The U. S. Army Future Concept for the Human Dimension

7-2. Background

Today’s personnel management system selects, assigns, and educates personnel for initial and then continued service. The accessions system lays out standards based on systematic and tangible criteria to become an enlisted Soldier, warrant, or commissioned officer. The future personnel management system will be more responsive and better able to match specific skills with specific position requirements. It will be able to routinely manage, track, and assign personnel down to the skill identifier and additional skill identifier level of detail. Criteria for promotions are explicit, detailed, and common knowledge among members competing for promotions. In the lower ranks, the use of explicit criteria that depend on objectively measured elements, such as written and hands-on tests of skill and knowledge, physical fitness, marksmanship, successful completion of training, awards and decorations, and additional education, help to promote openness and fairness.

The enlisted personnel assignment system operates centrally and matches available, qualified personnel to position openings (faces to spaces). Although at times, Soldiers choose the location of their next assignment as a retention incentive, assignments typically occur independently of individual preferences, and, therefore, offer no significant opportunity for the chain of command to influence decisions. Officer assignments centrally made often take into account senior officer recommendations. Such recommendations also influence senior NCO assignments.

The third component, education and training, helps round out the Army’s human capital strategy. Military training helps the individual build an identity with the organization while increasing unit cohesion along with understanding of the C2 system, and the importance of following orders. Military professional education and advanced training contribute to the development of leadership and communication skills and provide a thorough understanding of the roles, missions, equipment, tactics, and decisions required by those in positions of authority.

7-3. Recruiting the Force

For the near future, Army recruiters will face low youth unemployment, routine deployments, and fewer role models (men or women/or influencers) encouraging youth to join the military. As the Army fully implements the ARFORGEN concept the Army’s accessions process must transition from a force structure-based system to a requirements-based system. The Army does set priorities for personnel fill based on unit missions and status, but still accesses against a relatively fixed force structure. Changes in target population demographics and recruiting environment, along with implementation of the ARFORGEN concept, may dictate changes in management practices, current accessions programs, accessions organizations, and policy or legislation.

Army concepts for the future outline a very demanding requirement for future Soldiers. They call for agile leaders and the ability to rapidly transition from major combat to humanitarian support. This will create a need to adjust continually all aspects of the DOTMLPF domains. As organizations change so must the personnel system tasked to staff them. As training requirements change to meet new doctrinal guidelines, leader development must also change. As technically advanced as the future Modular Force might become, its advances cannot exceed human limitations. Future generations will continue to be heavy users of existing and emerging technologies. Those who have good basis in analytical skills will be able to apply technology at a much higher level. Those lacking this solid foundation may be limited to very basic application of increasingly complex technological capabilities. Thus, the Army has two diverging sectors of population from which to access Soldiers. When it comes to warrant officer accessions in the future, the Army must commit significant training and education resources to access, grow, and sustain the technical expertise of the Army’s warrant officer corps. With an increasing requirement for experts in just about every field, the Army will need to grow rather than simply assess warrant officers from the NCO corps. This will require a commitment of resources to the warrant OES which has historically only been the norm for a few select branches.
Several demographic factors will affect future recruiting. The Army must be able to draw from all strata of society. Diversity should positively influence the Army’s ability to staff the future Modular Force. Declining physical fitness will continue to be a reflection of a more sedentary lifestyle and increasing obesity. Clearly, the Army can develop recruits through rigorous training that can meet Army standards, but this requires more time and resources.
Perhaps the most troubling and the one area that the Army cannot directly affect is the increasing trend toward single parent families and, particularly, absent fathers, creates a shortfall in good role models for youth to emulate. Absent the traditional role of the father, one that has not been universal in the first place, American youth end up looking to other individuals, both good and bad, for people to emulate. This is a problem for an institution challenged with transforming individuals into trained, competent, and inspired Soldiers. So much of the socialization process occurs before an individual enlists or enters an officer training program that the Army’s ability to influence entry level Soldiers is a definite challenge.
Consistently highlighted in previous chapters is the importance for Soldiers to have a high level of reasoning ability. While the Army values higher level thinking and decisionmaking, maintaining this cognitive quality leads to the real question facing tomorrow’s Army—what type of individual does the Army want to recruit?
How will the Army want (or be willing) to attract the right mixture of the population? The Army leadership has struggled with this “build or buy” paradigm since the inception of the all-volunteer force.
The Buy Option
Some intelligent young people (those with the strong cognitive skills the Army requires) when contemplating career choices tend to view the Army as a less attractive option than civilian positions. To attract this group of people the Army uses a buy strategy. This can either be monetary—an approach already becoming prohibitively expensive—or incentives of intangible value. The two primary mechanisms to increase the value proposition are to change the product or alter the price. Either of these options will accomplish the goal of attracting the highly technical, cognitive applicants.
When applying the buy mechanisms, an assessment must be made of who influences the applicant's decision to buy or not to buy. The real buyer may be the parents (especially mothers) who resist the idea that they should be willing to sacrifice their sons and daughters in the name of national security. The Army must improve on its ability to make the sale to these “centers of influence.”
Changing the Product
Changing the product (Army service) or better, the perceived value of Army service, is very difficult. Public law governs Army service, to a large degree. There are efforts underway that may help change the perception of Army service. The first includes increasing public appreciation of duty, honor, and service to county. The second is advocacy, and the third is encouraging public service.
Altering the Price
The second path within the buy option is to alter the price of Army service. Altering the price of enlistment is much easier than changing the product as most of these actions are within the purview of Army policies. Altering the price actions fall into two major categories, monetary or non-monetary.
Inducing individuals to serve by providing a monetary incentive has been one of the primary levers the Army has used since its inception over 200 years ago. While providing monetary incentives will continue for the near future, the cost of relying too heavily on this can become prohibitive. The Army offers monetary incentives in either current (enlistment bonus) or future dollars (Army College Fund). The Army must continue to find ways to defer costs into future dollar programs, and, more importantly, seek incentives that pay (fully or partially) for themselves. Current initiatives such as Army Advantage Fund and the Integrated Career Plan move in that direction. An enhanced or improved Thrift Savings Plan coupled with bonuses or tax advantages shows promise as well.
Non-monetary categories of incentives influence individuals to fill the needs of the Army. Examples of these include; time of service, MOS selection, and duty location. As the population evolves, perception of what individuals believe to be important (the price they are willing to pay) will also change, thus the Army must establish a process that balances the needs of the Service with the needs of individuals. One significant change that the Army is in the process of implementing is ARFORGEN. ARFORGEN can increase certainty in rotations and deployments that may serve as incentives to enlist or reenlist.
Increasingly, individuals will continue to demand more choice and flexibility in their career options. An example might be the ability for individuals to customize their enlistment package. While the Army must meet the needs of the service, sound personnel management practices will include some degree of individual choice and interaction.
The Build Option
For that sector of the population that does not initially meet the Army’s expectation, yet has the desire to serve, the Army will need to implement processes that shape these candidates into fully qualified Soldiers. Although this has been the case in the past, future population demographics will drive the Army to develop a more comprehensive program. Obviously, an effective screening program will reduce this requirement, but, if the pool of suitable candidates shrinks, the Army must adjust.

The Screening Process
The Army currently screens applicants prior to enlistment. As per AR 601-210 Army screening vehicles either screen-in applicants with latent potential or, more commonly, screen-out individuals with unwanted attributes. In the future, this aspect will become more critical to our ability to staff the Army. Examples of current screening out tools include the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery testing, background checks, or verification of certain medical conditions. Screening-in tools allow individuals to enlist who typically do not meet initial entry criteria, but show potential through additional testing. Current examples of this type of screening in testing include assessment of recruit motivation and strength, assessment of individual motivation, and March 2 Success, a preparatory program to help improve test scores component of the Tier Two Aptitude Study. These and other tools emerging from research and testing will help the Army to overcome some of the socio-demographic factors introduced earlier. Many current screening tools reflect requirements and ideas from past recruiting needs and policies. It is clear that the Army must update these tools to reflect future needs.
Adaptive and Alternate Training Process
An adaptive and alternate training process will assist the Army in meeting staffing requirements. Adaptive training tailors to individuals with different developmental needs. Alternative training programs are those not in the normal institutional Army setting. Some examples of these alternatives include attending civilian community college in lieu of IET, March 2 Success, Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery prep school, and physical fitness trainers in the Future Soldier Training Program. Programs like these develop individuals to meet initial Army standards prior to accession onto active duty.
Other Options
In order to accommodate an ever-changing society, the Army should consider tailoring its incentive packages to a cafeteria-style approach. Offering a combination of monetary and non-monetary incentives where applicants can choose from bonuses, health care, sabbaticals, and telecommuting opportunities that best fit their situation is a good human relations practice in the civilian sector. Incentives that can assist families and that transfer to survivors will also be attractive alternatives.
Refining traditional incentives to meet future needs will allow the Army to compete for qualified individuals. For example, initial enlistment bonuses channel individuals into the correct MOS, especially high demand and low density positions.
Efforts to make enlistment an interactive process giving individuals greater control over their choices will continue to be an important tool for the future. Current initiatives include Army Career Explorer, the SGT STAR avatar,¹⁶³ and the Future Soldier Remote Reservation System. Within five years, the Army hopes to develop a system that allows individuals to apply for Army service on line.

The Army must consider expanding its direct entry recruiting at potentially higher grades. Technically skilled individuals, along with medical and legal personnel, benefit from direct entry recruiting at higher grades. For example, a highly trained automotive mechanic takes many years of training and experience to achieve master technician status. Recruiting this type of skilled individual can reduce costs. To lure such individuals away from their secure civilian occupations the Army will need to compensate them above what they were earning or provide other commensurate incentives.

Current policies limit the ability of Soldiers to move readily between Active Army, Army Reserve, and National Guard service. While the continuum of service initiative attempts to answer this, the Army must develop and institutionalize actionable programs to make this a reality.
The ARFORGEN model influences personnel actions significantly. The model attempts to cycle forces through operational readiness in order to maintain the required number of BCTs necessary at any given time in a high state of readiness. Synchronizing the rotation cycle of three years and the staffing cycle is paramount. This requires close management to transition from legacy personnel policies to ones that address the needs of Soldiers in the future. ARFORGEN may provide predictability on deployment as well as periods of recovery that contribute significantly to Soldier and family morale.
Recruiting Summary
Changes to the future personnel systems should consider active sampling from the field to provide feedback on the effectiveness of the programs. This will require a degree of flexibility in the system to respond to feedback. The Army must continually adjust the “buy or build” paradigm while working to change the perception of Army service, and making the investments to encourage the right people to join the service. The Army must also provide training to develop individuals who do not initially meet standards. Lastly, the focus of resources and effort needs to be on providing a user friendly menu of enlistment options and processes.