due to past marijuana use. Examples include Cryptologic ratings
    (CTI, CTR, CTM and CTT) and the Cyber Warfare Technician (CWT) rating
    do not permit anything beyond experimental use of marijuana before
    accession. The same is true of Intelligence Specialist (IS) and
    Information Technology (IT) rating programs. More than `experimental'
    use of marijuana prior to joining would require a waiver.
        Major General Bowers. Marijuana usage only eliminates applicants
    from limited, specific jobs based on current DOD security clearance
    requirements.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Drug waivers may limit some job
    availability due to the inability to obtain a Top Secret/Sensitive
    Compartmentalized Information clearance. Additionally, the adjudicating
    authorities for security clearances are outside of the DAF.
                  reduce barriers for those with mental health
        27. Senator King. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, mental health issues
    among young people have been increasing for a long time, and that trend
    escalated greatly during the pandemic. However, many people who suffer
    from depression, anxiety, and other disorders can be effectively
    treated with commonly prescribed medications. The U.S. military has
    long allowed those in uniform to continue serving while taking such
    medications--but it continues to bar people on those medications from
    joining the force. The U.S. military should not reject otherwise
    qualified applicants from serving based on outdated stereotypes of
    mental health treatments. What is your service doing to reduce these
    barriers to entry?
        Major General Davis. The Army has codified guidance for the team
    that reviews the waiver requests regarding Behavior Health (BH)
    conditions and medications. This guidance includes flexibilities of BH
    diagnosis based on history and BH meds that are older than 24 months.
    Additionally, we have codified for recruiting command that no waiver is
    needed for grief counseling, and ADHD without medication for over 24
    months. The Army is relooking all waiverable and non-waiverable
    conditions and treatments to determine what can be changed reasonably
    with updated standards of care.
        Additionally, DOD adheres to criteria for applicants who have
    received mental health treatment as outlined in DODI 6130.03 Volume 1,
    ``Medical Standards for Military Service: Appointment, Enlistment, or
    Induction.'' To reduce barriers to service, DOD consults with the
    civilian medical community to ensure these standards align with the
    needs of DOD and increase accurate suitability determinations. Through
    the Accession and Retention Medical Standards Working Group, DOD also
    reviews the current standards related to mental health and completes
    periodic revisions, as appropriate. The DOD is also collaborating with
    the Military Services to assess the potential for relaxing several
    mental health standards.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Accessions standards published in Department
    of Defense Instruction (DODI) 6130.03 Volume 1 are regularly reviewed
    by the DOD Accession and Retention Medical Standards Working Group with
    periodic changes published for smaller revisions (the last was in
    November 2022) and total Volume 1 revisions completed every 4-5 years.
    In November 2023, the Services submitted suggestions to the Office of
    the Secretary of Defense for inclusion in the next revision, which
    would relax several of the mental health standards.
        Since formal changes or revisions to a DODI take time, in the
    interim, the Service medical waiver reviewer authorities have adjusted
    their waiver criteria for many of these mental health conditions if the
    individual's condition is stable and has good prognosis within the
    training and operational environments. Medication waivers take into
    consideration multiple factors such as the underlying medical
    condition, symption remission, medication class, duration of treatment,
    level of function, and prospective duties within the military. The
    Services have proposed several mental health conditions be added to the
    Medical Accession Records Pilot list used by the U.S. Military Entrance
    Processing Command to qualify individuals who do not meet the volume 1
    accession standards, but have shown a several-year period of stability.
        Furthermore, the conditional Delayed Entry Program list allows the
    individual Services to contract applicants in advance of receiving a
    medical waiver, including several disqualifying mental health
    conditions
        Major General Bowers. Marine Corps Recruiting Command is working
    with our recruiting and medical partners to review the current DOD
    Instruction on accession medical standards with an aim at modernization
    and improving opportunities for those who wish to serve their nation.
    DOD adheres to criteria for applicants who have received mental health
    treatment as outlined in DOD Instruction 6130.03 Volume 1, ``Medical
    Standards for Military Service: Appointment, Enlistment, or
    Induction,.'' May 6, 2018, as amended. To reduce barriers to service,
    DOD consults with the civilian medical community to ensure these
    standards align with the needs of DOD and increase accurate suitability
    determinations Through the Accession and Retention Medical Standards
    Working Group, DOD reviews the current standards related to mental
    health and completes periodic revisions, as appropriate.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Mental health conditions are certainly a
    major concern for all recruiting services. The Air Force Recruiting
    Service's Accession Medical Waiver Division (AMWD) regularly looks at
    the data for all diagnoses to see where it is appropriate to take more
    risk for accession. Of the top 13 medical conditions where a
    disposition was provided for an accession waiver request, 6 were mental
    health related. Five thousand three hundred and sixty dispositions (out
    of 14,080, or 38 percent) were for mental health conditions. A waiver
    was provided for these members about 60 percent of the time. The AMWD
    regularly provides waivers for those with less severe mental health
    conditions (e.g. those who sought counseling for stress or who were on
    medication treatment for short periods of time). Those who had
    symptoms/needed treatment for longer periods of time (over a year or
    more), or who had recurrence of symptoms after remission, are at higher
    risk of having symptoms while in the Air Force that impact mission
    capabilities. Decisions to provide a waiver or not are made based on if
    the clinical notes show a diagnosis of a disorder using the criteria
    outlined in current medical literature.
        While it is true that mental health is increasing in public
    awareness and there are many different effective treatments, the impact
    on military readiness is still very high. Therefore, any adjustments to
    mental health standards need to be carefully thought through.
        In the past few years, the AMWD has expanded the opportunities for
    those with mental health histories to serve by reducing the needed
    demonstrated time of stability off medication/treatment prior to
    serving. Just how much time off medication/treatment is needed demands
    on the complexity and severity of the condition(s). We have previously
    used a period of three years for demonstrated stability, but we have
    recently reduced that time down to 2 years, assuming there are no other
    confounding factors.
        Part of the mechanism to reevaluate standards and waiver decisions
    is dependent on having the ability to study data from prior decisions.
    The AF is currently working to establish a full-time capability to
    conduct analytic studies on operational outcomes from prior medical
    waiver decisions.

        28. Senator King. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, what improvements have
    been made in the waiver process over the last 2 years?
        Major General Davis. Army continues to look for ways to streamline
    its waivers process for enlistment. Over the past 2 years, Army
    delegated down maximum enlistment age waivers to the General Officer
    level within the recruiting agencies; Army modified its policy on
    possessions of marijuana, where a waiver was required for a single
    conviction for possession of marijuana, now a waiver is only required
    when the applicants has two convictions for possession of marijuana,
    and Army reduced (by half) the waiting time for consideration of a
    waiver by prior servicemembers that desire reentry.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Applicant's safety, applicant's deployability,
    and ability to function in the military are all taken into account when
    considering waivers. The service medical waiver reviewer authorities
    have adjusted their waiver criteria for many of these mental health
    conditions if the individual's condition is stable and has good
    prognosis within the training and operational environments.
        Major General Bowers. The Marine Corps Recruiting Command in close
    coordination with Bureau of Naval Medicine (BUMED), the service medical
    waiver authority, has streamlined the waiver submission process
    decreasing the turnaround time for BUMED review and recommendation.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Mental health conditions are certainly a
    major concern for all recruiting services. The Air Force Recruiting
    Service's Accession Medical Waiver Division (AMWD) regularly looks at
    the data for all diagnoses to see where it is appropriate to take more
    risk for accession. Of the top 13 medical conditions where a
    disposition was provided for an accession waiver request, 6 were mental
    health related. Five thousand three hundred and sixty dispositions (out
    of 14,080, or 38 percent) were for mental health conditions. A waiver
    was provided for these members about 60 percent of the time. The AMWD
    regularly provides waivers for those with less severe mental health
    conditions (e.g. those who sought counseling for stress or who were on
    medication treatment for short periods of time). Those who had
    symptoms/needed treatment for longer periods of time (over a year or
    more), or who had recurrence of symptoms after remission, are at higher
    risk of having symptoms while in the Air Force that impact mission
    capabilities. Decisions to provide a waiver or not are made based on if
    the clinical notes show a diagnosis of a disorder using the criteria
    outlined in current medical literature.
        While it is true that mental health is increasing in public
    awareness and there are many different effective treatments, the impact
    on military readiness is still very high. Therefore, any adjustments to
    mental health standards need to be carefully thought through.
        In the past few years, the AMWD has expanded the opportunities for
    those with mental health histories to serve by reducing the needed
    demonstrated time of stability off medication/treatment prior to
    serving. Just how much time off medication/treatment is needed demands
    on the complexity and severity of the condition(s). We have previously
    used a period of three years for demonstrated stability, but we have
    recently reduced that time down to 2 years, assuming there are no other
    confounding factors.
        Part of the mechanism to reevaluate standards and waiver decisions
    is dependent on having the ability to study data from prior decisions.
    The AF is currently working to establish a full-time capability to
    conduct analytic studies on operational outcomes from prior medical
    waiver decisions.

        29. Senator King. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, what plans do you have
    for reducing barriers to service?
        Major General Davis. The Army is in close coordination with OSD to
    continually refine the Medical Accession Records Pilot (MARP) to assess
    applicants for military service using a revised time limitation for
    certain disqualifying conditions. The Army is collecting data on
    soldiers during their first term of service to assist and inform OSD's
    ability to redefine the medical standards of enlistment.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Navy Recruiting Command (NRC) expanded various
    policies to increase the qualified applicant pool. For example:

          Single Parent Policy Pilot: Pilot waives dependency
    status for Active component (AC) and Reserve component (RC) 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.

          TIER II Pilot: Authorized the contracting and accessing
    of applicants with 31 and above AFQT. (Tier II applicants are non-high
    school graduates who hold a GED, typically these applicants are only
    accessed with a 50 or greater AFQT).

          Age: AC and RC accessions must report to Recruit Training
    Command prior to their 42d birthday. All enlisted sailors (AC and RC)
    must be able to complete 20 years of qualifying service for retirement
    before their 62d birthday.

          Future Sailor Preparatory Courses (FSPC): Mirroring an
    Army program, the Navy has established the FSPC with two tracks:
    Physical Fitness and Academic.

          o  FSPC Physical Fitness first started in Spring 2023 and allows
    NRC to recruit applicants with a 50 AFQT and higher, and body
    compositions of 26.1-32 percent for males and 36.1-42 percent for
    females. These Future Sailors will be allowed to access into Active
    Duty and enter a rolling 3-week physical fitness program for up to 90-
    days. Once the FS reaches 26 percent (male) or 36 percent (female)
    body-fat, they will graduate the course and enter basic military
    training at Recruit Training Command.

          o  FSPC Academic first began in Summer 2023 and allows applicants
    with lower AFQT scores to train and retake the exam and reclassify into
    a new rating. The academic course remains in beta phase; the first
    pilot course convened January 2024.
        Major General Bowers. Marine Corps Recruiting Command is working
    with our recruiting and medical partners to review the current DOD
    Instruction on accession medical standards with an aim at modernization
    and improving opportunities for those who wish to serve their nation.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Mental health conditions are certainly a
    major concern for all recruiting services. The Air Force Recruiting
    Service's Accession Medical Waiver Division (AMWD) regularly looks at
    the data for all diagnoses to see where it is appropriate to take more
    risk for accession. Of the top 13 medical conditions where a
    disposition was provided for an accession waiver request, 6 were mental
    health related. Five thousand three hundred and sixty dispositions (out
    of 14,080, or 38 percent) were for mental health conditions. A waiver
    was provided for these members about 60 percent of the time. The AMWD
    regularly provides waivers for those with less severe mental health
    conditions (e.g. those who sought counseling for stress or who were on
    medication treatment for short periods of time). Those who had
    symptoms/needed treatment for longer periods of time (over a year or
    more), or who had recurrence of symptoms after remission, are at higher
    risk of having symptoms while in the Air Force that impact mission
    capabilities. Decisions to provide a waiver or not are made based on if
    the clinical notes show a diagnosis of a disorder using the criteria
    outlined in current medical literature.
        While it is true that mental health is increasing in public
    awareness and there are many different effective treatments, the impact
    on military readiness is still very high. Therefore, any adjustments to
    mental health standards need to be carefully thought through.
        In the past few years, the AMWD has expanded the opportunities for
    those with mental health histories to serve by reducing the needed
    demonstrated time of stability off medication/treatment prior to
    serving. Just how much time off medication/treatment is needed demands
    on the complexity and severity of the condition(s). We have previously
    used a period of three years for demonstrated stability, but we have
    recently reduced that time down to 2 years, assuming there are no other
    confounding factors.
        Part of the mechanism to reevaluate standards and waiver decisions
    is dependent on having the ability to study data from prior decisions.
    The AF is currently working to establish a full-time capability to
    conduct analytic studies on operational outcomes from prior medical
    waiver decisions.
                           expanding recruiting pool
        30. Senator King. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, Department of Defense
    officials continue to raise concerns about the decrease in military
    enlistments year over year. In fact, the number of young people who are
    eligible to serve in the military dropped precipitously last year, from
    29 to 23 percent, largely due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
    During the last fiscal year, the Army missed its recruiting goal by
    15,000 Active Duty soldiers, or 25 percent of its target. It is clear
    that we must address this challenge and strengthen our readiness. Do
    you agree that an incentive such as providing citizenship for those who
    serve an honorable 5-years in uniform--including participants of the
    DACA program, as well as dreamers who would have been eligible for
    DACA--can strengthen our military by creating a new recruitment tool
    for the Services and allow the military to retain more personnel?
        Major General Davis. Any effort that opens the aperture to allow
    more qualified and propensed individuals to serve in the military will
    support the Army's recruiting mission.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Opening more paths to a Navy career for those
    eligible for military service will make the Navy stronger. The military
    has long attracted servicemembers through benefits that are hard to
    find in the private sector such as generous retirement benefits, world-
    class healthcare, and education benefits. However, the private sector
    has narrowed that gap, with entry-level jobs in some places offering
    tuition assistance along with healthcare and a 401(k). A streamlined
    path to citizenship, tied to military service, would be a good example
    of a military-specific benefit that would help the Services further
    differentiate themselves from other potential employers of our Nation's
    best.
        Major General Bowers. The Marine Corps is always open to new ideas
    that will open the aperture for more quality recruits. We would be
    interested in working with Congress, the Department and Interagency
    partners in finding a way forward.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. The DAF implemented an initiative to
    expedite naturalization upon graduation at BMT. The DAF estimates that
    this recruitment incentive will further improve our strong recruiting
    efforts for this fiscal year by expanding our population of eligible
    candidates.
                        streamline recruiting paperwork
        31. Senator King. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, the younger generation
    is looking to do things online and quickly. Currently, you need to get
    in touch with a local recruiter, and then spend month printing and
    scanning paperwork back and forth--most of which is requires the same
    information over and over and over (SSN, address, etc). In the process,
    one of our constituents was asked for his fax number! We should be
    making this process as easy as possible. Colleges have shifted to the
    `common application' to help reduce barriers. Do you agree that
    streamlining the recruiting paper work through an online portal would
    be helpful to your efforts?
        Major General Davis. Yes, streamlining paperwork and reducing
    redundancy will improve our recruiting efforts. USAREC currently uses
    Army Career Explorer (ACE), an online portal for the application, the
    security questionnaire, and uploading documents.
        Rear Admiral Walker. While I agree that work can still be done in
    order to continue to streamline the administrative process required to
    join the Navy, the above statement does not accurately reflect our
    current process, and there are no instances in which an applicant would
    be required to provide a fax number. NRC is committed to continuing to
    reduce barriers to service by reducing redundancies in paperwork and
    exploring options to work through an online portal.
        Major General Bowers. The Marine Corps continues to refine
    technologies and methods to streamline the process of applying for
    service. However, we have seen significant delays to the implementation
    of MHS GENESIS and the Health Information Exchange (HIE). While we are
    enthusiastic to embrace new technology to achieve efficiencies, we must
    ensure that all aspects of the program are properly staffed. We are
    looking forward to seeing the Deputy Secretary of Defense's study on
    how to improve MHS GENESIS and HIE which her office is releasing in
    February, 2024.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. The Air Force concurs that streamlining
    the application process for our new generation of airmen and guardians
    is of paramount importance. That is why in April 2020, the Air Force
    launched the Air Force Commission and Enlistment Portal (AFCEP), a
    feature-rich, public-facing, and secure web site which uses cloud-based
    technology to stream-line the collection of applicant-required data and
    enlistment application management. Instead of processing physical
    paperwork in recruiting offices, recruiters send a link to the online
    AFCEP where the applicant completes their accessions application from
    anywhere and on any device. In the portal, the applicant securely fills
    out their information, uploads necessary source documents and signs
    enlistment forms all digitally. That information is then transferred to
    the Air Force Recruiting Information Support System (AFRISS-TF) where
    their recruiter performs quality checks and manages the recruit until
    shipping to Basic Military Training. AFCEP is configured to utilize
    data and information across all required forms once it has been entered
    in thesystem. Applicants are never required to provide their PII data
    multiple times. AFCEP saves thousands of administrative hours and
    processing time annually for Air and Space Force recruiters.

        32. Senator King. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, are any such efforts
    currently underway to develop a more Generation Z-friendly application?
        Major General Davis. The Army Career Explorer (ACE) application
    assists recruiters by allowing Army applicants to complete most of
    their enlistment packet from the comfort of their own home. Once an
    applicant is enrolled, they can upload their Social Security Card,
    birth certificate, driver's license, and marriage certificate
    digitally. Applicants can also complete their electronic National
    Security Questionnaire (eNSQ) from this application. Additionally, a
    recruiter can send enlistment processing forms to the applicant, which
    they can sign and return using a touchscreen device, all within the
    application.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Navy recruiting has been proactive over the
    last decade streamlining the enlistment and commissioning processes by
    reducing the administrative burden of our recruiting force. The
    majority of Navy's enlistment/commissioning package can now be signed
    electronically using biometric signatures and submitted electronically
    via the self-service portal into the Navy's Enterprise Customer
    Relationship Management (eCRM) system and Personalized Recruiting for
    Immediate and Delayed Enlistment Modernization, version II (PRIDE Mod
    II). There is more work to be done due to other stakeholder
    requirements and policies throughout the enlistment/commissioning
    process. For example, some DOD forms and documents still require
    ``wet'' signatures. Our eCRM self-service portal allows our recruiters
    to provide the applicant an account to access the portal and
    electronically upload the applicant's enlistment/commissioning package.
    Additionally, via video teleconferencing capabilities, Navy recruiters
    can remotely and virtually assist an applicant throughout the process,
    avoiding typical accession barriers.
        Major General Bowers. The Marine Corps consistently looks to
    improve all processes across our service. We aim to improve our
    visibility through marketing, advertising, and the personnel
    interactions of our recruiting force with potential applicants and
    influencers. While the nature of our proven systematic recruiting
    process remains unchanged, the character evolves using various tools
    and programs to reach each subsequent generation where they are.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. The Air Force Recruiting Service is in
    the process of modernizing from a legacy system implemented in 2014 to
    an 11Industry Standard'' Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
    Platform within the Talent Acquisition space. The new solution will
    increase transparency so that applicants always know where they are in
    the process. Since 96 percent of Gen Z applicants own a smartphone,
    AFRISS 2.0 will be a fully mobile platform which will leverage
    modernized capabilities for a more customer-friendly experience. With
    more self-service options, recruiters will be free to inspire and
    engage prospects while personalizing the recruiting experience. AFRISS
    2.0 will also produce improved data analytics while maintaining
    necessary security requirements and interface flexibility. New
    automation capabilities and AI-features within the CRM will drive down
    risks and costs while enriching the recruitment experience for
    applicants. Additionally, the current Aim High App caters to Gen Z by
    simplifying the initial information-gathering process through diverse
    media and interactive games that delve into prospective career options.
    This initiative fosters engagement with potential candidates on a
    personalized level, facilitating continuous connectivity throughout
    their journey by offering recruiter messaging, events (e.g., STEM,
    NASCAR, UFC, FIRST Robotics etc.), fitness/nutrition guides, and BMT
    insights and preparation.

        33. Senator King. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, what has been done to
    reduce the administrative burden on potential recruits over the last 3
    years?
        Major General Davis. The implementation of the Army Career Explorer
    (ACE) application allows Army applicants the ability to complete most
    of their enlistment packet from the comfort of their own home. Once an
    applicant is enrolled, they can upload their Social Security Card,
    birth certificate, driver's license, and marriage certificate.
    Applicants can also complete their electronic National Security
    Questionnaire (eNSQ) from this application, which is used to initiate
    their background investigation. Last, a recruiter can send enlistment
    processing forms to the applicant, which they can sign and return using
    a touchscreen device, all within the application. Much of the
    information entered into the application populates onto multiple forms,
    reducing the requirement to re-enter information.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Navy recruiting has been proactive in
    streamlining the enlistment and commissioning processes and reducing
    the administrative burden of our recruiting force and applicants. We
    have adopted industry best practices by implementing a commercial
    Software-as-a-Service enterprise Customer Relationship Management
    (eCRM) product for all prospecting functions. We incorporated paperless
    processing using Biometric fingerprint signatures on all Official
    Military Personnel Forms used for enlistment/commissioning. We
    implemented a commercial off the shelf mobile application, which
    provides full eCRM capability to the recruiter's smart phone and an
    applicant self-service portal to streamline the process and gain
    efficiency.
        Major General Bowers. Our recruiters play an integral role in
    reducing the administrative burden on potential recruits, working
    diligently to identify all required documentation to meet DOD accession
    standards quickly and thoroughly ensuring a smooth process for the
    predominance of our applicants. However, we have seen significant
    delays to the implementation of MHS GENESIS and the Health Information
    Exchange (HIE). While we are enthusiastic to embrace new technology to
    achieve efficiencies, we must ensure that all aspects of the program
    are properly staffed. We are looking forward to seeing the Deputy
    Secretary of Defense's study on how to improve MHS GENESIS and HIE
    which her office is releasing in February, 2024.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Fielded at the beginning of the COVID-19
    pandemic, the Air Force Commission and Enlistment Portal (AFCEP) allows
    applicants to fill out and sign all forms as well as upload all
    required source documents (e.g., Birth certificates, Diplomas, etc.)
    from home or on their smartphones, decreasing the burden of returning
    multiple times to the recruiter's office to sign documents, deliver
    source documents and sign forms. The AFRISS-TF Forms autofill function
    is used to decrease time required to fill out required form. Lastly, an
    expedited waiver process often decreases the burden of waiting for
    waivers (e.g., Medical Morals, etc.).
        One additional process AFRS has implemented is the Medical
    Administrative Support Contract which was awarded at the end of fiscal
    year 2023. This contract aims to decrease kickbacks from MEPS and
    medical waiver requests while reducing the time spent by recruiters
    reviewing records. The contractors will have access to Health
    Information Exchange within MHS-Genesis which will enable them to
    review past medical history of applicants prior to applicants
    processing through MEPS. The contractors can work with applicants to
    obtain medical records, if needed.

        34. Senator King. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, will you move away from
    requesting fax numbers, and offering solutions such as web portals and
    emails?
        Major General Davis. We do not ask any applicant for fax numbers.
    The only time we utilize a fax machine is when we request documents
    from an agency that only has fax capability.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Yes, Navy recruiting will continue to leverage
    web portals and other secure means of collaboration between recruiter
    and prospect. Navy is committed to implementing and utilizing a vast
    variety of secure communication methods, giving us the ability to
    accommodate all modes of transmission. Prospects require a thorough
    review of their life history (e.g. civil/police, medical, academic,
    etc.). For Navy recruiters to request/receive these Controlled
    Unclassified Information (CUI) documents, we must continue to maintain
    and utilize a diverse range of mediums to send and receive the
    documentation from outside entities and are at the mercy of which
    method the entity utilizes, whether it is a secure web portal such as
    DOD SAFE or the Navy's enterprise Customer Relationship Management
    (eCRM) self-service portal, email, facsimile, even the United States
    Postal Service.
        Major General Bowers. I can confirm that the Marine Corps
    consistently looks to modernize our processes where able by statute and
    DOD policy.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. The Air Force Recruiting enterprise does
    not request a fax number from any applicants. All Air and Space Force
    recruiters utilize a web-based e-Fax service to allow local law
    enforcement and legacy medical providers who still use facsimiles to
    electronically send documents which are converted to email pdfs and
    uploaded to our system of record, Air Force Recruiting Information
    Support System (AFRISS-TF). Since most applicants are members of the
    texting generation, recruiters use the AFRISS-TF text-notification
    system to communicate with applicants. Email is another communication
    tool widely used in the recruiting process.
        The Air Force also uses the very popular Aim High Application to
    inspire prospective applicants, facilitate communication, manage
    training, and guide applicants through the accession process.With
    90,000 users in 2023, the Aim High Application opens communication
    channels using rich ``social-like'' content to communicate with
    families and friends of recruits in ways that create a positive
    network, leading to recruiting success and career retention.
                                   transition
        35. Senator King. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, I believe a smooth
    transition out of the Military system will lead to a population that is
    more supportive of their friends, family, and loved ones joining the
    military--perhaps even encouraging them to do so. Do you believe a
    well-resourced and managed transition assistance program can facilitate
    more citizen-recruiters and improve the public perception of military
    service?
        Major General Davis. The Army completely agrees. Our well-designed
    and well executed Transition Assistance Program not only ensures a
    successful transition for the individual soldier but also provides an
    opportunity for them to become public leaders and continue to
    contribute to our society in many ways. Our veterans are more highly
    employed now than they have been in the past decade. Their employment,
    salary and education successes far exceed the national average. The
    next generation of soldiers can look on the recent veterans as being
    successful. We invest significant time and energy in preparing soldiers
    for their next chapter post their transition. Because the American
    soldier is our most important resource.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Yes, veterans who use the Transition
    Assistance Program resources to successfully transition to a civilian
    career, enroll in an education program using their veteran education
    benefits, and are knowledgeable about the various veteran benefits they
    have earned through their service can be our best recruiters.
        Major General Bowers. The Marine Corps continues to promote the
    value of TAP and the transition process to commanders, senior enlisted,
    Unit Transition Coordinators (UTCs), and servicemembers through various
    formats, including re-occurring notifications containing information
    and guidance on Transition Readiness Seminars (TRS).
        Brigadier General Amrhein. In calendar year 2022, 187,000
    transitioning servicemembers utilized the DOD Transition Assistance
    Program. The DAF transitioned 37,000 members and 93 percent agreed or
    strongly agreed they will use what they learned from TAP during or
    after their transition. I believe if we take care of the servicemember
    throughout their career, they are more likely to share that positive
    experience with their civilian family and friends, thus being good
    ambassadors in recruitment and reflect a positive public perception of
    military service.
                                   __________
                Questions Submitted by Senator Elizabeth Warren
                    attrition during the recruiting process
        36. Senator Warren. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, do you measure the
    attrition rate between a recruit's initial prescreening and whether
    they join the military? If so, can you provide the attrition data for
    each of the past 5 years? If your data base includes information on the
    reason for attrition, please include this data.
        Major General Davis. Yes, the Army measures the attrition rates
    between prescreening and contract. The attrition rate for the last five
    fiscal years is: fiscal year 2019 83 percent, fiscal year fiscal year
    2020 84 percent, fiscal year 2021 84 percent, fiscal year 2022 87
    percent, fiscal year 2023 85 percent. Some of the reasons for attrition
    we track include: unwilling to commit, not interested--continuing
    education, and temporarily disqualified. Temporarily disqualified
    includes disqualification for education, medical, moral, physical,
    admin, and dependents.
        Rear Admiral Walker. The Navy tracks how many applicants are sent
    to physical at a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) with the
    intent to join, as well as how many of those applicants later sign a
    contract (``Delayed Entry Program (DEP) in'') and ship to Recruit
    Training Command (RTC) (``access''). Historical analysis conducted by
    Navy Recruiting Command is provided below. Prior to the implementation
    of Military Health System (MHS) Genesis (from October 2018 to February
    2022), approximately 86 percent of all applicants that were sent to
    MEPS for a physical later signed a contract. Since the beginning of MHS
    Genesis (specifically May 2022 to April 2023 as explained below), Navy
    has seen this rate drop to approximately 78 percent as more applicants
    have either been disqualified from joining during the medical review
    process, or were delayed so long during the process that they chose to
    pursue other opportunities. The data below is provided through April
    2023 in order to obtain a full year of data post-MHS Genesis. Data
    after April 2023 was excluded from this analysis as these applicants
    may still be working through the application process and affect the
    recent conversion rate.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                           Percent of Physicals Leading to
                Fiscal Year                            Contract
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      Fiscal Year 2018                           83 percent
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      Fiscal Year 2019                           85 percent
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      Fiscal Year 2020                           85 percent
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      Fiscal Year 2021                           86 percent
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      Fiscal Year 2022                           82 percent
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      Fiscal Year 2023                           78 percent
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    *Fiscal Year 2023 conversion is through April 2023

        Major General Bowers. Yes, see table below:

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                                                     Contracted
                                                                                                                                      into the
                                                                                                                      Disqualified    Delayed
                                                                                                                        for Other      Entry     Reported to
                          Calendar Year                        Applicants     Mentally      Medically      Morally      Reasons /    Program /     Recruit
                                                                            Disqualified  Disqualified  Disqualified     Did Not      Did Not      Training
                                                                                                                         Contact     Report to
                                                                                                                                      Recruit
                                                                                                                                      Training
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    2019....................................................       73,775          5,997         5,821         1,190        14,892       10,384       35,491
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    2020....................................................       63,395          5,199         5,021           923        13,841        8,265       30,146
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    2021....................................................       64,728          5,936         5,213           765        12,999        7,792       32,023
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    2022....................................................       63,473          5,878         7,219           706        14,664        6,023       28,983
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    2023*...................................................       59,536          4,497         6,634           616        16,413        2,823       28,553
    ========================================================================================================================================================
                                                                  324,907         27,507        29,908         4,200        72,809       35,287      155,196
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    * New working applicants declared in late 2023 have an unknown disposition

        Brigadier General Amrhein. For the purpose of this response, AFRS
    considers an ``initial prescreen'' to be when a prospective applicant
    has their first appointment with a recruiter and ``whether they joined
    the military'' as when an applicant joins the Delayed Entry Program
    (DEP). Our ability to capture the lead information was enhanced from
    fiscal year 2020 to current, thus since 2020 our information is more
    precise to compare from year to year, thus the reason for providing
    only 4 years of data. Additionally, until January 2024 the reasons for
    applicants to not complete the process are many, so we are unable to
    precisely track this data. As of 12 January, AFRS has implemented a
    change in its information technology platform that will start tracking
    all applicants that did not complete the DAF recruiting process to give
    us a better understanding of why potential applicants are not
    completing the process.

        # initial appointments / # entered DEP / Attrition Rate (percent
    that didn't join)

                Fiscal Year 2020: 69,666 / 28,891 / 58.5 percent

                Fiscal Year 2021: 68,904 / 30,773 / 55.3 percent

                Fiscal Year 2022: 66,040 / 22,812 / 65.5 percent

                Fiscal Year 2023: 81,764 / 30,083 / 63.2 percent

                                 dod child care
        37. Senator Warren. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, the Department of
    Defense's Child Development Program is considered to be widely
    successful, offering on-base Child Development Centers (CDCs) for
    children 5 years or younger, School-Age Care (SAC) for children 6-12
    years old, and in-home Family Child Care (FCC). In September 2022,
    Secretary Austin issued a memorandum regarding the Department of
    Defense's ``sacred obligation to take care of [its] servicemembers and
    families.'' In that memo, Secretary Austin directed the Department to
    strengthen the Child Development Program, recognizing how deeply
    servicemembers and their children rely on military child development
    centers. How many families in your respective service branches are
    currently served by CDCs, SAC, and FCC?
        Major General Davis. Approximately 113,212 Army families were
    served by CDCs, SAC, and FCC in fiscal year 2023.
        Rear Admiral Walker. As of December 31, 2023, Navy Child and Youth
    Programs (CYP) serve 11,843 families and 15,434 children in CDCs and
    SAC. Navy CYP provides fee assistance to 4,616 families and 6,000
    children. In addition, Navy FCC serves 550 families with a total of 660
    children enrolled.
        Major General Bowers. Child and Youth Programs serve marine
    children at 16 installations across 14 locations. As of the first
    quarter of Fiscal Year 2024, the USMC serves 4,346 children in Child
    Development Centers, 1,272 in School Age Care, and 25 in Family Child
    Care.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. On December 1, 2023, there were 25,847
    children enrolled in DAF CDCs, SAC and FCC.
        38. Senator Warren. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, how many families in
    your respective service branches are currently on waiting lists to be
    served by CDCs, SAC, and FCC? What is the average waiting time for
    families on this list?
        Major General Davis. The average waiting time is 139 days for Army
    families with children ages zero to five. It is important to understand
    the context of child care wait time. Wait time is dependent on many
    factors such as location, sponsor's child care priority, age of the
    child, and type of care requested. MilitaryChildCare.com provides
    families with their individualized anticipated placement time specific
    to their child and location.
        Rear Admiral Walker.
          Number of families on wait lists as of 31 December 2023:

          o  Navy CYP has a total of 4,384 children on the unmet need
    waitlist. Immediate need is defined as a child care need that has not
    been met and is within 30 days of the date care needed (DCN) or the DCN
    has passed. This number includes Active Duty Service Members and DOD
    civilians, single and with working/full-time student spouses. The
    breakdown below shows the six Navy locations with the highest waitlist:

            -  Hawaii--468

            -  Kitsap--151

            -  Jacksonville--168

            -  Metro Norfolk--1,300

            -  Metro San Diego--797

            -  National Capital Region (NCR)--268

          The average wait time for priority 1 and 2 children is
    134.25 days.

          o  Priority 1: Child and youth program employees, Combat Related
    Wounded Warriors, and Active Duty military and Coast Guard that are
    single or have a spouse that is Active Duty, working, seeking
    employment, or a full-time student.

          o  Priority 2: DOD civilian employees that are single or have a
    full-time working spouse.

          o  The average wait time for priority 1 children is 97.7 days

          o  The average wait time for priority 2 children is 296.8 days

          Navy CYP experiences highest wait times in Fleet
    concentrated areas. For the six concentrated areas, the wait time are
    as follows:

          o  Hawaii--139.49 days

          o  Kitsap--204.64 days

          o  Jacksonville--138.24 days

          o  Metro Norfolk--153.18 days

          o  Metro San Diego--153.51 days

          o  NCR--103.92 days

        Major General Bowers. The top five USMC locations with the longest
    waitlists are Marine Corps Base (MCB) Quantico, Marine Corps Community
    Services (MCCS) Lejeune/New River, MCCS South Carolina (Marine Corps
    Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort/Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) Parris
    Island), MCB Pendleton, and MCB Hawaii. The top five report a four to 6
    month wait for the highest priorities (single/dual active duty, active
    duty with working spouse, and childcare employees). The remaining
    installations can place children within 45 days of the date the care is
    needed. It should be noted that wait list times may not be the most
    appropriate metric to measure access to childcare writ large. Many
    marines may stay on CDC waitlists while they pursue other childcare
    options, Marine Corps-provided childcare subsidies, or clarify other
    aspects of their home life.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. December 1, 2023, there were 3,278
    children on the unmet need waitlist (not placed in care on date care
    needed) for the DAF installation CDCs and FCC homes with an average
    wait time on the unmet need wait list of 137 days. Across the DAF,
    there were 569 youth on installation SAC unmet need waitlists on 1
    December 2023 with an average wait time on the unmet need waitlist of
    73 days.
        39. Senator Warren. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, would you consider
    inadequate access to child care as a barrier to retention among
    servicemembers?
        Major General Davis. Yes, it is a potential factor. Child care and
    youth programs contribute to force readiness which impacts soldiers'
    decision to continue to serve. While retention rates are high, soldiers
    have expressed concern that child care may impact their decision to
    continue to serve.
        The Army continues to work to provide access to quality and
    affordable child care.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Yes, inadequate child care can be a barrier to
    retention of sailors, as it is tied to spouse employment. In today's
    society, many families rely on the income of both wage-earners.
    Available and affordable child care is often cited as a reason for
    spouses not being able to work, along with frequent moves. As our
    families make decisions about reenlisting--spouse employment and child
    care are part of this decision. In addition, child care is crucial to
    retaining our single parent sailors and the Department is working on
    ways to providing adequate access to child care.
        Major General Bowers. High-quality childcare is one of the many
    important Child and Youth Programs we offer. It is a readiness priority
    for the Marine Corps.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Access to quality and affordable child
    care services, along with other quality of life programs, are vital to
    recruitment and retention of the force of the future required to meet
    current and emerging threats. The Department will continue to leverage
    resources and partnerships to ensure programs and services provided are
    consistent with the support needs of today's warfighter and their
    families.

        40. Senator Warren. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, would access to
    reliable, affordable, and high-quality child care improve recruitment
    and retention?
        Major General Davis. Yes. Child care and youth programs reduce the
    conflict between mission requirements and parental responsibilities.
    The Army remains committed to efforts supporting access to quality and
    affordable child care options whether these are installation or
    community-based care.
        Efforts include continued investment in recruitment and retention
    for direct care staff by offering increased salaries, bonuses along
    with professional and workforce development.
        All Army Child and Youth staff receive a 50 percent child care fee
    reduction for the first child and a 15 percent multiple child discount
    for additional children. The Army increased subsidies for Family Child
    Care providers allowing them to earn competitive salaries and the
    ability to transfer their business during PCS moves. Army child care
    fee assistance is provided for approximately 10K per month for children
    of Active and Reserve Component and Civilian families. The provider
    rate cap increased January 1, 2024, to $1,800. To avoid waiting lists,
    Army Families have the option to go directly to community-based child
    care.
        Rear Admiral Walker. High quality, reliably accessible child care
    would materially improve retention by removing a factor that can lead
    sailors to feel they must choose between their career or their family.
    In our data, the military impact on a sailor's family is one of the
    most significant influencers to leave. Improved retention directly
    improves recruiting by reducing the demand for additional recruits, and
    also indirectly benefits recruiting by turning quality of service into
    a selling point to attract future recruits.
        Major General Bowers. High-quality childcare is one of the many
    important Child and Youth Programs we offer. It is a readiness priority
    for the Marine Corps. It is most certainly a factor in many marines'
    decisions to remain in the military.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Access to quality and affordable child
    care services are a force enabler important to recruitment and
    retention. We recognize our Air and Space Force families have unique
    child care needs and understand the importance of providing a
    comprehensive network of care solutions to include center-based care on
    the installation, family child care on and off the installation, and
    community-based child care fee assistance options. The Department is
    employing efforts to remove barriers and maximize care solution options
    to meet the child care demand across the enterprise.

        41. Senator Warren. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, in 2022, the RAND
    Corporation released a study, which found that over 15 percent of
    active duty service women experience infertility, a rate that is
    significantly higher than the rate among civilian women. However, the
    DOD's existing fertility policy excludes same-sex couples, unmarried
    couples, single servicemembers, and those without certain specific
    injuries from accessing in vitro fertilization (IVF) services. This
    exclusionary policy likely restricts many servicemembers from forming
    families. Are you concerned that the limited availability of family
    building benefits such as IVF services affects your recruitment and
    retention--particularly for women servicemembers?
        Major General Davis. Expanding comprehensive family building
    benefits to servicemembers, including IVF services, may positively
    impact both the recruitment and retention of military personnel.
        Aligning servicemembers' family building and IVF benefits with
    those provided to civilian Federal employees under the FEHB Program
    could make military service a more attractive career option.
        Rear Admiral Walker. We agree that family planning is an important
    issue for servicemembers and their families, and the Department
    continues to assess all available opportunities to support family
    building to the extent authorized. While TRICARE covers evaluations and
    treatment of the physical causes of infertility for beneficiaries,
    Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) services, which include IVF, are
    excluded from coverage under the TRICARE medical benefit program. Under
    separate statutory authority, the Supplemental Health Care Program
    (SHCP) covers expanded benefits, including ART services, for Active
    Duty servicemembers who have sustained a serious or severe illness or
    injury while on Active Duty that has led to the loss of their natural
    procreative ability. The intent of this expanded benefit is to help
    servicemembers impacted by a severe illness or injury, achieve their
    family planning goals.
        I do want to highlight what has been done to support servicemembers
    in need of fertility treatment not covered by TRICARE. Last year, the
    Department created policies that allow servicemembers to request
    administrative absences and funded travel to access ART for themselves
    and their dependents. These policies will provide some assistance to
    servicemembers seeking ART.
        Additionally, servicemembers and eligible beneficiaries who either
    desire or need to conceive via ART may pursue treatments at military
    medical treatment facility (MTF) Reproductive Endocrinology and
    Infertility Graduate Medical Education (GME) Programs, which provide
    ART services not otherwise covered at a greatly reduced cost, where
    available. These programs are open to all eligible beneficiaries
    regardless of sexual orientation and there is no requirement for the
    beneficiary to be married or have a partner.
        Major General Bowers. Our Marine recruiters focus on bringing our
    message of aspirational opportunity to everyone who can earn our title,
    and we do so within the confines of statute and policy. We are always
    interested in reviewing policies that support all of our marines and
    their families.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Yes, the limited availability of family
    building benefits, including IVF services, is a concern for recruitment
    and retention, especially for female servicemembers. The DAF
    methodically establishes special assignment programs aiming to create
    family stability for military families with dependent children, and
    family building to the maximum extent possible. To address these
    limitations, optimize the career experience, and increase recruiting
    and retention of servicemembers, the DAF is exploring courses of action
    to update DAF policy to allow airmen and guardians (to include same sex
    couples, unmarried couples, single servicemembers, and dual military)
    to request deferment from a routine reassignment and deployment if
    their medical provider confirms they or their spouse are receiving
    fertility treatment. Because the success of any fertility treatment is
    impossible to predict, we are conducting analysis to determine the
    optimal length of the deferment and, if approved, expect to announce
    policy implementation during the 2024 calendar year.
                            reproductive health care
        42. Senator Warren. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, beginning in 2024, the
    Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) Program will require broader
    coverage of IVF services for all civilian Federal employees.
    Servicemembers risk their lives and their health every day to keep us
    safe, and many servicemembers experience infertility as a result of
    their service. Yet, many servicemembers will continue to be excluded
    from these benefits. Do you believe access to family building benefits,
    including IVF services, similar to those offered to all civilian
    Federal employees through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program
    could help with recruiting and retaining more servicemembers?
        Major General Davis. The challenges with recruiting and retention
    in the Army are highly varied. The proposed expansion of the Federal
    Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) Program in 2024, to include wider
    coverage for IVF services for all civilian Federal employees, will
    create a discrepancy in benefits between civilian Federal employees and
    servicemembers. This could negatively impact recruiting and retention
    efforts.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Further analysis needs to be conducted on how
    much of a benefit IVF would have on recruiting and retention. IVF is
    very expensive and with DOD top-line challenges, there needs to be more
    internal discussion on these costs and any benefits on recruiting and
    retention.
        Major General Bowers. Any increase of benefits which results in a
    larger pool of qualified and motivated candidates who desire to earn
    the title of United States Marine is a benefit to our recruiting force.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Providing access to family building
    benefits, including IVF services, for servicemembers, akin to the
    benefits offered to civilian Federal employees through the Federal
    Employees Health Benefits Program, could contribute significantly to
    the recruitment and retention of our valuable servicemembers. Over the
    last several years, our Women's Initiatives Team, one of the DAF's
    Barrier Analysis Working Groups, estimated that approximately 1,500
    airmen and guardians are affected by infertility each year. In October
    2022, the Secretary of the Air Force signed a memorandum directing the
    DAF to take a series of actions to ensure servicemembers and their
    families can access reproductive health care, including assisted
    reproductive technology (ART), regardless of where they are stationed.
    The DAF specifically implemented OSD's ART policies on Febuary 27, 2023
    which grants servicemembers up to 21 days of an administrative absence
    to receive or to accompany a dual military spouse or dependent to
    receive a non-covered reproductive healthcare procedure. In addition,
    the policies authorized travel and transportation allowances for
    servicemembers and dependents to receive non-covered reproductive
    healthcare services. By offering such comprehensive support, we not
    only demonstrate our commitment to the well-being of our military
    personnel but also create a more attractive and supportive environment
    that fosters long-term dedication and loyalty. This proactive approach
    aligns with the evolving needs and expectations of servicemembers,
    ultimately enhancing the overall strength and resilience of our Armed
    Forces.

                            thc waivers for recruits
        43. Senator Warren. Brigadier General Amrhein, in 2022, the Air
    Force implemented a pilot program to stop permanently barring
    individuals who test positive for THC, and instead allow them to enlist
    in the Air Force if they are granted a waiver and pass a second drug
    test. These THC waivers are good policy; they help address the Air
    Force's recruitment issues, and according to a 2021 RAND Corporation
    study of waivers in the context of the U.S. Army, ``the performance of
    waivered recruits is often no worse and sometimes is better than the
    performance of similar, nonwaivered recruits.'' How many waivers have
    been requested since this pilot program began? What percentage of
    waiver requests are not granted, and if they are not granted, why?
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Since the waiver process was just
    started in fiscal year 2023, and the waiver process requires a six-
    month wait time to be initiated, we do not have a report that shows
    those not granted a THC waiver. However, a system change request (SCR)
    is in the configuration management process to enable USAF to build that
    report. The report should be available in February 2024.
        Two hundred fourty-three waivers have been approved since launch of
    the pilot program. AFRS is currently only capturing analytics of
    approved waivers and is not tracking data for those who were
    disapproved. When AFRS engaged the recruiting field units for feedback,
    the only disapprovals given were for applicants who didn't meet the
    criteria for waiver eligibility, i.e., no Category 1 or 2 moral
    waivers. They must also have scored above a 50 on the ASVAB.
        44. Senator Warren. Brigadier General Amrhein, does the Air Force
    track data on the demographics of prospective recruits who test
    positive for THC are and are not granted waivers? If so, what does this
    data reveal?
        Brigadier General Amrhein. AFRS is currently not tracking data for
    disapproved THC waivers. As mentioned above, we are awaiting this
    report, however, here are the demographics for the waivers that were
    approved:

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       Race/Ethnic Category
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    American Indian/Alaskan Native............................            1
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Not Hispanic or Latino..................................            1
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Asian.....................................................            4
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Hispanic or Latino......................................            1
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Not Hispanic or Latino..................................            3
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Black.....................................................           85
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Hispanic or Latino......................................            8
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Not Hispanic or Latino..................................           77
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Native Hawaiian or Other P................................            4
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Hispanic or Latino......................................            1
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Not Hispanic or Latino..................................            3
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    White.....................................................          144
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Hispanic or Latino......................................          133
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Not Hispanic or Latino..................................          111
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    White and Black...........................................            2
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Not Hispanic or Latino..................................            2
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    White/Black...............................................            3
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Not Hispanic or Latino..................................            3
    rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
    Grand Total...............................................          243
    ========================================================================
    GENDER
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Female....................................................           36
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Male......................................................          207
    rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
    Grand Total...............................................          243
    ========================================================================
    Average Age...............................................           22
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

        45. Senator Warren. Brigadier General Amrhein, when determining
    whether to issue a waiver, the Air Force says that it gathers ``a
    robust set of information'' and puts applicants ``through multiple
    levels of scrutiny.'' During this process of determining whether to
    issue a THC waiver, what discretionary factors does the Air Force
    consider?
        Brigadier General Amrhein. AFRS considers the whole person concept,
    to include personal testimonies, prior moral offenses, and readiness to
    serve the needs of the Air Force.

        46. Senator Warren. Brigadier General Amrhein, given the Air
    Force's 2020 findings of racial disparities in disciplinary and other
    processes, what is the Air Force doing to avoid racial disparities in
    its process of granting THC waivers?
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Race is not included on THC waiver
    requests and is not a factor in consideration.
                         sexual abuse against recruits
        47. Senator Warren. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, in November 2023,
    Military.com reported that the Marine Corps is investigating a
    recruiter who claims to have been in a sexual relationship with an
    underage recruit. How many times within the past 10 years have each of
    your services received a report of a recruiter sexually abusing,
    harassing, or assaulting or engaging in other inappropriate sexual
    behavior with a recruit, how many were substantiated, and what
    disciplinary actions were taken?
        Major General Davis. In the past 10 years, there have been 990
    reported cases of sexual misconduct with a subject of recruiting. Of
    those reports, 806 were substantiated.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                           Adverse
                                                                  Court                    Article 15/     Action
                     Category                        #          Martial/      Separated   Non-Judicial    (personal
                                               Substantiated      civil     from service   Punishment      record
                                                               conviction                                  entry)
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Sexual Misconduct........................            87             8            19             7            37
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Sexual Harassment........................           299             3            32            41           171
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Fraternization or unauthorized                      420             3            60            55           232
     relationship with an applicant..........
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    All individuals are immediately suspended from recruiting duties at the time of the allegation.

        Rear Admiral Walker. Navy recruiting takes recruiter impropriety
    and sexual assault and harassment very seriously. Since fiscal year
    2013, we had 104 substantiated cases of either recruiter
    fraternization, sexual harassment or sexual assault. In the same time
    period, there were 47 unsubstantiated cases. The following Uniform Code
    of Military Justice (UCMJ) disciplinary actions were taken by fiscal
    year:
          Fiscal year 2013: 19 recruiters separated from Service
    via the administrative separation process, four were subject to UCMJ
    Article 15 Non-judicial punishment (NJP), and seven received other
    administrative action and/or were removed from recruiting duty
          Fiscal year 2014: One recruiter received a criminal
    conviction for misconduct, 12 were separated from the Service, one was
    subject to Article 15 NJP proceedings, and six were removed from
    recruiting duty
          Fiscal year 2015: Three recruiters were separated from
    the Service and one was removed from recruiting duty
          Fiscal year 2016: Eight recruiters with substantiated
    misconduct were separated from the Service
          Fiscal year 2017: Four recruiters with substantiated
    misconduct were separated from the Service
          Fiscal year 2018: Three recruiters were separated from
    the Service, six were removed from recruiting duty
          Fiscal year 2019: One recruiter received a criminal
    conviction for misconduct, five were separated from Service, three
    recruiters received Article 15 NJP and six were removed from recruiting
    duty
          Fiscal year 2020: Five recruiters were subject to Article
    15 NJP, four were removed from recruiting duty
          Fiscal year 2021: Two recruiters received criminal
    convictions, three recruiters separated from the Service, two received
    Article 15 NJP, three removed from recruiting duty
          Fiscal year 2022: Three received criminal convictions, 11
    recruiters separated from the Service, two received Article 15 NJP
          Fiscal year 2023: One recruiter received criminal
    conviction, eight separated from the Service, one received Article 15
    NJP, one removed from recruiter duty, and four pending courts-martial
    related to recruiter fraternization
        Major General Bowers. As reported to the DOD in the Recruiter
    Irregularities report below is the breakdown of substantiated claims
    for sexual misconduct and sexual harassment by recruiters. Disciplinary
    actions include Nonjudicial punishment, reduction in grade, forfeiture
    of pay, and relief for cause. Some cases result in incarceration and
    Service separation.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                     2014    2015    2016    2017    2018    2019    2020    2021    2022   2023 \1\
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Sexual Misconduct.............       4       7      19      19      31      15      18       5       5        4
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Sexual Harassment.............      10       7       1       2       1       2       5       3       0        2
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ Fiscal year 2023 data through July 17, 2023

        Recruits that file a report of sexual assault (whether the subject
    is a recruiter or stranger) are tracked and managed by the Training &
    Education Command (TECOM) SAPR Program. Sexual harassment cases are
    handled by the USMC Equal Opportunity Advisor/Representative (EOA/EOR);
    sexual assault of minors eligible for military services are referred
    and supported by the USMC Family Advocacy Program (FAP); and
    information in regards to Subject demographics or sentencing outcomes
    are more appropriately addressed by) and/or the Staff Judge Advocate
    (SJA).
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Between 2014 and 2023, of the nearly
    700,000 applicants processed by AFRS, the DAF investigated 41 incidents
    alleging sexual abuse, harassment, or assault, or other inappropriate
    sexual behavior by a recruiter with a recruit. Of those cases, 10 were
    referred to a court-martial proceeding, 14 were resolved through
    nonjudicial punishment under Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military
    Justice, 10 were resolved through other administrative action being
    issued to the recruiter, 5 cases were closed with no action, and 2
    cases are still pending disposition. The variance in types of
    discilinary actions is attributed to the requirement that
    commandersconsider each allegation/case based on the facts presented,
    including the relative severity of the alleged offense(s), the strength
    of the evidence, the advice of their Staff Judge Advocate, the input of
    any alleged victim, where applicable, and the Airman/Guardian's prior
    disciplinary history, if any.

        48. Senator Warren. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, what training do you
    provide recruiters on engaging appropriately with recruits, including
    regarding sexual and otherwise inappropriate relationships between
    recruiters and recruits? Please provide copies of any training.
        Major General Davis. Recruiters have multiple touchpoints
    throughout the year, both at the Recruiting and Retention College (RRC)
    and their units. Training covers ethics, the Uniform Code of Military
    Justice (UCMJ), and inappropriate relationships between recruiters and
    recruits.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Training provided at Navy Orientation
    Recruiting Unit (NORU) on sexual and otherwise inappropriate
    relationships between recruiters and recruits is addressed in all NORU
    courses. In addition, the schoolhouse dedicates a significant amount of
    time on ethics and prohibited practices in the Enlisted Navy Recruiting
    Orientation course. Specifically, NORU discusses and trains to their
    fraternization policy and prohibited activities as it pertains to
    applicants, prospects, Future Sailors, and recruiting prohibited
    practices regarding Future Sailors.
        Recruiters depart NORU with reinforced knowledge of prohibited
    practices on sexual and inappropriate relationships between recruiters
    and recruits. In addition, Navy Talent Acquisition Group CO/XOs receive
    training against prohibited interactions between recruiters/applicants
    during the NORU Recruiting Leadership Course and throughout the year
    from the Navy Recruiting Command legal team.
        Please reference enclosure Recruiter Training on Fraternization
    Topics located in the Appendix.
        Training:  NORU PXO Legal (fraternization slide)
                Basic Recruiter PQS (pg 22: fraternization/ethics topics)
                Trainer's Guide, ENRO Lesson Plan
                Lesson Plans (fraternization/ethics topics)
        Major General Bowers. The USMC Marine Corps Recruiting Command
    (MCRC) SAPR Program ensures that a Recruiter SAPR Brief is conducted at
    every Basic Recruiter Course aboard MCRD San Diego (6) times a year by
    the Supervisory Regional Recruiting SARCs. Copies of the Recruiter SAPR
    Brief are available upon request and provided to recruiting personnel
    each year. Additionally, all marines within MCRC receive annual rank-
    specific SAPR training (Step-Up (E-1-E-3), Take-A-Stand (E-4-E-5), &
    SAPR Annual Training for Leaders (SNCOs & Officers)) conducted by
    trained, credentialed, and appointed MCRC SAPR personnel.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Recruiters receive training on
    professional/unprofessional conduct during their initial skills course
    before they are qualified as recruiters. Once at their unit, commanders
    are responsible for ensuring all members receive training on
    unprofessional relationships IAW DODI 1304.33 and AFI 36-2909--AETCSUP
    within 30 days of assignment and annually thereafter.

        49. Senator Warren. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, what information and
    mechanisms are available to recruits to report inappropriate behavior
    toward them by recruiters?
        Major General Davis. Recruits become prospects upon entering a
    recruiting station. Station Commanders brief new prospects on the
    recruitment process, what is considered inappropriate behavior, how to
    report inappropriate behavior, and who they can report it to. Any
    recruiter who observes inappropriate interactions or relationships is
    required to report it to their chain of command.
        Bulletin boards are posted in each station with contact information
    for the recruit or others to contact for assistance and/or to report
    inappropriate behaviors. These bulletins boards typically contain
    information for: Company Commander, Company First Sergeant, Station
    Commander, Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, Victim Advocate, Equal
    Opportunity Advisor, Inspector General, other recruiters, and the DOD
    Safe Helpline.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Prior to reporting to boot camp at Recruit
    Training Command (RTC), recruits may report any inappropriate recruiter
    behavior directly to Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) leadership
    and/or civil law enforcement. Additionally, recruits may report
    inappropriate behavior to Navy Recruiting Command's Inspector General's
    (IG) office as a Special Inquiry or as an IG Hotline Complaint. After
    reporting to RTC, recruits may report inappropriate recruiter behavior
    to RTC leadership and/or the Recruit Quality Assurance Team during the
    Moment of Truth briefing that is conducted during initial processing.
        Regarding available information relating to inappropriate behavior,
    recruits are informed early in the process of what constitutes recruit/
    recruiter ``prohibited activities.'' Specifically, recruits are
    required to review and sign DD Form 2983 (January 2015), acknowledging
    that they understand that developing or conducting personal, intimate,
    and/or sexual relationships with a recruiter is strictly prohibited.
    Other additional prohibited and inappropriate behaviors and activities
    include, but are not limited to dating, handholding, kissing,
    embracing, caressing, and engaging in sexual activities. Further,
    prohibited personal, intimate, and/or sexual relationships include
    those relationships conducted in person or via cards, letters, e-mail
    correspondence, instant messaging, videos, photographs, social
    networking, or any other means of communication.
        Major General Bowers. Poolees who disclose sexual assault are
    referred to local advocacy/service providers and are provided USMC SARC
    and SAPR VA contact information for when they arrive at either MCRD San
    Diego or MCRD Parris Island (regardless of who perpetrated the crime
    against or when it occurred). There is also the USMC 24/7 Sexual
    Assault Support Line aboard each of the Recruit Training Depots where
    SARCs and SAPR VAs respond 24/7 to those in need of SAPR supportive
    services. MCRC SAPR collaborates on a daily basis with our TECOM SAPR
    counterparts to ensure that all recruits are offered services and are
    assigned a SARC and SAPR VA if needed/requested.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. At the beginning the recruiting process,
    each recruit is provided video training that includes a description of
    unprofessional conduct and prohibited activities between recruiters and
    recruits. Recruits also sign a DOD Form 2982, Recruiter/Trainer
    Prohibited Activities Acknowledgment, certifying and acknowledging
    activities that are prohibited between recruiters and recruits.
    Recruits also receive a physical Rights and Responsibilities Card
    containing two points of contact to which they can report
    unprofessional relationships. The first phone number provided to
    recruits goes directly to the HQ AFRS Staff Judge Advocate. The second
    phone number goes directly to the HQ AFRS Inspector General.
    Additionally, each recruit is given two separate surveys during their
    enlistment process asking multiple questions to ensure they received
    the training and card, as well as asking if they have experienced any
    unprofessional relationships with their recruiter or recruiting
    personnel. If at any time, a recruit claims she/he is the vicitim of
    sexual abuse, the DAF policy DAF policy requires commanders, first
    sergeants, and anyone else notified ensure eligible victims are
    notified of his/her right to receive assistance from the DAF Sexual
    Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Program, including access to
    victim advocacy resources and the option to file either a restricted or
    unrestricted report. A restricted report allows a victim to obtain
    support and resources, including necessary medical and mental health
    treatment, without a formal report to their commander or law
    enforcement. SAPR personnel are also trained to inform victims about a
    host of available resources, including national and state resources
    outside the DOD, such as RAINN and other local victim support
    organizations. In addition, DAF policy requires we inform victims that
    they can seek assistance from the DOD Safe Helpline and they have a
    right to obtain a Victims' Counsel, who can provide privileged
    attorney-client advice to the victim; however, Department of Defense
    Instructions limit eligibility to SAPR and other DOD victim resources
    based on the status of the assailant or victim. In the event, the
    victim cannot receive services, he/she is referred to local law
    enforcement and various civilian victims' programs, which vary by
    state. Finally, in coordination with Headquarters Air Force, the Air
    Force Recruitign Services incorporated mandatory SAPR program training
    for all delayed entry program members which is completed and tracked
    through the Air Force Aim High Application. This training informs them
    of our SAPR services and reporting options.
                               mhs genesis delays
        50. Senator Warren. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, how many reservists have
    each of your services had to call up to assist with the delays caused
    by MHS Genesis?
        Major General Davis. To date, the Army has brought on 40 Reservists
    to assist with MHS Genesis. The Army is currently evaluating options
    for additional personnel, as required.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Navy Recruiting Command is leveraging two
    Active Duty for Operational Support (ADOS) sailors and one Canvasser
    Recruiter (CANREC) to support the waivers team. These three sailors
    volunteered to support the positions.
        Major General Bowers. No Marine Corps Reservists have been
    activated as a result of delays caused by MHS GENESIS as the Marine
    Corps does not have medical personnel within our service structure.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. AFRS has utilized different manning
    strategies to accommodate the increase in workload caused by the health
    information exchange available within MHS Genesis. Initially, 7 Air
    National Guard enlisted medics were placed temporarily at 7 different
    MEPS stations to help with medical administrative support in late
    spring 2023. Then, a contract procuring 63 civilian medical
    administrative personnel was finalized in September 2023. These staff
    members will be assigned to various MEPS to help recruiters screen
    medical support documents to provide to MEPS medical staff and the AFRS
    Accession Medical Waiver staff for waiver processing. This should help
    relieve recruiters of this administrative work so they can have more
    time to engage with applicants in the field. Additionally, to help
    process the increase in waivers received, the Accession Medical Waiver
    Division procured a contract for 6 personnel starting in fiscal year
    2024. This has helped reduce the enlisted waiver backlog from nearly
    1600 to 300 in 3 months.

        51. Senator Warren. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, please provide an update
    on the average length of time between a recruit's final interview and
    their first recorded contract before and after DOD began using MHS
    Genesis at Military Entrance Processing Stations.
        Major General Davis. Since the implementation of MHS Genesis at
    Military Entrance Process Stations, potential Army recruits are
    experiencing longer processing times from anywhere between 37 and 139
    additional days, depending on the complexity of the medical
    documentation required. An applicant with no medical issues takes an
    average of 13 days longer to process than pre-MHS Genesis, due to the
    additional workload from MHS Genesis provided records.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Navy has experienced a significant increase in
    the average length of time between a recruit's final interview and
    their first recorded contract since the implementation of MHS Genesis.
    From June 2021 through November 2021, the average time between final
    interview and first contract was 34 days. Following implementation of
    MROADS and later MHS Genesis the average length of time between a
    recruit's final interview and their first recorded contract nearly
    doubled (64 days on average from December 2021 to May 2022). The delay
    exceeded an 80-day average entering fiscal year 2024 and continues to
    grow.
        Major General Bowers. Prior to the implementation of MHS GENESIS,
    it took 10 days on average from the time a prescreen was submitted to
    MEPS to when an applicant would contract. Post implementation of MHS
    GENESIS and access to the national Health Information Exchanges that
    same process now takes an average of 45 days due to the high volume of
    issues to sort through and validate.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. While AFRS saw an increase in processing
    time for applicants from the implementation time of MHS Genesis, we
    have made process improvements to shorten this time to near pre-MHS
    Genesis rates. However, our concern with MHS Genesis is the significant
    increase in the number of applicants we must find and process due to
    the substantial decrease in qualification rates since its
    implementation. Prior to inception, our initial qualification rates for
    medical at MEPS was 80 percent. This rate dropped to 69 percent in its
    first year (fiscal year 2022) and continued its decline to 58 percent
    in fiscal year 2023. This decrease has put a significant burden on our
    recruiters who must now process nearly 20 percent more applicants to
    qualify the same number of recruits prior to MHS-Genesis. While we
    continue to find better ways to shorten the processing time for
    applicants, it does not relieve the recruiter from having to find more
    applicants to fill the requirements of the DAF.
                            military housing quality
        52. Senator Warren. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, how do the quality of
    life issues such as military housing, military barracks, and housing
    affordability impact your ability to recruit for the services?
        Major General Davis. The connection between housing quality of life
    and military service recruiting outcomes is established and known
    across the Department. While not the number one reason, reports
    indicate that prospective recruits would consider not joining the
    military over concerns about the requirement to live in undesired
    places. They are also heavily influenced by media coverage and
    influencers reporting negative press about the military overall,
    including housing conditions. Recent other issues such as food
    insecurity, sexual harassment and assault, and delayed promotions have
    been cited in the latest JAMRS' Current Events Trackers (CET) as
    reasons not to support or recommend military service and reasons that
    youths' ``changing views on the favorability of the Military and
    elevated concerns about the treatment of its servicemembers exemplify
    the perception among youth that the Military may not be a desirable
    organization to work for'' (source: JAMRS' State of the Market briefing
    to USAREC MMA conference, August 2023).
        Rear Admiral Walker. Military housing, military barracks and
    housing affordability and other quality of life issues are part of the
    overall Navy compensation package. Potential recruits who read, hear or
    view positive comments about these issues from the media, Service
    Members or veterans will see the military as a good career opportunity.
    Conversely, our recruiters will have to overcome the negative
    perceptions for potential recruits who hear negative comments about
    quality of life issues.
        Major General Bowers. We focus on the intangibles of service when
    communicating with young people--the value and pride of becoming a
    marine. However, we recognize housing is a major quality of life factor
    when it comes to recruiting and, even more so with regard to retention.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. The Air Force's 10-year average shows 89
    percent of all enlisted accessions are under 21 years old, single with
    no dependents. With that, the topic of family housing is not a
    significant factor in the attractiveness of our initial value
    proposition nor on the minds of these future airmen. However, our
    recruiters provide a lot of information on military dormitories on our
    bases and will try and lead base visits with potential recruits to show
    them the living spaces for single airmen, which are very comparable to
    many college dorms.
                        screening recruits for extremism
        53. Senator Warren. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, the DOD Inspector
    General reported in August 2023 that recruiters failed to follow
    several steps to screen applicants for extremist ties and that as a
    result, ``Military Service recruiters may not have identified all
    applicants with extremist or criminal gang associations during the
    screening process, increasing the potential for future security risks
    and disruptions to good order, morale, and discipline.'' Please provide
    an update on the status and timeline of each of the service's
    implementation of the IG's recommendations.
        Major General Davis.

        Recommendation A.1.a
        Issue a policy memorandum to recruiting personnel reiterating the
    importance of completing all required steps for screening applicants
    for extremist or criminal gang associations during the accessions
    process.

        Response A.1.a
        The Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (military Personnel and
    Quality of Life) issued a memorandum dated July 10, 2023, to recruiting
    personnel that reiterated the importance of completing required steps,
    including interviews and all screening. The DOD IG considers this
    recommendation resolved and closed.
        Recommendation A.1.b
        Establish and implement requirements in Service-specific policies
    for periodic reviews of recruiter compliance with required accessions
    screening procedures to ensure recruiters screen applicants for
    extremist and criminal gang associations in accordance with guidance.

        Response A.1.b
        USAREC established and published implementation requirements for
    recruiters to follow accessions screening procedures to ensure
    Recruiters screen applicants for extremist and criminal gang
    associations. Recruiters utilize the system of record to ask the
    following questions:
        a. Have you ever had, or currently have, any association with an
    extremist/hate organization or gang?
        b. Have you ever been debarred from any Government installation or
    facility at any time in your life?
        c. Have you ever participated, either in person or via electronic
    communications, in an act of treason, terrorism or sedition against the
    United States, regardless of whether the action resulted in a citation,
    arrest or conviction?
        d. Have you ever associated with, either in person or via
    electronic communications, persons who are attempting to commit or who
    are committing an act of treason, terrorism, or sedition against the
    United States?
        e. Have you ever associated with, either in person or via
    electronic communications, persons or organizations that advocate,
    threaten, or use force or violence, or use any other illegal
    unconstitutional means in an effort to:
        1) Overthrow or influence the U.S. Government or any State or local
    government?
        2) Prevent Federal, State, or local government personnel from
    performing their official duties?
        3) Gain retribution for perceived wrongs caused by the Federal,
    State, or local government?
        4) Prevent others from exercising their rights under the
    Constitution or laws of the United States or of any state?
        f. Have you ever, either in person or via electronic
    communications, advocated for the denial of civil rights based on the
    supremacy of one race, color, religion, national origin, sexual
    orientation, gender, gender identity or disability over another race,
    color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender
    identity or disability?
        g. Have you ever, either in person or via electronic
    communications, committed or conspired to commit a crime motivated by
    bias against race, color, religion, national origin, sexual
    orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability?
        If the applicant answers `yes' to any question the process
    immediately stops, and further screening is required. If all questions
    are `no', the applicant may process further. USAREC monitors compliance
    and completes periodic reviews at least annually to ensure every
    applicant is properly screened for extremist and criminal gang
    associations.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Navy Recruiting Command has implemented all
    DOD Inspector General recommendations.
        Major General Bowers. The Marine Corps has updated its policy
    regarding screening for extremism and is on track to meet the SECNAVs
    timeline for service implementation including training requirements
    outlined in 20 June 2023 Assistant Secretary of the Navy (M&RA)
    memorandum on ``Implementation of the Countering Extremist Activity
    Training.''
        Brigadier General Amrhein. A policy memorandum was signed and sent
    to the command reiterating the importance of completing all required
    steps for screening applicants for extremist or criminal gang
    associations. This memo was sent on 2 October 2023 and its guidance
    reinforces the AFRS Standard Operating Procedural Guidance.
    Furthermore, the AFRS Inspector General Office established requirements
    for periodic reviews of recruiter compliance by risk-based sampling
    strategy and is being evaluated through scheduled unit inspections.
    Finally, the recruiting information system, AFRISS-TF, has been
    modified in various ways both during and after the audit to ensure
    quality control and fail safes are in place to enforce compliance.

        54. Senator Warren. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, the IG found that
    military recruiters failed to annotate a response to the question
    asking recruits about extremist or criminal gang associations for 41
    percent of the applicants the IG reviewed, didn't administer screening
    questionnaires or forms in 41 percent of cases when they should have,
    didn't implement tattoo review procedures for 9 percent of applicants,
    did not provide evidence of fingerprint results for 9 percent of
    applicants, and failed to provide evidence that a background
    investigation was initiated for 1 percent of applicants. Are each of
    your services tracking whether your recruiters are fulfilling all the
    above requirements and what percentage of them have failed to do so
    since the standard screening questionnaire was created in 2021? If you
    are tracking this information, please provide all available data on
    what percent of these tasks are currently being conducted.
        Major General Davis. The Army goes to great lengths to thoroughly
    screen each applicant. An applicant is unable to process without a
    complete Standard Form 86 (Questionnaire for National Security
    Positions) and fingerprinting. Upon arrival to MEPS, the applicant gets
    fingerprinted for a second time and completes a full medical screening,
    which gives medical personnel the opportunity to identify undisclosed
    tattoos. Last, an applicant can't ship to initial entry training (IET)
    without the results of the fingerprinting.
        Rear Admiral Walker. SECDEF directed the immediate actions below in
    April 2021 to guard against prohibited extremist activity across the
    Department. These actions are complete.
          Publish an updated DODI 1325.06 ``Handling Protest,
    Extremist, and Criminal Gang Activity Among Members of the Armed
    Forces'', to include a clearer definition of prohibited extremist
    activity for servicemembers.
          The full definition of prohibited extremist activity and
    active participation can be found in DODI 1325.06 and prohibits
    servicemembers from participating in six distinct categories of
    extremist activities and 14 distinct categories of active
    participation.
          Update servicemember transition checklists to help
    transitioning members guard against recruitment by extremist groups
    during their transition from the military.
          Standardize recruit screening questionnaires (information
    and processes) across the Military Services and clarify that providing
    false information may be the basis for punitive action.
        Navy Recruiting Command (NRC) adheres to the above applicable
    requirements as all recruiters require applicants to annotate and
    complete screening questionnaires regarding extremist or criminal gang
    associations. Based on a review of application packages for Navy
    applicants, DODIG determined that Navy recruiters collected the
    required forms in accordance with the guidance.
        Major General Bowers. The Marine Corps seeks to discover any
    extremist or criminal gang associations through medical screening,
    questionnaires, and background checks. All Marine Corps applicants are
    screened by medical providers at MEPS for tattoos and are required to
    work with their recruiter to fill out a tattoo screening form and sign
    a statement of understanding regarding Marine Corps aberrant behavior
    policies. Every recruiter utilizes a Questionable Conduct and Aberrant
    Behavior Screening form to discover any related participation in gangs,
    extremist organizations or activities. Marine Corps applicants also
    submit to electronic fingerprint capture and background investigation
    prior to shipping to the Marine Corps Recruit Depots. Marine recruiters
    are given approximately 10 hours of training on extremism and ethical/
    moral behavior at the Basic Recruiters Course and follow on training is
    conducted by Recruiter Instructors for a minimum of 12 hours per
    quarter. Poolees and Officer Candidates received Whole of Character and
    Civics training that cover extremist and gang related activities. Since
    the standard form was created in 2021, all Marine Corps applicants have
    fulfilled the screening requirements for service in the military.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. The audit covered applicants at various
    stages of the recruiting process. The AF took swift action before
    automation/IT actions could be implemented to ensure immediacy of
    vetting. Nearly all the Air Force applicants received the appropriate
    level of screening to their respective stage. During the DOD IG
    inspection on Extremism vetting, 26 Air Force applicants were found to
    have discrepancies in their forms regarding extremism. Of the 26
    applicants, the IG and AFRS resolved the issues and concluded none of
    the 26 had extremist activities or ties. The IG report did emphasize
    the need for AFRS to ensure more checks are in place so there aren't
    applicants that have missing data on their enlistment paperwork. AFRS
    implemented a change in its recruiting information technology that will
    automatically flags an applicant if information is missing on their
    enlistment paperwork, as it pertains to extremism activity. AFRS/IG has
    implemented spot checks to ensure these changes to the information
    system are validated. To date, no applicant has shipped to basic
    military training that should have been denied due to extremism
    activity.
                                navy recruiting
        55. Senator Warren. Rear Admiral Walker, the Navy's recruiting and
    advertising budget for fiscal year 2024 is $269 million. The Marine
    Corps, which is significantly smaller, budgeted $246 million. Has the
    Navy assessed what impact increased spending on recruiting and
    advertising would have on reaching its recruiting goals?
        Rear Admiral Walker. Yes. The Navy commissioned studies to ensure
    every dollar spent in Marketing and Advertising (M&A) is optimized so
    we are being good stewards of the taxpayer dollars. The Navy assessed
    the impact of increased spending by leveraging historical data and
    media mix modeling to support meeting our recruiting goals.

        56. Senator Warren. Rear Admiral Walker, the Army's Future Soldier
    Preparatory Course has had promising initial results in helping
    potential recruits meet the standards necessary to be eligible for
    service. Has the Navy considered initiating something similar, and if
    not, what steps is the Navy taking instead?
        Rear Admiral Walker. Mirroring an Army program, the Navy has
    established the Future Sailor Preparatory Course (FSPC), with two
    tracks: Physical Fitness and Academic.
        FSPC Physical Fitness first began in Spring 2023 and allows Navy
    Recruiting Command to recruit applicants with a 50 AFQT and higher, and
    body compositions of 26.1-32 percent for males and 36.1-42 percent for
    females. These Future Sailors will be allowed to access into Active
    Duty and enter a rolling 3-week physical fitness program for up to 90-
    days. Once the FS reaches 26 percent (male) or 36 percent (female)
    body-fat, they will graduate the course and enter basic military
    training at Recruit Training Command.
        FSPC Academic first began in Summer 2023 and allows applicants with
    lower AFQT scores to train and retake the exam and reclassify into a
    new rating. The academic course remains in beta phase; the first pilot
    course convened January 2024. With these programs, the Navy is not
    lowering standards. The Navy remains committed to implementing policies
    to help meet recruiting goals while maintaining standards, increasing
    recruit performance, reducing attrition, and maximizing retention to
    meet our established end-strength goals.
                                   __________
                  Questions Submitted by Senator Dan Sullivan
                             access to high schools
        57. Senator Sullivan. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker,
    Major General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, are there any high
    schools in the United States that deny access to your recruiters?
        Major General Davis. No, the Army has legal access to all high
    schools; however, we strive to build relationships with educators and
    school administrators to allow meaningful access. Meaningful access
    allows recruiters to be visible and share their Army stories with
    students. The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery--Career
    Exploration Program (ASVAB-CEP) and March2Success are resources
    recruiters share to help develop and mentor students in their career
    selection, military or civilian, and improve their study skills in
    preparation for standardized tests.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Navy is currently reporting zero high schools
    denying access to recruiters.
        Major General Bowers. No.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Although AFRS is not tracking any public
    high schools denying access to our recruiters, our greatest concern is
    having equal quality and time of access as other organizations, such as
    college/university representatives.

        58. Senator Sullivan. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker,
    Major General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, if any schools are
    denying access, why are they denying access?
        Major General Davis. The Army has legal access to schools.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Navy does not have any reports of schools
    denying access to recruiters.
        Major General Bowers. There are no schools denying access.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Although AFRS is not tracking any public
    high schools denying access to our recruiters, our greatest concern is
    having equal quality and time of access as other organizations, such as
    college/university representatives.

        59. Senator Sullivan. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker,
    Major General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, for any schools
    providing access less than you would consider ideal, why have they
    declined to improve the quality of access? Please provide specific
    examples.
        Major General Davis. Safety of the students and faculty is the main
    concern of many schools. High schools are very cautious regarding open
    access following the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, many State and
    local school districts have increased precautions that limit meaningful
    access to Army recruiters and other entities into their schools. Some
    recruiters experience challenges with the time the schools allocate for
    them being on campus, such as right before the end of the school day as
    students are leaving. Awareness of the military opportunities,
    lifestyle, and benefits is low due to recruiters less meaningful access
    to schools and our Nation's declining veteran population.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Navy Recruiting Command is currently reporting
    zero high schools that have declined to improve the quality of access.
        Major General Bowers. In several cases of less than ideal access,
    the school's administrative staff has provided parents with
    standardized forms for selecting to opt out of allowing recruiters to
    have access to directory information rather than the parent requesting
    to opt out formally, as written in the law. Providing the parent with a
    standard form that is mandatory for the parent to fill out increases
    the number of parents who choose to opt out and thereby minimizes the
    number of students on the directory list the school provides for
    compliance with the law. In other cases, school administers provide
    access, but severely constrain location, time, and duration of
    recruiter visits that are not conducive to reaching the student
    population and building awareness of military service.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Our feedback on this topic includes
    access limited to less than that provided to colleges and other hiring
    agencies and a lack of familiarity of the military by leaders and
    influencers in schools. Our research (JAMRS) has shown that 70 percent
    of Active Duty new recruits reported that a conversation with a
    recruiter sparked their interest to find out more about joining their
    service. Without at least equal access to schools, our recruiters
    struggle to have these conversations with potential applicants.
    Additionally, all DAF enlisted recruits are automatically enrolled in
    Community College of the AF which is a fully accredited Associate's
    program and should be shared with to any high school graduates pursuing
    advanced education under associates or other equivalent advanced
    education credit. The DAF is the only service which has such an
    advanced associate education accreditation program.

        60. Senator Sullivan. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker,
    Major General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, how would you
    describe optimal access to high schools for your recruiters?
        Major General Davis. Optimal access is allowing Army recruiters
    into the schools to share their Army stories, working with teachers and
    students to explore career options, offering time for recruiters to
    deliver classroom presentations, and allowing recruiters to set up
    information tables in well-traveled hallways or lunchrooms that allow
    for optimal visibility for meeting students and teachers. Ideally, it
    would be mutually beneficial for educators and recruiters to administer
    the ASVAB to students during the school day.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Optimal access to high schools would involve
    multiple visits monthly to reasonably unlimited locations within the
    school/school grounds (e.g. not limited to the parking lot or to only a
    corner of the gym), and reasonably unlimited access to students. It
    would revolve around the opportunity to conduct classroom presentations
    for juniors and seniors in STEM related courses, offering the ability
    to speak directly with our target audience and pitch Navy
    opportunities. Additionally, the ability to attend all high school
    career fairs and sporting events free of cost, would provide our
    recruiting force the opportunity to attend events in uniform and talk
    with both the high school students and their families about the Navy
    experience and potential career decisions.
        Major General Bowers. Physical access to the high school/student
    body at least once per month, school directory lists for juniors and
    seniors provided at the beginning of the school year or within 30 days
    of request, attendance at school-sponsored career fairs with equitable
    location to other participants, and administration of the Career
    Exploration Program-ASVAB test once per year for the entire student
    body or at minimum all students who volunteer to take the vocational
    test.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Optimal access for DAF recruiters
    include direct engagement with students inside the classroom or
    assembly; during school programs; career or college fair programs;
    programs or `Armed Forces Days' centric to educating students about
    military options.

        61. Senator Sullivan. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker,
    Major General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, how would you
    describe access that technically complies with the law but falls short
    of what you consider optimal access?
        Major General Davis. Legal access is access that complies with the
    law but fails to offer opportunities to get to know the students and
    teachers. Meaningful access allows Army recruiters sufficient
    opportunities and time to meet with students, have conversations, and
    share information on military service.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Some schools have provided inconsistency in
    access, where one school will allow recruiters weekly access, but
    another may only allow a monthly basis. Additionally, some schools only
    allow access during certain suboptimal times (before or after school
    hours), or place recruiters in areas that are not easily accessible or
    readily trafficked.
        Major General Bowers. Schools that provide access that meets the
    law to include allowing ``the same access to secondary schools students
    as is provided generally to postsecondary educational institutions or
    to prospective employers of those students.'' This ``equal'' access can
    be as few as one visit per semester, or a recruiting career fair
    scheduled at a time that will historically result in limited
    participation from students. We appreciate the support from the Fiscal
    Year 2024 NDAA, which requires submission of lists within 60 days of
    request, and will work continue to work with Congress to provide
    optimal access for recruiters to provide information to our Nation's
    youth about opportunities within the United States Marine Corps.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. An example experienced by many Air Force
    recruiters is a school that allows a lunchroom set-up during non-
    optimal hours, typically displaced into a section of the lunchroom away
    from students and told by school authorities that they are not to
    engage students unless the student engages them first, and limited to a
    maximum of once or twice a year.

        62. Senator Sullivan. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker,
    Major General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, what mechanisms
    does your service use to interface with high schools and improve the
    quality of access?
        Major General Davis. The Army offers Educator Tours to teachers,
    principals, school counselors, and other Centers of Influence/Community
    Partners to participate in events at a military installation. The event
    is designed to highlight Army training and education opportunities
    provided to soldiers, and to showcase various military careers by
    allowing participants to receive a hands-on experience and meet with
    soldiers who are experts in their fields. Some Military Occupational
    Specialties (MOS) showcased are Military Working Dogs Handlers, Cooks,
    Competitive Marksmen, and many (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)
    STEM-related career fields. Participants tour and receive briefings by
    installation Education Centers.
        We also partner with educator associations such as American
    Association of School Administrators, National Association of Secondary
    School Principals, American School Counselor Association, and more.
    These partnerships provide the opportunity to educate and inform
    administrators and counselors about March2Success, Armed Services
    Vocational Aptitude Battery--Career Exploration Program (ASVAB-CEP),
    and military service.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Navy Recruiting Command has established the
    following process to interface with non-compliant schools:
        1.  A Senior Officer (minimum grade of O-6/SES) is required to
    visit the school and try to gain access.
        2.  If that Officer is unsuccessful, they must notify the Service
    Recruiter Access to High Schools (RAHS) Program Manager and DOD RAHS
    Program Coordinator to get the school added as a problem/noncompliant
    school.
        3.  If the issue remains unresolved after 60 days, the Secretary of
    Defense (SECDEF) or DOD designee will send a letter to the State
    Governor copying the Secretary of Education.
        4.  The State Governor will then work with the school to resolve
    the noncompliance.
        5.  Last, if the issue has not been resolved after 1 year, SECDEF/
    DOD will report the noncompliant school to Congress.
        Major General Bowers. Recruiters, Staff Non-commissioned officers,
    and commissioned officers assigned to recruiting stations all take part
    in the process of improving access to high schools. Building
    relationships at the lowest level and providing educators and
    counselors with the tangible and intangible benefits of serving in the
    Marine Corps. Educators' workshops and attending influencer events like
    national coaches' associations and national superintendents' symposiums
    also increase the awareness of the Marine Corps and choosing military
    service as a post high school option.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. AFRS requires a school program for each
    recruiter dictating visitation frequency and teaches recruiters how to
    use interface incentives such as Center of Influence meetings that
    cultivate relationships with influencers or assist with lead generation
    efforts. Additionally, the AETC and AFRS Commander level conducts
    educator sensing sessions which includes invites to school district
    leadership, athletic directors, guidance counselors and other academia
    leadership. AFRS sponsors the Air and Space Force Educators tours
    hosted on installations around the U.S.

        63. Senator Sullivan. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker,
    Major General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, are there any
    additional authorities needed to improve the quality of your service's
    access to high schools?
        Major General Davis. Not at this time, our recruiters in
    conjunction with Civilian Aides to the Secretary of the Army and
    Reserve Ambassadors are successfully gaining meaningful access.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Current statute, 10 USC, Section 503, requires
    educational institutions that receive Federal funding to provide
    military recruiters with the same access and opportunities as they
    would for other employers. This ensures an equitable platform for
    military recruitment within schools. While this mandate establishes a
    baseline for fairness, practical challenges can arise in
    implementation. These challenges may include navigating differing
    school policies, managing tight schedules, or addressing specific
    restrictions that schools may impose. We are working with other
    Services to find the optimal solution to help the recruiting process
    and look forward to working with Congress on this challenge.
        Major General Bowers. We appreciate the additional authorities
    provided in the fiscal year 2023 and fiscal year 2024 NDAAs to increase
    recruiter access to High Schools and the continued support from
    Congress for recruiter access in line with amendments made to Title 10
    from the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 and subsequent NDAAs. We
    will continue to work with our legislative affairs offices to submit
    legislative proposals that will improve the quality of the Marine Corps
    access to high schools.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. AFRS uses a chain-of-command approach to
    ensure senior leaders are engaging schools that recruiters desire
    improved quality of access and additional authorities outside of this
    military chain, to include Congressional language requiring equal
    access, to meet the spirit of intent vs. letter of the current law
    compliance.

        64. Senator Sullivan. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker,
    Major General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, is there any
    correlation between the quality of access to high schools and the
    number of recruits?
        Major General Davis. Yes, there is a correlation between the
    quality of access to high schools and the number of recruits. The vast
    majority of high schools comply with the access requirements to support
    military recruiting as outlined in title 10 U.S.C., sec. 503c and Every
    Student Succeeds Act, though the level of support among high schools
    varies considerably. A DOD Active Duty New Recruit Study conducted
    between October 2021 and March 2022 identified Army recruits reported
    personal connections to their Service, more than any other Service. The
    findings suggest significant interactions with military servicemembers,
    including recruiters and veterans, increase the likelihood that youth
    will consider the military as a career option.
        Rear Admiral Walker. The high school market provides Navy
    recruiters with the best source of high-quality accessions. The
    opportunity to discuss Navy opportunities with our target audience is
    essential to Navy's recruiting plan and is our number one source for
    test category upper accessions.
        Major General Bowers. The ability for the Marine Corps to run an
    effective High School program and accomplish all of the milestones
    associated with that program directly correlates to the number of
    recruits that access from each high school. For the Marine Corps, the
    high school and community college program is vital to build awareness
    and educate the youth population on the value of military service and
    opportunity to earn the title, marine.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Yes, outreach and impressions made on
    students make a major impact on the total number willing to serve. Our
    research (JAMRS) has shown that 70 percent of Active Duty new recruits
    reported that a conversation with a recruiter sparked their interest to
    find out more about joining their service. Without equal quality access
    to schools, our recruiters struggle to have these conversations with
    potential applicants.

        65. Senator Sullivan. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker,
    Major General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, please provide a
    list of all veteran or community organizations with whom you partner to
    improve your recruiting.
        Major General Davis. USAREC partners with the following
    organizations to improve recruiting efforts: Army Reserve Ambassadors;
    Army Women's Foundation; Association of the United States Army; Boys &
    Girls Club of America; Civilian Aides to the Secretary of the Army;
    Future Farmers of America; Historically Black Colleges and
    Universities; League of United Latin American Citizens; Our Community
    Salutes; Team Red, White, & Blue; U.S. Chamber Foundation--Hiring our
    Heroes Program; Women of Color in Science, Technology, Engineering, and
    Mathematics (STEM); and Young Presidents Organization. Throughout the
    country, recruiting stations partner with chapters of nationally
    recognized community organizations, and local organizations. For
    example, University of Louisville, Hardin County Chamber of Commerce,
    and Kentucky Regional Development Alliance.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Our 26 Navy Talent Acquisition Groups (NTAGs)
    and 63 Talent Acquisition Onboarding Centers (TAOCs) all partner with
    local organizations that best support the communities in which they
    serve. The Navy also ensures we are listening to feedback, identifying
    blind spots in our outreach initiatives, and continuing to penetrate
    markets that may have gone untapped in the past. Our most influential
    community organizations include schools (teachers and coaches),
    affinity groups, local veteran organizations (such as VFWs), and
    religious organizations. Additionally, our Chief of Navy Information
    (CHINFO) is working to leverage our current national and regional
    partners to better support recruiting efforts.
        Major General Bowers. Marine Corps Recruiting Command plans to
    partner with numerous organizations in fiscal year 2024. These
    partnerships aim to create an influencer advocacy supporting our
    professional recruiters on the ground across the United States. These
    partners have direct and daily ties to our target market. These
    National Partnerships include: American Baseball Coaches Association
    (ABCA), American School Counselors Association (ASCA), American
    Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), National Wrestling Coaches
    Association (NWCA), USA Wrestling (USAW), National Society of Health
    and Physical Educators (SHAPE), American Football Coaches Association
    (AFCA), WeCOACH, United Soccer Coaches Association (USC), United States
    Track and Field & Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) and
    National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Marine Corps
    recruiters across the Nation are continuously seeking out and working
    with local community and veteran organizations.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. In any given year, Air Force and Space
    Force partners with Air and Space Forces Association, Civil Air Patrol,
    United Service Organizations and Our Community Salutes at a large
    scale, as well as Veterans of Foreign Wars, Rotary Clubs at a more
    local squadron level. In addition to these veteran and community
    partnerships, we provide marketing funds and further partner with a
    range of 30 to 50 (resource dependent) organizations across gaming,
    sports/fitness, lifestyle, STEM, and diversity interests to engage with
    audiences and communities. Some recent examples include TED, Society of
    Women Engineers, Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP),
    FIRST Robotics, NFL and MLB teams like the Washington Commanders and
    Houston Astros, Professional Bull Riders (PBR), UFC, USA Wrestling, and
    many others. These partnerships are all critical to allowing the Air
    Force and Space Force to engage one-on-one with prospects and their
    influencers. In addition, we place mobile assets at hundreds of events
    across the country annually, from air shows to college football games.
                                 college access
        66. Senator Sullivan. Major General Davis, the Army has stated it
    wants at least a third of all new recruits to have some level of
    postsecondary education by 2028. How does your service intend to
    achieve this goal?
        Major General Davis. Increasing the share of active Army accessions
    with some post-secondary education from approximately one-fifth to one-
    third by fiscal year 2028 will be challenging, but this step is
    necessary to ensure our force is prepared for future conflicts. The
    Secretary of the Army and Chief of Staff of the Army have brought to
    bear the full weight of the Army (within and outside the accessions
    enterprise) to tackle this complex problem set. As part of the Army's
    organizational re-design of the accessions enterprise, USAREC will
    stand up an experimentation unit whose sole task is to develop and
    rigorously test new recruiting methods aimed at bringing this expanded
    prospect market into the Army. Initial ideas we have prioritized for
    testing include expanding the Army's presence on digital job boards,
    attendance at professional job fairs, and increased presence at
    community colleges and trade schools. With disciplined execution and
    data analysis, the Army will be able to determine which of the
    initiatives work best among this portion of the labor market. This is
    imperative because most high school students are deciding to go on to
    college.

        67. Senator Sullivan. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker,
    Major General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, are there any
    colleges that prohibit ROTC programs from your service on campus?
        Major General Davis. No, the Army is not aware of any school that
    prohibits Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) programs from their
    campuses.
        Rear Admiral Walker. I am not aware of any colleges that prohibit
    Naval Reserve Officers' Training Corps (NROTC) programs on campus.
        Major General Bowers. The Marine Corps is part of the Naval ROTC
    program. At this time there are no reports of colleges prohibiting the
    Marine Corps from participating in the Naval ROTC program. We
    appreciate the additional authorities provided in the Fiscal Year 2024
    NDAA to increase the access recruiters have to colleges. Physical
    access to the colleges and access to the college drop lists is critical
    for recruiters to make contact with students to educate them on the
    tangible and intangible benefits of serving in the Marine Corps.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. We are not aware of any active
    prohibitions to Air Force ROTC programs at any campus.

        68. Senator Sullivan. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker,
    Major General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, are there any
    colleges that prohibit your service from participating in job fairs and
    career fairs?
        Major General Davis. No, the Army is not aware of any colleges that
    prohibit participation in job fairs and career fairs. Army ROTC Cadre,
    including Recruiting Operations Officers, are members of the college/
    university faculty and staff and have the same access as the faculty/
    staff in other academic departments.
        Rear Admiral Walker. I am not aware of any institution that
    actively prohibits us from participating. Some examples of less than
    ideal access include:
          Recruiters are permitted on campus to meet with students
    and professors, however, if they want to do any table or booth setups
    (separate from career fairs), the school requires payment.
          Registration made challenging for career fairs with
    strict limit on number of personnel allowed.
          Denied requests or no responses from faculty and
    administration for requests to gain access for meetings, presentations
    and/or info tables.
          Some schools have virtual only career fairs creating
    difficulty to connect with students and establish physical presence on
    campus.
        Major General Bowers. Typically, the only issues Officer Selection
    Officers have in attendance at job fairs and career fairs comes from
    small private colleges.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Most colleges allow participation in
    these job fairs if we pay the required fee, normally $200 to $500.
    Generally, Air Force units, organizations, and representatives are
    provided (at a minimum) equal opportunity to participate in job and/or
    career fairs consistent with the opportunities provided other like
    organizations.

        69. Senator Sullivan. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker,
    Major General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, can you provide
    examples of colleges that provide exemplary access to their campus?
        Major General Davis. Army ROTC is a partnership with our
    universities providing access and resources to help the Army produce
    officers and leaders of character. Some partner schools provide
    financial assistance to Cadets in the form of room and board
    scholarships or free access to physical fitness facilities. In some
    cases, school admissions offices give additional consideration for
    admission to those prospects who have received Army ROTC scholarships
    or soldiers selected for the Green to Gold program. In almost all
    cases, universities highlight Army ROTC programs on university websites
    and in literature sent to prospective students and recognize
    commissioning Cadets in commencement programs and ceremonies.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Exemplary access to campus can include
    openness to classroom presentations and career fairs, access to
    administration and schools lists, invites to events, and opportunities
    to setup recruiting tables.
        A few examples of exemplary access to campus are:
          University of Delaware allowed Navy to have extra
    recruiters attend their fairs at no additional cost and connect to
    student health organizations in support of the Navy's Mission.
          Johns Hopkins University provided advance notice of
    career fairs of interest prior to being listed on Handshake and make a
    point of placing Navy recruiters in prominent positions of foot traffic
    at their events.
          University of Louisville allows recruiters easy access to
    campus, lunch halls, and open areas, and worked with the recruiters on
    setting up presentations and tables.
        Major General Bowers. Numerous colleges across our Nation provide
    outstanding access to our Marine Officer Selection Officers. A number
    provide nearly unlimited access including schools such as SUNY system,
    Southern California, Maryland-College Park, Alaska-Anchorage, Princeton
    and San Jose State. Key to exemplary access is a willingness to provide
    lists of students and ease of access to prime areas for table set ups
    and talks.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. All schools that have formally
    established an AFROTC unit are bound to support those units consistent
    with the provisions of DODI 1215.08 as agreed to under a bilateral (or
    trilateral) agreement between the Secretary of the Air Force, the
    leadership of a Host Unit, and (if applicable) the leadership from
    Crosstown or Extension units attached to a Host Unit. Though most units
    share the same agreed to access to classrooms, facilities, engagements,
    school leadership, resources, students, and personnel, there are some
    schools that voluntarily and actively go beyond the provisions of the
    agreement. As agreements between the schools and the Service Secretary
    serve as the only contractual expectation, we can only testify on
    whether a school is meeting that obligation or not. Our imperative is
    to create opportunity to as many highly qualified students as possible
    within the resources we are given rather than to actively promote or
    highlight the added incentives or benefits one school may offer over
    another. That being said, highlights include Pacific Northwest
    University in Yakima, WA, Salus University in Elkins Park, PA, and the
    Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL. A full list is available
    upon request.

        70. Senator Sullivan. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker,
    Major General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, can you provide
    some examples of colleges that provide unsatisfactory access to their
    campus?
        Major General Davis. No. Army ROTC partner schools agree to support
    their ROTC programs in accordance with the requirements in the
    Application for Establishment of an Army Senior ROTC Unit (Department
    of the Army Form 918) and the Agreement for Establishment and
    Maintenance of an Army Senior ROTC Unit (Department of the Army Form
    918A) contract.
        Rear Admiral Walker. The challenge with gaining access to post-
    secondary students is identifying and engaging the right person at a
    university. Recruiters cannot just walk onto a campus and start
    recruiting, but instead often have to go through layers of individuals
    to gain authorization to address those audiences and be in their
    spaces. It is not impossible, however, it takes more time and
    coordination. We also use influential pro-military alumni to assist
    with this where we can.
        Major General Bowers. Unsatisfactory access to campus typically
    comes from smaller, private campuses. Unsatisfactory access comes from
    a lack of access to school lists, blocking emails, and limiting access
    to undesirable areas. In urban areas, some schools completely block
    access to campus areas unless a student checks the Officer Selection
    Officer in. There is a notable number of law schools that limit or
    block access, providing limitations to our ability to interact and
    provide opportunities for the future of the Marine Corps Judge Advocate
    General Corps.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. There are a few examples of institutions
    that have combined theme of poor customer service combined with
    refusing to distribute student rosters or requiring a fee to visit the
    school. A full list is available upon request.
                              choosing recruiters
        71. Senator Sullivan. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, and
    Brigadier General Amrhein, what changes have you made to whom you
    select for recruiting duty in your service and how they are
    incentivized to excel?
        Major General Davis. Over the past year, Army has incentivized the
    recruiting force by using temporary promotion authorities to the rank
    of SSG and SFC. Additionally, the Army is utilizing assignment
    incentive pay for recruiters who meet eligibility requirements. The
    Army has also streamlined its selection/ screening policy for recruiter
    candidates in an effort to allow more deserving soldiers to perform
    recruiting duty. The changes include: removal of college credit
    requirement; allow soldiers with Sleep Apnea to become recruiters, if
    they have no other prohibited medical condition; and increased the
    maximum age of recruiter candidates at selection, from age 39 (a waiver
    may be considered for candidates up to age 42).
        Rear Admiral Walker. Currently all Navy Recruiter Canvassers (Navy
    Enlisted Classification Code 803R) receive Special Duty Assignment Pay
    (SDAP) level 6, which is $450 a month. Assignment Incentive Pay (AIP)
    was recently added for recruiter billets at nine traditionally hard to
    fill Navy Talent Acquisition Groups (NTAG): (NTAGs: Portland, Northern
    Plains, Heartland, Great Lakes, Ohio River Valley, Pittsburgh,
    Philadelphia, New England and Mid America), which is up to an
    additional $500 a month. In addition to monetary compensation,
    recruiters are also eligible for various performance awards and may be
    eligible for meritorious advancement for excelling in recruiting.
        Major General Bowers. Not specifically asked of MCRC, however: i)
    The Marine Corps remains focused on recruiting the most qualified
    individuals our country has to offer, to serve in our Corps; thus, we
    continue to screen and select top performing marines to serve as Marine
    recruiters. Marine Corps Recruiting Command continues to develop
    dynamic and competitive non-monetary incentives (i.e. Recruiter Station
    Incentive, competitive promotion opportunities, etc.) and monetary
    incentives (i.e. Special Duty Assignment Pay, Assignment Incentive Pay,
    and Voluntary Supplemental Incentive) to incentivize our recruiters to
    excel; continuing to attract and recruit the best into our ranks. The
    Manpower Military Policy Branch is actively involved in the planning
    and development of dynamic monetary incentive polices to encourage
    marines to not only serve as recruiters but also excel in their roles.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. No major changes have been made with
    regards to recruiter selection since the stand up of the Developmental
    Special Duty Program in 2014. High quality airmen are vectored through
    their command leadership teams. If the manning levels in a member's
    primary job can support it, the member is released for recruiting duty.
    Personnel vectored and released for recruiting duty are screened and
    interviewed by experienced senior enlisted recruiting personnel for
    suitability. Personnel that clear the screening and interview process
    will be matched to a recruiting duty location. Air Force Recruiting
    Service has a robust awards program designed to incentivize and
    recognize superior performers, such as awarding commendation medals for
    the top recruiters.

        72. Senator Sullivan. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker,
    Major General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, are you
    considering any additional changes to incentivize your most competent
    personnel to serve as recruiters?
        Major General Davis. Army continues to look for way to incentive
    soldier to perform recruiting duty. Over the past year, for a select
    period, Army offered a $5,000 bonus to qualified recruiter candidates
    for immediate attendance at the Recruiting College (within 90 days of
    selection) followed by an assignment to perform recruiting duty. The
    incentive yielded limited success. However, Army is exploring the ideal
    to providing a similar incentive in fiscal year 2024 to enhance the
    pool of eligible soldiers for recruiting duty.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Navy Recruiting Command (NRC) has changed the
    following to incentivize sailors to serve as recruiters:
          Updated board precept language to give special
    consideration for those serving on Recruiting;
          Adding recruiting duty to all career Learning and
    Development Roadmaps as part of career progression; and
          Reiterated the value and priority of recruiting duty to
    communities across the Navy.
        Major General Bowers. Nested within the larger retention efforts,
    the Marine Corps remains dedicated to attracting the most qualified
    marines to serve as marine recruiters by offering many competitive non-
    monetary incentives (e.g, Recruiter Station Incentive, competitive
    promotion opportunities) and monetary incentives (i.e. Special Duty
    Assignment Pay, Assignment Incentive Pay, and Voluntary Supplemental
    Incentive). Manpower and Reserve Affairs continues to conduct analysis
    on and evaluate the effectiveness of our current non-monetary and
    monetary incentive policies to develop new or change/modify existing
    policies in order to remain competitive while operating within the
    dynamic recruiting environment.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Recruiters earn special duty assignment
    pay (SDAP). SDAP rates of $300 to $450 per month have been constant
    since early 2000s based on specific recruiting duties. AFRS is also
    looking at Assignment Incentive Pay for members going to areas that are
    traditionally less-desirable locations as well as working to better
    advocate for locality pay to account for high costs of living (BAH,
    Medical Care, Utilities, and travel costs to and from areas not
    supported by the normal military base infrastructure or support
    agencies).

        73. Senator Sullivan. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker,
    Major General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, can you provide
    any examples of successful collaboration with campus organizations and
    veterans or community groups on college campuses?
        Major General Davis. One example of a highly successful
    collaboration is the annual Bataan Memorial Death March. In 1989, the
    Army ROTC Department at New Mexico State University began sponsoring
    the Bataan Memorial Death March to mark a page in history that included
    many native sons and affected many families in the State. In 1992,
    White Sands Missile Range and the New Mexico National Guard joined New
    Mexico State University as sponsors, and the event was moved to the
    White Sands Missile Range. Since its inception, the Bataan Memorial
    Death March's participation has grown from about 100 to about 9,600
    marchers. These marchers come from the local community, across the
    United States and several foreign countries.
        Rear Admiral Walker. We have strong relationships with Naval
    Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and other Service ROTC units
    nationwide. These units assist in facilitating relationships with
    campus faculty and gaining access to students. Each campus is unique;
    some ROTC units can provide substantial assistance, while others are
    limited. We have had some success at Historically Black Colleges and
    Universities by leveraging officers who are sorority and fraternity
    members to help gain access to students and faculty. We identify junior
    officers who are members and have them engage with their on-campus
    counterparts. The challenge is sustaining the relationship with the
    faculty for continuous access year over year.
        Major General Bowers. Partnering with athletic teams has been a
    strong win for Officer Selection Officers across our Nation. Leadership
    talks and providing mentorship to student-athletes provides the teams'
    value while connecting our core values of honor, courage, and
    commitment to a cadre of individuals who have demonstrated physical
    fitness and a dedication to teamwork throughout their lives.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. In general, Air Force ROTC units are
    often engaged with school and community organizations which promote and
    support Veterans as well as students aspiring to serve. Partnerships
    like this help create opportunity for mission exposure, enhanced
    training, and valuable discussions on career considerations, military
    service, and other matters. Whenever possible, the Air Force will
    provide support via a mobile asset at events on college campuses.

        74. Senator Sullivan. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker,
    Major General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, can you provide
    examples of your service successfully recruiting outside of places
    where the military has a strong presence?
        Major General Davis. While Army recruiting efforts tend to be more
    successful near military installations, there are examples of Army
    recruiting success in locations without major military installations.
    The Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area for example, enlisted over 220 men
    and women in 2023, and the Columbus, Ohio, area produced over 320
    enlistments during that timeframe. These areas have no major military
    installations within 50 miles. Additionally, over 100 men and women
    from Springfield, Massachusetts, and surrounding areas joined the Army
    during Fiscal Year 2023 despite being over 100 miles from a major Army
    post and over 30 miles from the Hanscom Air Force Base. While these
    areas do not have major military populations, the Army tends to recruit
    well wherever there are high concentrations of qualified youth.
        Rear Admiral Walker. Navy's recruiting force is strategically
    placed throughout the country to ensure our sailors are active in
    markets where we believe there is a potential for enlistment contracts.
    Many of these stations fall outside of areas that would be considered
    to have a strong military presence. However, historically we have found
    that high quality applicants come from all over our country. For
    example, last year our most productive Navy Talent Acquisition Group
    was from the Phoenix area. Although it is landlocked and has few major
    military bases, they achieved the highest performance metrics for all
    enlisted recruiting in fiscal year 2023.
        Major General Bowers. MCRC is successful because of the marines on
    the ground covering every zip code across the United States. Overall,
    the Marine Corps recruits proportionately across the country from the
    qualified, eligible and propensed population. Our current recruiting
    metric identified markets that present opportunity for increased
    recruiter presence and we will be fine-tuning our recruiter presence to
    optimizing mission share across the recruiting force. We remain
    committed to assigning every ZIP code, high school, and corner of the
    country to a marine recruiter.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. The city of Philadelphia, PA does not
    have the strongest military presence but has an Ivy League school with
    the University of Pennsylvania. We have had great success here with
    many health professions scholarships awarded and nursing students
    commissioned directly into DAF. Additionally, the state of Michigan has
    very little military presence but has produced numerous engineers for
    the DAF.
                                 mental health
        75. Senator Sullivan. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker,
    Major General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, are you
    considering changes to what medical criteria require waivers? If so,
    please provide an example.
        Major General Davis. Yes, current areas under consideration for
    updates include commonly waived conditions in ophthalmology, women's
    health, and behavioral health.
        Rear Admiral Walker. In November 2023, in support of a Report to
    Congress, each of the Services coordinated with their Surgeon General
    representatives to submit recommendations to OASD(HA) for consideration
    of inclusion in the next Department of Defense Instruction 6130.03
    Volume 1, ``Medical Standards for Military Service: Appointment,
    Enlistment, or Induction'' change or publication, which would relax
    several mental health standards. One recommendation involves
    examination of the disqualification criteria for ADHD or learning
    disability. This is being considered.
        Major General Bowers. Marine Corps Recruiting Command is working
    with our recruiting and medical partners to review the current DOD
    Instruction on accession medical standards with an aim at modernization
    and improving opportunities for those who wish to serve their nation.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. See question 29 for DAF response.

        76. Senator Sullivan. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker,
    Major General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, how is your
    service responding to changes in the medical history of the general
    recruiting population to update your criteria for what triggers a
    waiver requirement for a recruit that has sought mental health
    treatment?
        Major General Davis. The U.S. Army Recruiting Command and the
    Office of the Surgeon General collaborate with the DOD Accessions and
    Retention Medical Standards Working Group to establish more precise
    standards, particularly concerning behavioral health diagnoses, that
    will minimize the need for waivers without increasing the risk to the
    Army.
        More specifically, the DOD reviews accession and retention medical
    standards for mental health within the Accession and Retention Medical
    Standards Working Group on a rolling basis every month with published
    guidance issued every three to 4 years.
        Rear Admiral Walker. In November 2023, in support of a Report to
    Congress, each of the Services coordinated with their Surgeon General
    representatives to submit recommendations to OASD(HA) for consideration
    of inclusion in the next Department of Defense Instruction 6130.03
    Volume 1, ``Medical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction
    in the Military Services,'' which dictates conditions that require
    waivers for Service entry. Potential changes are being considered.
        Major General Bowers. Marine Corps Recruiting Command is working
    with our recruiting and medical partners to review the current DOD
    Instruction on accession medical standards with an aim at modernization
    and improving opportunities for those who wish to serve their nation.
    The DOD reviews accession and retention medical standards for mental
    health within the Accession and Retention Medical Standards Working
    Group on a rolling basis every month with published guidance issued
    every three to 4 years.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. See question 29 for DAF response.
                                   __________
                    Questions Submitted by Senator Ted Budd
                                medical waivers
        77. Senator Budd. Major General Bowers, in your October 21st letter
    to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, you requested an update to
    the DOD policy on medical accession standards based on current
    practices related to medical waivers. What sort of medical conditions
    is the Marine Corps waiving most frequently?
        Major General Bowers. We are glad to continue partnering with OSD
    on a review of DODI 6130.03 ensuring the modernization of disqualifying
    medical conditions from based on data analysis from the Military
    Accessions Review Pilot. MCRC has instituted Conditional Delayed Entry
    Program in the interim in which 41 disqualifying conditions are
    authorized to join the Delayed Entry Program while pursuing the
    approval of a medical waiver. These conditions are listed in the table
    below:

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
           ICD-10                                                 Diagnosis
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   A09                                          Infectious gastroenteritis and colitis, unspecified
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                A60.00                                      Herpesviral infection of urogenital system, unspecified
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 A63.0                                                                  Anogenital (venereal) warts
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                DlB.01                                                   Hemangioma of skin and subcutaneous tissue
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 D23.9                                                   Other benign neoplasm of skin, unspecified
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 E55.9                                                            Vitamin D deficiency, unspecified
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                F07.81                                                                    Postconcussional syndrome
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 F90.l                                                         ADHD, predominantly hyperactive type
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 F90.9                            ADHD, unspecified type (more than 3 years ago, no current issues)
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                G04.90                                              Encephalitis and encephalomyelitis, unspecified
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 HS0.0                                                                        Unspecified esotropia
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                HS0.10                                                                        Unspecified exotropia
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                HS0.89                                                                   Other specified strabismus
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 H51.9                                                                    Convergence Insufficiency
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 K02.9                                                                   Dental caries, unspecified
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      L0B.9                                                                                        Local infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, unspecified
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      L20.84                                                            intrinsic (allergic) eczema
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      L20.9                                                          Atopic dermatitis, unspecified
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Ml2.50                                                       Traumatic arthopathy, unspecified site
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Ml2.569                                                      Traumatic arthropathy, unspecified knee
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               M25.639                                     Stiffness of unspecified wrist, not elsewhere classified
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                M26. 4                                    Malocclusion, unspecified (can close mouth without issue)
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                S02.91                                                                Unspecified fracture of skull
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              S06.0X0S                                            Concussion without loss of consciousness, sequela
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              S06.0X1S                         Concussion with loss of consciousness of 30 minutes or less, sequela
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              S06.0X95                       Concussion with loss of consciousness of unspecified duration, sequela
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              S53.003S                                   Unspecified Subluxation of Either Radial Head At The Elbow
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              S53.006S                                   Unspecified Dislocation of Either Radial Head at the Elbow
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              S53.103S                                    Unspecified Subluxation of Either Ulnohumeral Elbow Joint
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              S53.106S                            Unspecified dislocation of unspecified ulnohumeral joint, sequela
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              S63.003S                                        Unspecified subluxation of unspecified wrist and hand
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              S83.419S                            Sprain of medial collateral ligament of unspecified knee, sequela
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              S83.429S                           Sprain of lateral collateral ligament of unspecified knee, sequela
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              S83.519S                                 Sprain anterior cruciate ligament, unspecified knee, sequela
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              S83.529S                                Sprain posterior cruciate ligament, unspecified knee, sequela
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              T84.89XS                                                    Retained hardware from orthopedic surgery
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Z87.820                                                   Personal history of traumatic brain injury
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Z94.9                                                      Tissue allograft (orthopedic procedure)
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               H52.209                                                                      Unspecified astigmatism
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Z98.890      Other specified postprocedural states (corneal refractive surgery) if at least 3 months
                                                                                                            post-op
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                            digital marketing tools
        78. Senator Budd. Major General Davis, in your written testimony,
    you mention the Army's refreshed advertising campaign, ``Be All You Can
    Be.'' and efforts to incorporate more digital marketing tools into your
    recruiting strategy. In addition to these steps, how else is the Army
    working to modernize recruitment campaigns to reach younger Americans
    and communicate to them the benefits of service?
        Major General Davis. We know from our foundational and ongoing
    research on the prospect market (Gen Z ages 17-28) that those who are
    open to joining the Army are seeking information about what they might
    receive in terms of quality of life, benefits and how the Army fulfills
    what they are seeking in an employer (purpose, passion, community &
    connection). To that end, we have two complimentary campaigns in market
    specifically for active duty enlisted.
        First, the ``Know Your Army'' campaign, released 21 March 2022,
    features five short ads that aim to debunk common misperceptions about
    life in the Army by highlighting tangible benefits and the quality of
    life such as pensions, home buying, paid parental leave, vacation, and
    camaraderie. Research shows home-buying benefits, a sense of belonging,
    and time-off is important to the prospect audience. ``Know Your Army''
    is in market across television, streaming/online video, digital, social
    media, paid search, and email. Second, the ``First Steps'' campaign,
    released 21 August 2023, features four ads that buildupon the refreshed
    Army brand launch commercials from March 2023 by appealing directly to
    the prospect audience to encourage them to explore and take the first
    step with the Army. The ads are more empathetic to a prospective
    recruit. This up close and personal approach addresses what prospects
    seek in an ideal employer, a sense of purpose, passion, community, and
    connection. ``First Steps'' is in market across television, streaming/
    online video, digital, social media, paid search, and email.
        Both campaigns feature a call to action to the prospect audience to
    visit the GoArmy.com website. We are building a new public-facing,
    cloud-based Next Generation GoArmy.com website that will be hosted in
    the Army's cloud environment by this summer. This will result in our
    website, GoArmy.com, rising to meet industry standards, while enabling
    Army accessions to leverage emerging technologies and creating a
    cohesive user experience for individuals to ultimately transition to
    Army service. Examples of some advantages are more rapid updates, more
    complex testing, and a full Spanish language experience.
        Last, two additional tools are being implemented in fiscal year
    2024 to help communicate to prospects the benefits of service. One
    initiative is called the Single View of the Recruit (SVOR), which will
    utilize various data sources to create individual lead profiles in near
    real time for use in marketing activations such as lead nurture emails
    and SMS text. The goal is to also provide SVOR profile data to
    developing recruiter tools such as GoRecruit (Recruiter Zone phone
    app). Another tool is provided by Pega Software, an Artificial
    Intelligence driven system that auto--sends communications to the right
    people at the right time with the right message to drive their next
    best action. Pega models will learn from individual SVOR data profiles
    to understand where a lead is in their mindset and determine the
    correct individualized message to send.

        79. Senator Budd. Major General Davis, Rear Admiral Walker, Major
    General Bowers, and Brigadier General Amrhein, if a recruiting
    advertising campaign or marketing tool is found to be counter-
    productive and risks harming the service's brand, what steps has each
    service put into place to address and mitigate these risks?
        Major General Davis. We monitor the information environment
    constantly to identify potential risks to the brand that may be
    associated with our marketing and advertising. If a risk situation is
    identified, it is immediately brought to our attention and adjusted.
    The types of events we monitor the environment for could be wholly
    external or be directly related to the Army in some way. For example,
    if there was a recent aviation-related disaster and we had creative
    assets in-market or about to launch on social media that highlight
    aviation, we would pause or pull those spots until a more appropriate
    time to avert potential damage to the Army brand by appearing tone deaf
    in our marketing efforts. Another example is our response to news of
    the arrest of Jonathan Majors, the celebrity narrator in the ``Be All
    You Can Be'' brand relaunch ads. Our team, along with our media
    partners, worked quickly to remove the ads entirely from distribution
    and preserve the value of 100 percent of our media inventory, losing no
    money on the relaunch efforts media investment. The Army was able to
    replace the ads with existing creative assets that maintained relevant
    relaunch messaging for our target audience.
        Rear Admiral Walker. From a media standpoint, brand safety is
    essential to ensuring we are not leaving ourselves exposed to
    unnecessary risks. We have robust measures in place to mitigate any
    potential risks associated with our media placements. Our commitment is
    reflected in the following key strategies:

          Exclusion lists: Within our buying platforms, we have
    implemented comprehensive exclusion lists. These lists are carefully
    curated to avoid placements in contexts that may be deemed unsuitable
    for the Navy brand, such as news articles, violent content, or other
    potentially sensitive environments (full category exclusion list
    below). By leveraging these exclusion lists, we proactively prevent our
    brand from appearing alongside content that could compromise the Navy
    image.

          3rd-Party Ad-Serving Partners: In addition to proactively
    setting up exclusion lists, we partner with reputable third-party ad-
    serving providers, such as Double Verify. These partners play a crucial
    role in ensuring brand safety at all levels of our campaigns. Their
    advanced technologies and stringent ad verification processes allow us
    to maintain a high level of confidence in the suitability of ad
    placements. This includes real-time monitoring and blocking of ads that
    might be associated with objectionable content.

          Community Management: Risk mitigation is central to
    maintaining tone with our online presence. Our team operates on a
    monitoring schedule across our various social media platforms using
    Khoros social listening software and Khoros Care. These provide real-
    time oversight and feed of live comments and direct messages from our
    channels in the same place. This ensures prompt engagement to swiftly
    address issues that arise in discussions, questions via direct
    messages, and comments along with the use of our pre-approved Community
    Management response resources. Beyond observation, our approach
    integrates social listening tools, quick-response messages and
    analytics reporting. These tools provide key insights into audience
    sentiments, trends, and real-time reactions that empower us to
    anticipate potential risks to tailor live responses effectively. On a
    daily/hourly basis, our team oversees social channels and comments, to
    maintain timely responses in queue. This allows us to promptly address
    any potential issues, moderating discussions, and swiftly intervening
    in cases of inappropriate content or conversations that require
    escalation. By proactively engaging with the community, we steer
    conversations in a positive direction, mitigating risks and
    safeguarding our online presence while fostering an engaged online
    community of future and Active Duty sailors and veterans.

          Creative/Campaign Development: Navy is committed to
    featuring real sailors in real environments in order to provide an
    authentic look at Navy life for prospective recruits. Additionally, the
    Navy follows all platform best practices for activations to ensure we
    show up appropriately on the platform, with brand safety and
    authenticity at the forefront. For example, when planning and hosting
    Reddit ``Ask Me Anything'' events (AMAs), the sailor's story is front
    and center, and we do not stage or plant questions that would skew the
    activation in a particular way and potentially damage the activation.
    This approach has resulted in positive and engaging activations with
    Navy upvote rates 27 percent higher than the DOD benchmark.

    Category Exclusion List

          Ad Clutter

          Adult & Sexual (Global Alliance for Responsible Media
    (GARM)-Mapped)

          Tolerance Alcohol (GARM-Mapped)

          Aviation Disasters

          Safety floor: Copyright Infringement (GARM-Mapped)

          Brand Safety floor: Extreme & Graphic (GARM-Mapped)

          Brand Safety floor: Malware (GARM-Mapped)

          Brand Safety floor: Phishing (GARM-Mapped)

          Brand Safety floor: Spam (GARM-Mapped)

          Crime (GARM-Mapped)

          Death & Injury (GARM-Mapped)

          Drug Abuse (GARM-Mapped)

          Hate Speech & Cyberbullying (GARM-Mapped)

          Human-made Disasters (GARM-Mapped)

          Incentivized Traffic

          Inflammatory Politics & News (GARM-Mapped)

          Natural Disasters

          Negative News: Financial News

          Negative News: Pharmaceutical News

          News: Journals & Blogs

          Profanity (GARM-Mapped)

          Terrorism (GARM-Mapped)

          Tobacco & eCigarettes (GARM-Mapped)

          Vehicle Disasters

          Violence (GARM-Mapped)

        Major General Bowers. Marine Corps marketing takes evolutionary
    steps in producing new campaigns vice revolutionary shifts. This
    creates minimal disruption from a historically successful brand and
    allows monitoring of effects that specific changes may bring. In the
    event a campaign or element of marketing produces negative impact, the
    Marine Corps can quickly pull elements from media rotation and replace
    with alternative content that still aligns with the overall brand idea
    of ``Battles Won''. In the event that an additional piece of content
    may not be available, the Marine Corps can switch to alternative media
    channels through contract modification and relationship of advertising
    agency with media vendors for guaranteed impressions.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. Certainly, if there is a marketing
    tactic that is potentially harmful to our brand, we have the capability
    to pause it immediately until we can re-evaluate it. The best example
    of that would be social media posts during a national crisis--we will
    pause social media posts that are not related to the crisis until such
    a time as it's appropriate to re-engage. We also review tactical
    performance monthly, quarterly, and annually, so if a campaign, tactic,
    or tool are under-performing, we can make optimizations fluidly or in
    the instance of a tactic just not working, we will not fund the tactic.
    We regularly review both our media tactics as well as our experiential
    tactics and will discontinue them when they do not deliver what we need
    from them.
                           military service app usage
        80. Senator Budd. Major General Davis and Brigadier General
    Amrhein, part of addressing the recruiting crisis is supporting
    servicemembers' quality of life. One method of supporting
    servicemembers' quality of life is increasing servicemembers' ability
    to communicate with their families. The Navy and the Marine Corps have
    implemented Sandboxx, an app designed to help new recruits, their
    families and the recruiting command navigate the beginning of service.
    Have the Air Force and the Army looked into implementing Sandboxx or
    similar apps to support servicemembers' communication with their
    families?
        Major General Davis. The Army recognizes the essential
    communication and support link between soldiers in Training (Trainees)
    and their families during Initial Entry Training. As such, the Army has
    made great efforts to ensure there is regulated and dedicated time
    during the initial training period for soldiers to be able to
    communicate with their families. Trainees are encouraged to call family
    and friends at every afforded opportunity and are allowed to use their
    own personal devices to do so. All Trainees make an initial phone call
    at Reception to inform families they arrived safely and are then
    allowed 90 minutes of phone calls on weekends and up to 30 minutes in
    the middle of each week. Commanders also have the discretion to
    increase cell phone and electronic device usage based on mission
    requirements, constraints, timeline, and daily activities.
        In addition to direct communication, the Army utilizes a program
    called ``Inside the Wire'' hosted on the free Facebook platform to keep
    families up to date on their Trainees. ``Inside the Wire'' provides
    useful and current information, detailing what their Trainees go
    through daily and posting multiple pictures and videos where families
    are offered a glimpse into their Trainees in action.
        The U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training, with
    organizational oversight in all Initial Entry Training, has met with
    and reviewed proposals from Sandboxx and found that their ``for fee''
    service--which charges anywhere from $2.75 to $5 per letter--was not a
    good fit for Initial Entry Training Soldiers or families when there are
    already sunk cost (personal phones), lower cost (USPS), and free
    options (social media platforms) readily available for use. These
    options are more financially beneficial, equally responsive, and more
    in line with the communication methods, styles, and preferences of the
    digital generation we are teaching and training. Trainees and family
    are not prohibited from utilizing Sandboxx or other similar
    communication programs / platforms and may do so on an individual basis
    if they so desire.
        Brigadier General Amrhein. While we continually evaluate industry
    proposals, the Air Force fielded our own mobile recruiting application
    called the Aim High App (AHA) in the summer of 2020 which is available
    on both the Apple and Google platforms. AHA leverages a robust and
    secure platform bringing together leads, applicants, recruits,
    trainees, family, friends, and influencers while directly interfacing
    with our primary IT systems for seamless data integration. The app
    currently has 90,000 user accounts with 7,000 new users joining each
    month. In fiscal year 2023 alone, the Aim High App generated more than
    40,000 recruiting leads while allowing over 50,000 family members to
    see their young airman or guardian in action during basic training
    through photos of their flights progress across the 8 plus weeks in
    training. In fiscal year 2024, we will bring the U.S. Space Force
    recruiting their own branded mobile app similar to AHA.

                                APPENDIX

      [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                                [all]