Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen Hicks on the All-Volunteer Force at 50
Photo via Georgetown SFS
ZANE NAGEL: On February 28, Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen Hicks visited Georgetown University to deliver a keynote address on the history and future of the United States’ all-volunteer military force. Hicks’ remarks came at the end of the first day of “The All-Volunteer Force at 50: Civil-Military Challenges and Opportunities,'' a symposium sponsored by Georgetown Center for Security Studies and the America in the World Consortium.
Hicks, a former Obama administration official and Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) vice president, opened her remarks with both a celebration of the vast achievements of the United States’ volunteer armed forces and the opportunities military service can unlock, such as higher education and financial stability. She also acknowledged the challenges the civil-military force faces, including recruitment struggles due to the pandemic, changing sentiments about the role of the military in American society and the greater number of career possibilities young people now hold.
Noting that the crisis was “multi-faceted,” Hicks discussed how the shuttering of schools resulted in military recruiters being unable to forge important connections with prospective enrollees. Losing in-person education also meant lost opportunities to learn skills in the classroom.
On the military's changing role in society, Hicks emphasized that the percentage of Americans serving in the armed forces has dramatically declined. In 1980, 18 percent of Americans were veterans. Now, that number is just seven. This has led to fewer young Americans forming connections with service members in their communities and learning more about the benefits of what a stint in the military can offer.
However, Hicks expressed great optimism about the retention rate of the armed forces – which she noted was above the stated goals. When people join the military, they tend to stay. The issue is simply getting them into service in the first place. She remarked that part of the reason why the retention rate has stayed so high is because the military offers a community with many of the characteristics young adults are seeking such as “friendship and adventure.”
In the closing of her prepared remarks, Hicks advocated for a “demystifying” of the military, more robust civil-military relations and education about the benefits of military service and the vast diversity of opportunities, such as those in logistics and technology, that are available within the US armed forces. Hicks further acknowledged the importance of the military reflecting American society. She noted programs centered on diversity, equity and inclusion that have diversified the armed forces while also highlighting the 75th anniversary of the racial integration of America’s military, saying that greater diversity makes the military “stronger and more effective.”
A clear theme throughout the speech, which preceded a short-fireside chat and question and answer period with audience members, was the crisis in military recruitment. As the United States adjusts its war-fighting strategy from counterinsurgency to a focus on Great Power competition, recruiting and educating young people will be crucial to ensuring that American warfighting and technological capabilities are continually improving. As the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an official close, expect to see more military recruiters looking to forge connections with prospective recruits in secondary schools and a refocusing on public relations efforts by the government to sell the benefits of service to the next generation of Americans.
Zane Nagel is a staff writer for On the Record. He is a freshman in the School of Foreign Service, majoring in International Politics. In his free time, he enjoys reading about international security and watching Seattle Mariners baseball.