(Photo: H. Darr Beiser, USAT)
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Ash Carter on
Wednesday unveiled reforms to how the Pentagon recruits and retains the
personnel he believes it must have to fight future wars.
Carter called the U.S. military the best the world has ever
seen. But it won't maintain that edge if it does not attract top talent
through what he calls the "Force of the Future."
"We live in a changing and competitive world, and we
have to earn that excellence again and again," Carter said in a speech
delivered at George Washington University. "Because our force of the
future has to be just as great, if not even better, than our outstanding force
of today. Our security depends on it."
The overhaul represents the biggest change to how the
military manages its forces since the Pentagon killed the draft in 1973 and
started an all-volunteer force, according to a senior Defense official who was
not authorized to speak publicly about details of the reforms. They include
expanded mid-career breaks for troops to start families or return to school,
adopting 401k-style pension benefits for all troops, and focusing on the
diversity of the armed forces.
The new policies are driven in part by concerns that
recruiting volunteers has grown increasingly difficult, the official said. The
Army struggled to meet its goal of 59,000 new soldiers in fiscal year 2015, and
is regarded as bellwether for the other services.
Most of the changes will be rolled out over the next year,
and some will require congressional approval. The costs of the reforms are
expected to be minimal, the official said.
Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY
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