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OCTOBER 2020

P E R S O N N E L A N D R E A D I N E S S S T R A T E G Y F O R 2 0 3 0

PRESERVING OUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

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FOREWORD

the democratic values of our free Republic. However,our military dominance is not a birthright, nor is itguaranteed. The 2018 National Defense Strategyprovides us the roadmap to ensure we are earning andpreserving our competitive edge every day, while nottaking it for granted or resting on our laurels.

We live in a relentlessly evolving and fiercelycompetitive world. Technological advancements aredriving immense change across political, economic,and social landscapes, and impacting governments,labor markets, and society at large. Our maincompetitors, an emerging China and revanchist Russia,are seeking to exploit new capabilities to furtherconcentrate their power, bolster their militarycapabilities, disrupt democratic nations, and reshapeinternational norms.

During these consequential times, and in step with theNational Defense Strategy, the Office of the UnderSecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness(P&R) is setting its sights on the year 2030—driving tocultivate a technologically dominant force that isstrategically ready, globally relevant, and flexiblysustainable. The cornerstone to this vision is achievingdata dominance through digital modernization,seamlessly connecting all our data in real-time, andharnessing the skills of a generation of digital natives.

I first joined the U.S. military over four decades agowhen most game-changing technologies weredeveloped in America, and many of those right here inthe Department of Defense. Today, the technologybase is more global, and our great power competitorsare quickly catching up in the technological arena,using sophisticated strategic information pathways toreinforce their messages, and seeking to contestAmerica’s leadership role in the world.

It is time to reassert our competitive edge. We mustchannel the spirit of great innovators such as BillyMitchell, the iconoclastic trailblazer who nearly a centuryago advocated for and demonstrated the importance andpromise of airpower, fundamentally changing thecharacter of warfare. We must have the resolve toachieve difficult and long-term challenges and embracethe competitive spirit to win, inspired by leaders such asPresident John F. Kennedy who challenged America to bethe first to the moon.

Similarly, we must challenge ourselves and embracechange in this new technological era of great powercompetition. P&R must support the Joint warfighter byenabling, guiding, and assessing optimized warfightingreadiness and enhanced talent management. Visionaryleadership, world-class technological talent, and aninnovative, data-driven, and results-orientedorganizational culture are key to reaching these goals.

Every member of P&R has an integral role to play inachieving our objectives, and I look forward to yourcontributions!

Matthew P. DonovanUnder Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness

A ll Americans can be very proud of theirDepartment of Defense. The U.S.military remains the most powerful theworld has ever known, always guided by

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There is no substitute for the timely recognition andexploitation of new ideas, new technologies, and newapproaches to securing our national defense. The2018 National Defense Strategy provides us theroadmap for how to thwart challenges to our militaryovermatch, and its implementation requires the fullfocus of each Military Service and all organizationswithin the Department. We must find ways tochallenge our competitors—where we possessadvantages and where they lack strength—to sustainthe strategic initiative and expand the competitivespace through innovative means.

Expanding the competitive space entails enhancingareas of competitive advantage through amplifyingexisting gains, reinforcing success, and then creatingnew areas where we can compete through innovationand technology. Maintaining our military’s advantageduring this new era of competition requires strategic,operational, and tactical readiness throughtechnological superiority that can globally compete inthe Information Age to deter aggression and win inconflict. The Department’s success depends on adigitally savvy military and civilian workforce that canoperate within a security environment fueled bygroundbreaking technology, and exploit information asthe connective tissue to dominate in competition andconflict.

INTRODUCTION

This document describes P&R’s strategy for realizingits vision of a Department of Defense, enabled by datadominance, that is strategically ready, globallyrelevant, and flexibly sustainable. The United Statesfinds itself facing a rapidly changing world with adynamic security environment constantly evolving atever-increasing speed. How we recognize and adaptduring a series of inflection points will determine ourability to compete, deter, and defeat our adversaries,now and into the future. To compete and win, we mustlead change and re-examine everything we do withinour organization.

P&R must be at the forefront of the Department’sefforts to drive the transformation needed to meet thechallenges of the 21st century. We must optimizewarfighting readiness by providing senior leaders theability to rapidly make data-informed decisions withreal-time and predictive knowledge that accounts forrisk. P&R must also ensure the Department has aforce that is resilient and adaptive across myriadstrategic geopolitical and threat environments, and caneffectively operate in all domains.

History abounds with examples of leaders andorganizations that did not recognize and makenecessary changes at pivotal moments, and thereforefailed to prevail. We will not repeat these examples, aswe clearly see the road we must follow.

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THE 2030 STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT

The specter of conflict we will face in 2030 will, in someways, rhyme with the challenges we faced during the ColdWar years. The Cold War strategic environment was drivenby a sophisticated peer adversary, coupled with emergingcomplex global trends across the political, economic, andsocietal spectrums. Our armed forces had to adapt tomodern warfare by shifting from a focus on asymmetricwarfare to one capable of prevailing in high-intensityconflict. The U.S. military conducted an overhaul of itsstrategy and tactics, and modernized and expanded itsarsenal to meet this challenge.

Both nations seek military and technological superiorityover the U.S. and will continue attempts to overcomecompetitive disadvantages by fusing their nationalcapabilities to destabilize the international order. Wewill be fully engaged in great power competition withChina and Russia, made increasingly complex by thecontinuing rogue actions of North Korea, Iran’s maligninfluence, and threats from violent extremistorganizations.

While in 2030 we will confront some similarities to thosewe experienced during the height of the Cold War, therewill be significant differences due to the evolved securityand societal environments. Instead of facing a single peercompetitor with a modernized and large standing force, wemust be prepared to deter and potentially defeat either oftwo technologically advanced peer adversaries, with anaging force currently half the size of the U.S. force we hadfielded when we triumphed during Operation DESERTSTORM. China and Russia will present the greatest threatsto U.S. national security in 2030.

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China will continue its far-ranging efforts to expand theirnational power and global prestige and move closer toachieving political and social modernity. It will continueon its track to fusing its full array of national instrumentsof power—political, military, economic, and information.China will have made significant inroads to influencing allhemispheres of the globe through continuingimplementation of its 2013 Belt and Road Initiative, 2016National Innovation-Driven Development Strategy, and2018 Arctic Policy. Through the completed modernizationof its military forces and fusion of all its nationalcapabilities, China continues progress toward achieving itsgoal of becoming the world’s leading superpower by itsself-proclaimed Rejuvenation date of 2049.

Despite facing increasing internal disorder andeconomic challenges, Russia still seeks revanche andcontinues to prioritize increasing its global influence andpower by upending the established international order.Russia will continue its long-term campaign to return toits former status as a global power and actively resistNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) expansion. Itsinvasion of Georgia in 2008, annexation of Crimea in2014, and continued aggression in Ukrainedemonstrated its inclination to use force to expandterritorial claims, and it will aggressively foment unrestand probe for areas of advantage with its neighbors.Russia has modernized its nuclear and conventionalforces and advanced its designs on the Arctic region. Itcontinues to aggressively seek ways to undermineEuropean and U.S. strategic interests and subvertdemocratic processes in adjacent regions by operatingin areas below the threshold of conflict.

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Generational shifts continue to change values andattributes of the American population eligible forvoluntary military service. The expectations andbehaviors of emerging generations continue to evolveduring a period when there is a declining propensityfor military service. Additionally, the pool of eligiblecandidates for military service in the U.S. continues todecline from today, where only 29 percent of thecurrent 34 million of 17-to-24-year-olds qualify formilitary service.

Demographic shifts continue, with minoritypopulations by race and ethnicity continuing torepresent increasingly larger percentages of the U.S.population.

SOCIETAL TRENDSTechnology will have greatly shifted the talent and skillslandscape where the demand for a highly educated andskilled workforce exceeds the supply of technically skilledlabor. The Department’s workforce requirements, requiringthe ability to recruit and retain quality candidates for theInformation Age with technical skills and digital literacy,will be in an accelerated competition with the privatesector, resulting in significant shifting of power and choicefrom employers to employees.

Substantial changes have occurred in the American labormarket as a result of technology advances permeatingthrough society as a whole and the economy in particular.Technological advances continue to revolutionize manyaspects of daily life and generational value shifts havetransformed the way military service is viewed.

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P&R’s 2030 strategy is underpinned by critical assumptions and constraints for the projected security environment and the role the Department of Defense will play in the 2030 landscape. Critical assumptions are necessary to fill gaps in knowledge, must be continually reviewed and challenged, and provide guideposts for the strategy:

Adversaries will continue to strive to further reduce U.S. competitive advantages, disrupt international norms, and undermine American global leadership.

CRITICAL ASSUMPTIONS AND CONSTRAINTS

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7 The Department of Defense will continue to experience increased competition for human talent with needed knowledge, skills, and abilities.

DoD’s capability overmatch will continue to erode if the status quo is maintained.

Global technology advancements will continue to accelerate.

Significant global demand for DoD activities will continue through 2030.

The U.S. defense budget will consist of zero real growth or even downward pressure that will constrain the modernization, size, and readiness of our forces.

The U.S. military will remain an all-volunteer force.

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VISION

P&R’s 2030 vision serves as a guide to unify our organization so we can align our efforts to effectively meet the imperatives of the National Defense Strategy. The strategy recognizes we require “a clear-eyed appraisal of the threats we face, acknowledgement of the changing character of warfare, and a transformation of how the Department conducts business.”

Data dominance describes the connective tissue of thestrategically ready, globally relevant, and flexiblysustainable P&R enterprise. This requires robust ITinfrastructure to support machine-to-machineconnections between relevant data sources for real-timeanalysis, and to exploit leading indicators and advancedalgorithmic tools to glean insights for rapid decisions.In alignment with DoD’s Digital Modernization Strategyfor FY19-23, P&R must become a distinctly data-centered organization that enables readiness for theJoint warfighter, and manages our talent through acomprehensively linked digital architecture to supportrapid, data-informed decisions at all levels. Attainingthis data-centric culture requires an appropriatelyeducated and trained P&R workforce, possessing aninherent appreciation for the need to rapidly manipulateand exploit voluminous data, to bring wisdom to seniorleaders in real-time at the speed of relevance.

Enabled by Data Dominance, a Strategically Ready, Globally Relevant, andFlexibly Sustainable Department of Defense.

DATA DOMINANCEOur nation’s history is replete with examples ofAmerican ingenuity unleashed as a collective effort tomeet challenges and defeat threats. During World WarII, American industry transformed Detroit, Michigan intoa military industrial complex to become the arsenal ofdemocracy. During the Cold War, the United Statescreated DARPA and NASA to ensure dominance of thespace race after Sputnik was launched. While big dataanalytics and the Internet of Things have alteredsocieties and economies, the Internet of BattlefieldThings has transformed the character of war. The speedof information and warfare is exponentially faster,fueled by expansive data sets and technologicaladvances in quantum computing, machine learning, andartificial intelligence. The future is now and data is thekey to dominance.

STRATEGICALLY READYDuring the Cold War, America’s credible military readinessserved as a strategic deterrent, convincing the SovietUnion the likely costs of hostile acts would more thanoutweigh any possible gains. In today’s reemergence oflong-term strategic competition between great powernations, enhancing military readiness is foundational tothe National Defense Strategy first line of effort to build amore lethal force.

The core of a strategically ready force is the timelyconversion of resources into combat power capable ofdelivering strategic outcomes. Strategically ready forcesare enabled by real-time data and predictive analytics thatinform decision making across the Department;measuring, assessing, and predicting the traditionalreadiness elements of personnel, training, and equipment.However, it must also consider military and civilianeducation, robust training and exercises against threat-representative capabilities, talent management, familysupport, and other contributing factors that support theDepartment’s ability to provide trained and ready forces tothe Joint warfighter.

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Following World War II, democratic nations formedalliances for the purpose of collective defense andcollective security, most notably through NATO. Toimplement collective defense measures, NATO establishedstanding maritime forces, Allied fighter jet patrols ofairspace, integrated air defense systems, and conductedexercises to enhance interoperability. Alliances andpartnerships will be even more crucial in the future. Thesuccessful execution of the National Defense Strategysecond line of effort to strengthen alliances and expandpartnerships requires a robust global posture, with astrong commitment to allies and partners.

The Department of Defense must deliver relevant militaryeducation and joint training for our men and women tohone the art and science of warfare, exploit theinterconnected international environment, and possessthe language, cultural, economic, technological, andpolitical savvy to sustain U.S. advantages on the globalstage. Through vigorous exercising of joint war plans, anddynamic employment of our forces, the Department ofDefense must continually demonstrate U.S. powerprojection capabilities in strategically predictable andoperationally unpredictable ways that deters adversariesand assures allies and partners.

GLOBALLY RELEVANT

The success of our people in operating in complex andmulti-domain environments, enabled by technology, andmaximizing the use of mission command, requiresincreased emphasis on the need for the Department ofDefense to attract talented and virtuous individuals. Itmust nurture them through high quality professionalmilitary education, imparting to them the ability to makerapid, moral decisions in complex and ambiguousenvironments.

FLEXIBLY SUSTAINABLEThe first responsibility of a leader is to create new leadersto sustain the enterprise. The Department of Defense mustrecruit and retain the right talent to develop and sustain alethal, ready, capable, and diverse Total Force thatcaptures necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities,manages talent, and flexibly meets the expectations ofour people. It must then provide adaptive and relevantprofessional military and civilian education thatemphasizes innovative thinking and ingenuity inwarfighting concepts, ensures responsible management ofnational defense assets, and builds expertise through aconcentration on data-centric digital skills and culture. Intoday’s highly complex situations, our Service membersare increasingly charged with higher levels ofresponsibility, making decisions that can have tactical,operational, and strategic-level implications.

Department of Defense talent management policies mustalign with the needs of the force providers (MilitaryDepartments) and Joint warfighters (CombatantCommanders) in the complex global operating environment,and enable the development of leaders capable of strategicdecision making across the enterprise. The Department’sapproach for the retention of the modern andtechnologically advanced Total Force must also match theneeds of the contemporary generation of Service members,civilians, and families, and provide tailorable flexibility fortheir career paths. A career within the Department ofDefense must be a professional calling that attracts andretains people who desire to serve their nation, associatewith world-class professionals, and work with cutting-edgetechnology.

Comprehensive talent management also includes thetransition from Service member to veteran. America owesits Service members, who sacrifice so much during theirservice to the nation, a seamless transition to the care ofthe Department of Veterans Affairs following theirseparation or retirement. A smooth transition from Serviceto civilian life sustains the enterprise by demonstrating ourstrong commitment to honoring their sacrifices, and therebyenhancing the expectations of following generations.

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The Department must be ready to perform the missionsand functions with which it is tasked that span theoperational status of equipment and hardware, to themedical and mental preparedness of Service membersand their families. To accomplish this, senior leadersneed real-time data and predictive analytics on readinessfactors to make informed strategic decisions and assessrisk.

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MISSION

In support of the Joint warfighter, meet National Defense Strategy imperatives through effective policy, guidance, and oversight to enhance the readiness of the Department of Defense, and optimize talent management and personnel programs, relevant training and education, world class health care, quality family support, and force resilience

through diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity.

A credible military deterrent requires lethal and readyforces postured appropriately, with requisite training andeducation, and the policies, guidance, and oversight toachieve the mission objectives of the Joint warfighter.P&R’s mission supports our strategy and vision byprioritizing readiness, and optimizing talent managementand personnel programs.

To build a more lethal force, readiness is a top priority ofthe National Defense Strategy. P&R will developenhanced readiness analysis, assessment, andprediction tools that harmonize measurement,evaluation, and validation of readiness levels for seniorleader decisions across the Department. Cultivating amore lethal force requires recruiting and retaining adiverse 21st century Total Force with the appropriateaptitude, training, education, and comprehensivesupport.

P&R must guide the abandonment of industrial-agehuman resource management practices, enable thetransition to comprehensive talent management fit forthe Information Age, and meet the expectations of thegenerations of 21st century people we must attract.

P&R will enhance our warfighters’ intellectualovermatch by enabling, guiding, and assessing anoptimized professional military education structure. Asthe challenges we are facing toward 2030 requirenimble, connected, and more technologically proficientmilitary forces, the 21st Century Service member musthave the cognitive capacity to conceive, design, andimplement approaches to integrate our capabilitiesacross all warfighting domains in a complex globalstrategic environment.

P&R must enable, guide, and assess policies andprograms to ensure our Service members and civilianworkforce reflect the nation they serve, and allDepartment of Defense people feel safe, supported,and have equal opportunity to thrive and succeed intheir careers. P&R must also enable, guide, andassess a Military Health System that optimallysupports the Joint warfighter, and provides access toquality care to all Service members, their families, andother beneficiaries.

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To achieve P&R’s vision, we specify five goals to serve as the pillars of our strategy and the required lines of effort for developing supporting objectives:

Educated, Trained, and Prepared for the Global Environment

A Resilient and Adaptive Total Force

Talent Management Fit for the Times

Data-Dominant P&R Enterprise

Real-time and Predictive Readiness Acumen

STRATEGY GOALS

Digitally savvy workforce with robust information technology infrastructure, data management, and business processes to enable

the rapid analysis and flow of relevant and accurate information.

Relevant military and civilian education, robust training and exercises, and a digitally-centric mindset to infuse our Total Force with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to sustain U.S.

advantages on the global stage.

Agile approaches to provide broad insight, informed recommendations, and predictive calculations for strategic warfighting

and policy decisions.

A safe and inclusive workplace environment, and impart the ability to endure, overcome, and succeed.

Attract, cultivate, retain, and dynamically manage a technologically advanced military and civilian workforce to achieve

national security objectives.

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On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched theworld’s first satellite, Sputnik, into space and took a majorleap forward ahead of the U.S. in technological capability.This moment, spurring the U.S. to action, became knownas the “Sputnik Moment.”

The U.S. cannot afford another “Sputnik Moment.” TheNational Defense Strategy emphasizes the need for DoD to“deliver performance at the speed of relevance” and to“organize for innovation.” Our DoD Digital ModernizationStrategy emphasizes the need to organize massiveamounts of data and transform it into actionableinformation for enhanced decision making.

To become a data-dominant P&R enterprise, P&R must bepowered by robust information technology infrastructure,data management, and business processes to enable therapid analysis and flow of relevant and accurateinformation, and facilitate effective, interconnected workcenters and individuals. P&R data, systems, and decisionprocesses must be authoritative and real-time, andanalyzed and exploited by a data-centric workforce.

We must ensure P&R data is complete, accurate, andprovided at the speed of relevance, presenting the Jointwarfighter and senior decision makers with datadominance. We must connect all relevant sources andharness data for real-time analysis, and combine the useof leading indicators and advanced algorithmic tools toglean insights for rapid decisions. Winston Churchillopined “never let a good crisis go to waste,” and the DoDresponse to the COVID-19 global pandemic clearlydemonstrates how the infusion of data-enabled services isfundamental to successful crisis management.

In the end, digital modernization to achieve datadominance is less about technology and more aboutpeople and culture. P&R’s data architecture must bemodernized and integrated, but the benefits of suchimprovements will only be fully realized if the necessarydigital skills and mindset of our workforce are developedconcurrently. To do so requires a commitment and drivetoward a digital culture, providing the current workforcewith new digital skills, and attracting new technologicallysavvy talent.

P&R must develop and realize a workforce possessing thedigital knowledge, skills, abilities, and attributes neededto create and operate effectively within a data-centricenterprise. P&R must be culturally data-centric, with aneducated workforce possessing the inherent recognition ofthe need to rapidly manipulate and exploit voluminousdata to its full potential for wise decisions. This digitallysavvy workforce must intuitively understand how toeffectively validate, analyze, interpret, and extrapolatedata to provide information, knowledge, and wisdom forDepartment leaders. The culture of the P&R workforcemust include an enterprise perspective, facilitatinginsights through the rapid exchange of information.

DATA-DOMINANT P&R ENTERPRISE

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P&R data, systems, and decision processes must be authoritative and real-time, and analyzed and exploited by a data-centric workforce.

The National Defense Strategy calls for the Department tobuild a more lethal and dominant Joint Force, that“possesses decisive advantages for any likely conflict,” soit can deter and defeat our adversaries. Strategicreadiness defines the relationship between risk, time, andthe required capabilities of forces and assets to prevailsimultaneously across multiple warfighting domains anddeter or defeat adversaries around the globe.

We must ensure a Task Force Smith scenario is neverrepeated. P&R must enable, guide, and assess astrategically ready Department of Defense foremployment by the Joint warfighter when and where itis needed, adaptive to the strategic geopolitical andthreat environments, and evolving military-technological advances. P&R must guide an agileapproach to real-time assessments and predictivereadiness insights for the Secretary of Defense,Military Department leaders, and the Joint warfighterthrough fused, authoritative data sources, using toolsfor meaningful analyses.

Task Force Smith had achieved the highest level ofabstract “paper readiness” score of units in Japan forindividual and collective training. However, once TaskForce Smith made contact with a vastly larger enemyforce, it was evident the under-strength and under-equipped battalion was woefully unprepared. U.S.military and civilian leadership did not have anunderstanding of Task Force Smith’s true level ofreadiness, resulting in decisions not fully informed byrisk.

REAL-TIME AND PREDICTIVE READINESS ACUMEN

In June 1950, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment,known also as “Task Force Smith,” deployed from Japanto Korea to curtail the invasion of North Korean forcesinto the south. Up to that point, U.S. forces in Japan hadmaintained low levels of readiness, under the assumptionthat a post-World War II conflict would first be precededby a long period of mobilization.

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P&R data, systems, and decision processes must be authoritative and real-time, and analyzed and exploited by a data-centric workforce.

The National Defense Strategy also charges theDepartment to “emphasize intellectual leadership andmilitary professionalism in the art and science ofwarfighting, deepening our knowledge of history whileembracing new technology and techniques to countercompetitors.”

Eisenhower understood his training and experience atthe tactical and operational levels would only partiallyprepare him for the complexity, ambiguity, andtheoretical intricacies encountered at the strategiclevel. Through his education, training, and subsequentstaff assignments within the War Department,Eisenhower was prepared to forge his path for beingtransformed from soldier to strategist.

Similarly, P&R must enable, guide, and assess thedevelopment of relevant education and training for ourTotal Force to hone the art and science of warfare,exploit the interconnected global environment, andpossess the knowledge, skills, and abilities to sustainU.S. advantages on the world stage. P&R must alsoprovide policy, guidance, and oversight for the robusttraining for and exercising of joint war plans in threatrepresentative environments. This encompasses theassessment, evaluation, and dynamic employment ofour forces to continually demonstrate U.S. powerprojection capabilities in strategically predictable andoperationally unpredictable ways, deterring ouradversaries and assuring allies and partners.

EDUCATED, TRAINED, AND PREPARED FOR THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT

Years prior to being appointed Supreme AlliedCommander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe,General Dwight Eisenhower was a formal student of globalstrategy and the strategic dimensions of military thinkingat the Army’s Command and General Staff College. Heaugmented his formal professional military education withself-study of history and strategic theory.

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The National Defense Strategy requires we “prioritizewhat is most important to field a lethal, resilient, andrapidly adapting Joint Force.” Modern warfare is fast-paced, occurring in complex and uncertain operatingenvironments. American Service members will encounterthe most challenging circumstances across theseenvironments, and must possess the necessary resilienceto endure, overcome, and succeed. For the humandimension, resilience refers to the mental, physical,emotional, and behavioral ability to face and cope withadversity, adapt to change, recover, learn, and grow fromsetbacks.

Brigadier General George “Bud” Day was a veteran ofthree wars, serving as a Marine during World War II, andan Air Force pilot during the Korean and Vietnamconflicts. During a combat mission in Vietnam, GeneralDay was shot down, wounded, captured, and tortured bythe enemy. Despite his injuries, he was able to escapecapture, traveling 25 arduous miles barefoot, throughthe dense jungle, for ten days with no food. Aftercrossing the border into South Vietnam, and being withintwo miles of reaching a U.S. Marine base, General Daywas re-captured. He was sent to the “Hanoi Hilton” toendure 67 grueling months of torture and captivity as aPOW, and lost 100 pounds of body weight. Uponrelease by his captors in 1973, General Day returned toflight status within a year. He was awarded the Medal ofHonor, completed a PhD in political science, and servedas Vice Commander of a tactical fighter wing.

A RESILIENT AND ADAPTIVE TOTAL FORCE

After retiring from the military, General Day practicedlaw to advocate for veterans’ rights, and wasinstrumental in establishing TRICARE for Life. He wasposthumously promoted to the rank of BrigadierGeneral in 2018.

As demonstrated by General Day, the level of resiliencypossessed by the American warfighter is an aggregateof interrelated factors impacting one’s physical andpsychological state, woven across an interconnectednetwork of the individual, unit, family, and the broadercommunity. Within DoD, resiliency also includes theimperative to reflect the nation we represent, andensure a culture of safety and respect. P&R mustenable, guide, and assess all these elements to createa safe and inclusive workplace environment, andachieve a resilient and adaptive Total Force.

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P&R data, systems, and decision processes must be authoritative and real-time, and analyzed and exploited by a data-centric workforce.

In a time of break-through technology, advanced weapons,and accelerating innovation, people remain the vitalelement to achieving success. The National DefenseStrategy states warfighting success requires “recruiting,developing, and retaining a high-quality military andcivilian workforce,” and calls for a “broad revision oftalent management.” Today, only 0.43 percent of the U.S.population serves on active duty, and because we havehad an all-volunteer force since 1973, this trend is likelyto continue. The Department of Defense remains in fiercecompetition for technical, flexible, and innovative talent.The modern labor marketplace encourages individuals tochange organizations frequently to pursue greater jobfulfilment and realize personal growth.

A recent study by Tim Kane, a former Air Force officer andPhD economist, found the military historically attracts apopulation of recruits possessing greater talent than theirprivate sector peers. However, the military struggles morethan the private sector to both properly manage and retainthat talent. Two factors were found to be driving theretention deficit. First, the lack of control Servicemembers felt they exercised over their careers; andsecond, the military’s use of industrial-age personnelmanagement in a seniority-based, up-or-out systemlargely blind to individual talent attributes. Kane’sresearch validates what is already intuitive—the militarycannot expect to recruit and retain the talented andinnovative people needed to operate in a highly complexenvironment by managing them within rigid and datedpersonnel systems.

P&R must enable, guide, and assess the Department ofDefense’s ability to attract, cultivate, retain, anddynamically manage a technologically advancedmilitary and civilian workforce to achieve nationalsecurity objectives. We must enable the tailoring of theTotal Force to the right roles based upon an individual’sknowledge, skills, abilities, and career preferences, andshift away from dated personnel managementprocesses of arbitrary qualifiers based on rank, time-in-grade, or position. P&R must leverage modern toolsthat provide accurate information on the knowledge,skills, behaviors, and preferences across the DoDworkforce, and appropriately employ individuals toroles that maximize the development of their talentsand interests to the mutual benefit of the person andthe Department.

TALENT MANAGEMENT FIT FOR THE TIMES

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The Department of Defense must maximize its efforts torecruit from and retain all demographics to reflect theU.S. population by race, ethnicity, and gender. Forexample, women now comprise over 50 percent of theAmerican workforce, but female Service members onlyaccount for approximately 17 percent of the active dutyforce. The likelihood of separation for female Servicemembers is 28 percent higher than males, andrepresents between 65 and 83 percent of parenthood-related discharges. More than 100,000 female U.S.Army soldiers who have served in wars are mothers,representing nearly half the total number of women whohave deployed, the vast majority as the primary familycaregivers.

Examples such as these highlight our imperative toaccess all available talent by enabling Service membersgreater flexibility, transitioning between active duty andthe reserve component or civilian life when necessary ordesired, and then returning without penalty. P&R mustenable and normalize career flexibility that supports andencourages transitions at various stages throughout amilitary career, reinforce the individual’s sense of identityand calling, and strengthen their desire to remain with oreventually return to the service of our nation. Enabling,guiding, and assessing true talent management is crucialto protecting the security of the U.S. in a complex globalenvironment, as well as remaining competitive within thecontemporary labor market.

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Successfully addressing the imperatives of theNational Defense Strategy and assuring America’scontinued dominance requires forward thinking, and awillingness to break from convention and try boldideas. The DoD is at a critical juncture for maintainingits military advantage against America’s adversaries,and P&R has a central role in sustaining ourcompetitive edge.

The National Defense Strategy highlights theDepartment’s enduring mission to provide combat-credible military forces to deter war and protect thesecurity of the United States. Securing our nation ismore challenging than ever before as the globalstrategic environment continues to become morecomplex. While the nature of war remains constant,the character of warfare is undergoing digitally-drivenradical change, during a time of return to great powercompetition.

DoD’s success lies in a strategically ready forcethrough cultivation of digitally savvy Service membersand civilians to successfully operate within a globalsecurity environment fueled by ground-breakingtechnological advancements. Victory in this eracannot be achieved without a robust informationtechnology infrastructure, internetworked andrationalized data sources with a data managementstrategy, and a digitally-minded culture.

Within this security environment context, P&R mustsupport the Joint warfighter by enabling, guiding, andassessing optimized warfighting readiness. We musttransform and enhance talent management to attract,retain, and effectively employ America’s talent for thecommon defense. While effective leadership remainsa timeless component for victory, securingtechnologically savvy talent, dynamically managed in away fit for the times across the military and civilianworkforce, is foundational to our future success.

CONCLUSION

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VIS IONEnabled by Data Dominance, a Strategically Ready,

Globally Relevant, and Flexibly Sustainable Department of Defense.

In support of the Joint warfighter, meet National Defense Strategy imperatives through effective policy, guidance, and oversight to

enhance the readiness of the Department of Defense, and optimize talent management and personnel programs, relevant training

and education, world class health care, quality family support, and force resilience through diversity, inclusion,

and equal opportunity.

MISSION