Honor our Military Service Members on Armed Forces Day

During National Military Appreciation Month, we recognize and honor all who have served the country — past and present — in the U.S. military. Today, on Armed Forces Day, we celebrate the 2.14 million active duty service members who, here at home and all over the world, defend our nation and protect our freedoms.

This year, as our nation and the world faces the invisible but deadly enemy of the coronavirus, we salute all those in uniform who are providing critical support to stem the spread of this pandemic. Across the country, more than 47,000 members of the National Guard, 4,600 active duty service members, and thousands of reservists and veterans with medical training are responding to the coronavirus outbreak. That includes Commission Chairman Dr. Joe Heck, an active member of the United States Army Reserve holding the rank of Brigadier General. Currently assigned as the Commanding General of the 807th Medical Command, Dr. Heck was recently called to duty to lead a medical division as the Army Reserve adapted to fight COVID-19.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Torrean Clarke and Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Chorny transport medical equipment on the hospital ship USNS Mercy in Los Angeles, May 12, 2020. The Mercy deployed in support of the nation’s COVID-19 response efforts. Photo By: Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan M. Breeden. For more on DOD’s COVID-19 response, visit: https://www.defense.gov/coronavirus. Information current as of May 13, 2020.

As men and women in our military, public health professionals, national service members, and volunteers work together to tackle the current challenge, we must consider ways to make America more prepared and resilient for future emergencies. We also must inspire and create more pathways for Americans to answer the call to service to meet current and emerging needs. Indeed, Congress created the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service to do just that.

Over the past two and a half years, the Commission saw firsthand how service provides a means of addressing the needs of the nation and how Americans work together to meet common challenges. We must ensure the military is strong, sustainable, and capable of meeting new and emerging threats. As we do this, it is important to recognize the challenges we face in attracting young people to military service. For example:

• 41 percent of youth have never considered military service.
• Nearly half of young adults ages 17–35 could not name the four largest branches of the military, and only 17 percent could name every branch.
• Only 14 percent of youth say they definitely or probably will serve in the military in the next few years.
• In FY 2016, nearly 40 percent of all new active duty enlisted accessions came from just five States (California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, and New York).
• 68 percent of all new active duty enlisted accessions came from the South and West.

The Commission’s final report, released on March 25, includes a series of recommendations to increase participation in and engagement with the military by addressing identified barriers to uniformed service. By gaining greater awareness of the opportunities to serve in the military, the public can more effectively understand the duties and responsibilities of being an American as well as the many benefits of service.

• Improve military outreach around the country. Expanded community-building efforts, including greater access to military bases and facilities via public tours, partnerships between National Guard and Reserve units and local schools, and enhanced promotion of military service by Members of Congress, will significantly increase engagement between the military and the broader American public, shatter myths, and provide a new generation of Americans with firsthand information about military life.
• Increase opportunities for youth to explore service. Expanding Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) and other youth programs along with promoting administration of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) Career Exploration Program — currently taken by less than 5 percent of U.S. secondary students — will enable more students to learn about citizenship and service, gain familiarity with the military, and understand how their own strengths could translate into military careers and other service options.
• Strengthen military recruiting and marketing. Greater investment of recruiting resources in underrep­resented markets and hometown-recruiting programs, in combination with new funding mechanisms for mar­keting, will help the military in meeting its recruiting goals while improving the geographic and demographic balance of the Armed Forces to better reflect the diver­sity of the Nation.
• Strengthen and expand educational pathways for military service. Additional support for students pursuing certain degrees, certificates, and certifications through technical or vocational programs — such as those offered by two-year colleges and trade schools — in return for an enlisted service commitment will help the military services attract individuals with much-needed skillsets and enhance recruiting of Americans who seek to develop specific capabilities.
• Effectively manage military personnel. Enabling greater movement between all components of mil­itary service and between military service and the private sector — facilitated by recently enacted personnel-management authorities and expanded use of warrant officers — will offer the services a more effective approach to continual access to individuals with key skills, such as digital talent or engineering.

The defense of the Nation depends on the continued success and strength of our military. Our recommendations are essential to strengthening the resiliency of the U.S. military and securing our nation. To learn more about our recommendations to strengthen military service, please read our final report here. And today, on Armed Forces Day — join us in recognizing the dedicated service members who continue to strengthen our nation.