Service academies boost the officer talent pool →

There is little doubt that the military, with its up-or-out promotion scheme and rigidities throughout its personnel system, must continually replenish its talent pool. I found this line from Barno and Bensahel's recent article interesting:

The U.S. military is in a competition for talent. The best and brightest graduates from American universities are in high demand. According to the Department of Defense, only a half of 1 percent of officers entering the military last year hailed from the top 20 U.S. colleges and universities—a percentage that is half that of just 20 years ago.

This top 20 list must exclude the service academies which produce roughly 20 percent of officers. Of course, there are many ways to rank colleges and universities. Forbes magazine, which focuses on a return-on-investment methodology, ranks all three service academies in the overall top 40 with the U.S. Military Academy ranked #11. And, in their Best Public Colleges category, West Point is ranked #1, the Naval Academy is ranked #2, and the Air Force Academy is ranked #5 -- all three in the top 5! In U.S. News's rankings, the Naval, Military, and Air Force Academies rank #9, #22, and #29, respectively. Either of these lists would boost the number of officers hailed from top 20 schools well above 1 percent. Unfortunately, the rankings that the Economist recently released did not include the service academies.

Also, the reestablishment of ROTC at other prestigious schools (e.g., Harvard and Yale) should bolster the top 20 talent provided by the academies. Regardless of the rankings, students who are capable of attending these elite programs have the highest opportunity cost. It will take substantial changes to attract these graduates to serve in the armed forces.

Data-driven personnel decisions →

The internal, hierarchical military personnel system requires constant attention.

Large-scale data collection and analysis will eventually provide the armed forces with a far richer understanding of their human capital than has ever been available before, paving the path for the services to take a fresh look at the qualifications and skills necessary for commissioning into the military. How we choose our officers will lay the groundwork for the management of the force of the future. Given the challenges that lie ahead, it is something we cannot afford to get wrong.

Military Officers and College Degrees →

Some have argued that jobs in the private sector have inflated degree requirements. Now, a junior officer argues in the Wall Street Journal that "a college degree in 2015 no longer signals—let alone guarantees—much of anything." And, therefore, the military should no longer require college degrees for officers. I do not find his arguments convincing.

Also, the statistics he cites likely include warrant officers which drives the percent of officers with bachelor's degrees down to 83 percent. Only by exception may a officer without a bachelor's degree hold a commission. In the Air Force, which no longer has warrant officers, all commissioned officers hold at least a bachelor's degree and nearly 60 percent hold a graduate or professional degree. And, through promotion incentives and tuition assistance, 10 percent of the enlisted population hold at least a bachelor's degree and another 24 percent have an associate's degree.