Keeping military talent

What will it take to keep the U.S. military strong? Money? Weapons systems? Defense Secretary Ash Carter says in an intriguing piece in The Atlantic that it will take people — the right people. Turns out he’s having trouble finding them.

Says the story, “The military services today are losing talent. Bright, capable young men and women — almost all combat veterans — are leaving the services in sizable numbers. They are entirely of the Millennial generation, those Americans born after 1980, and since 2001 they have only known a military at war. While the ebb and flow of young people into and out of the military is always a steady tide, the ongoing drain of experienced and bright young officers departing service today after five to 15 years in uniform is a concern. A 2010 survey of Army officers found that only 6 percent of those asked agreed with the statement, ‘The current military personnel system does a good job retaining the best leaders.’”