Supporting the Military Community
About this commentary series
As the environments in which the U.S. military operates increase in complexity, the need to attract and retain top talent becomes increasingly apparent - a significant challenge during a period of extraordinarily low unemployment. Over the first few months of 2019, the CNAS Military, Veterans and Society Program will be publishing a series of commentaries on how the Department of Defense and military services can better support members of the All-Volunteer Force and their families. A diverse group of guest contributors and CNAS experts will put forward thought-provoking ideas on an array of topics that affect servicemembers, their families, and transitioning personnel that we hope will spark frank discussions and ultimately lead to policy changes that enhance readiness and improve lives in military communities.
Commentaries in this series
Military, Veterans & Society
Confronting Digital Misogyny: Why the Military’s #MeToo Moment Must Tackle Cyberharassment
Pentagon officials and military commanders must update their responses to reflect 21st-century norms...
Military, Veterans & Society
The National Guard Interstate Transfer Process Hurts Retention
Even though the National Guard constantly faces retention challenges, it has not addressed a key personnel policy that could go a long way toward solving the problem....
Military, Veterans & Society
Challenges to Improving Racial Representation in the Military
Unresolved racial stress impacts all aspects of society, consistently leading to inequal treatment and tragic death for civilians and imbalances within the military....
Military, Veterans & Society
TAP for Reservists Needs to Change
The VOW (Veterans Opportunity to Work) to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 was touted as a major accomplishment to help reduce unemployment among military veterans. It expanded educati...
Military, Veterans & Society
A Looming Retention Crisis
Some of the most significant retention challenges the military faces are choices related to military families and how cultural shifts in family dynamics shape the decisions of...
Military, Veterans & Society
Helping Special Needs Families and Improving Military Readiness
The Department of Defense (DoD) is moving out on efforts to rebuild the warfighting readiness of the joint force with the objective of reducing the number of nondeployable ser...
Military, Veterans & Society
Dispelling the Myth of Women in Special Operations
The military often promotes a culture of hypermasculinity and is largely seen as a “man’s world,” which is not surprising given that the overall number of active duty women of...
Military, Veterans & Society
Predictive Medicine: Where the Pentagon and Silicon Valley Could Build a Bridge in Artificial Intelligence
With over 9.4 million patients in the Department of Defense (DoD) healthcare system and another 9 million patients enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthca...
Military, Veterans & Society
The Strategic Corporal: Send Non-Commissioned Officers to College
Why is there not a path to a bachelor’s degree through full-time civilian education for enlisted service members who do not wish to commission afterward? The American populati...
Military, Veterans & Society
A Lack of Support Leaves the Reserves Broken
After spending ten years as an active duty intelligence officer with the Marine Corps, I transitioned to the reserves, specifically the Selected Marine Corps Reserve component...
Military, Veterans & Society
The Challenges of Military Child Public Education and Homeschooling
Access to quality education and persistent transition problems for military children are continuing sources of frustration for military families and affects retention across a...
Military, Veterans & Society
To Retain Today’s Talent, the DoD Must Support Dual-Professional Couples
Talent management in the Department of Defense has received a great deal of critical attention over the last few years, but much of this thinking has centered on how the milit...
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