David S. Lyle

The United States finds itself at a profound inflection point. Since World War II, its national security threats have tended to accumulate rather than diminish. While U.S. military capabilities remain more advanced than that of any other state, an increasingly interconnected global economy has allowed potential adversaries to shrink the technological lead currently enjoyed by America's Armed Forces. Additionally, U.S. economic power has declined relative to that of other nations, steadily narrowing its defense spending advantage. Meanwhile, increasing Federal budget austerity has focused Congress upon reigning in defense costs, particularly in the personnel realm. The authors of this monograph believe that talent management-the science of creating a higher performing, more productive, and more satisfied workforce-is critical to dealing with these national security challenges. They argue that, instead of making across-the-board cuts to service member pay and benefits...

This monograph focuses upon "regional alignment," viewed by many as critical if the Army is to remain both relevant and effective in the 21st century security environment. Despite its title, the monograph is part of the Strategic Studies Institute's ongoing "talent management" series. In fact, the authors argue that world class talent management is a necessary pre-condition to creating an effective regional alignment strategy for the Army. They identify several serious challenges to creating a workable regional alignment of Army units, most of which hinge upon understanding and liberating the unique talents of individual soldiers and civilians. They also argue that the Army's current Force Generation Model is not conducive to creating and maintaining regionally expert units and must be adjusted accordingly.

Since 1983, the mission of the U.S. Army Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis (OEMA) has been to provide a sound basis for policy and planning for the Army of the future. Founded by General Maxwell Thurman, this Headquarters Department of the Army (HQDA) asset is nested within the U.S. Military Academy's Department of Social Sciences. The intellectual freedom and community-of-practice provided by this academic setting promotes out-of-the-box thinking, allowing OEMA analysts to devise solutions to strategic challenges facing not just the Army and the Department of Defense (DoD), but other government agencies as well. In the last 4 years, OEMA has devoted a significant amount of its research to officer "talent management," systematic planning for the right number and type of officers to meet the Army's needs at all levels and at all times so that the majority of them are employed optimally. Despite a commissioned officer focus, many of OEMA's talent management principles generalize to any labor force...

The current military retirement system has been integral to sustaining the All Volunteer Force (AVF). Mounting federal budget challenges, however, have raised concern that the program may become fiscally unsustainable. While several restructuring proposals have emerged, none have considered the implications of these changes to the broader issue of manning an AVF. Changes to the existing system could create military personnel shortfalls, adversely affect service member and retiree well-being, and reduce public confidence in the Armed Forces. With the right analytical framework in place, however, a more holistic restructuring of the system is possible, one that avoids these negative effects while significantly reducing costs. This monograph provides both a comprehensive framework and a proposal that stand to benefit both service members in terms of value and the military in terms of overall cost savings.