“We believe that the current moment requires a collective effort to build upon America’s spirit of service to cultivate a widespread culture of service—a culture in which individuals of all backgrounds both expect and aspire to serve their Nation or community and have meaningful opportunities to serve throughout their lifetime. Taken together, our recommendations offer a revolutionary and inclusive approach to service for Americans, beginning with comprehensive civic education and service learning starting in kindergarten, service-year opportunities so ubiquitous that service becomes a rite of passage for millions of young adults, and new and revitalized service options for adults of any age, background, or experience. We envision a common expectation of service among the American people, so that no one is surprised by the questions “How have you served?” or “How will you serve?”
— LETTER FROM THE COMMISSIONERS
Introduction
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” —Martin Luther King, Jr
Congress and the President established the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017. 1 The Commission has two primary statutory charges: (1) to “conduct a review of the military selective service process” and (2) to “consider methods to increase participation in military, national, and public service in order to address national security and other public service needs of the Nation.” With 11 Commissioners appointed by the President and bipartisan congressional leadership, this Commission represents the first time in history that the U.S. Government has sought a comprehensive and holistic review of all forms of service to the Nation.2
Vision 2031: An Expectation of Service
The United States has a strong spirit of service dating back more than 200 years. From the earliest days of the Republic, service has been a central part of what it means to be an American—and it remains so today. Civic engagement and service are critical to the health and well-being of the Nation; by bringing people together to tackle common problems, service makes communities stronger and strengthens American democracy. Today, nearly 24 million individuals participate in some form of military, national, or public service to meet critical national needs—security, disaster response, education, conservation, health care, housing, and more.4 These efforts are formidable and have transformed lives, communities, and the Nation; but in a country of 329 million, imagine what more could be done if significantly more people were inspired and able to answer the call to serve…..
The Commission challenges the Nation to cultivate this culture of service. By 2031—the 70th anniversary of President Kennedy’s call for Americans to serve their Nation—the Commission envisions that 5 million Americans will begin participating in military, national, or public service each year. In addition, by 2031 more than enough qualified individuals will seek to serve in the Armed Forces, minimizing the need for traditional military recruiting; 1 million individuals will annually take up federally supported national service-year opportunities, a more than tenfold increase from today’s numbers; and modernized Government personnel systems will attract and enable Americans with critical skills and new generations to enter public service. The actions recommended in this report are designed to place America on a path to realize this goal, which if achieved would be as transformative as the Nation’s efforts to put a man on the moon, establish a universal public education system, and create a network of national parks across the country….
WHAT IS MILITARY, NATIONAL, AND PUBLIC SERVICE?
The Commission’s enabling legislation defined military, national, and public service as follows:
* Military service means active, reserve, or National Guard duty in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard as well as the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. > Public service means civilian employment in Federal, State, Tribal, or local government in a field in which the Nation and the public have critical needs.
* National service means civilian participation in any nongovernmental capacity, including with private for-profit organizations and nonprofit organizations (including with appropriate faith-based organizations), that pursues and enhances the common good and meets the needs of communities, the States, or the Nation in sectors related to security, health, care for the elderly, and other areas considered appropriate by the Commission.
Elevate All Forms of Service
The Commission believes that cultivating America’s culture of service is a task that calls for action by all parts of American society—Congress and the President, State, local, and Tribal governments, nongovernmental organizations, and the American people. Below are detailed proposals that recognize and elevate the concept of service to a national imperative.
Revitalize civic education and expand service learning. In the course of its work, the Commission identified a major flaw in the American educational system: the lack of exposure to high-quality civic education for students throughout much of the Nation. Widespread and effective civic education is an essential requirement for fostering a culture of service in which Americans can identify how their own strengths, skills, and interests could contribute to the public good by addressing needs in their communities and Nation. When 22 percent of American adults cannot name any of the three branches of government, it is well past time for the country to take action.6 Significantly greater Federal investment in civic education, widespread adoption of proven, State-based best practices, and incorporation of service learning within school curricula are critical to preparing young Americans to realize their obligations as citizens and expose them to opportunities to engage in military, national, and public service.
Coordinate government wide service efforts through a dedicated service council in the White House. While the Federal Government has effective systems of military, national, and public service—which are essential for implementing key public programs and missions—prior efforts to coordinate service initiatives across the Government and to promote all streams of service have fallen short. One reason is that there is no single entity within the U.S. Government responsible for advancing whole-of-government support for service. The establishment of a Council on Military, National, and Public Service within the Executive Office of the President—with a Senate-confirmed leader and representation from relevant agencies—will facilitate interagency coordination and provide the policy leadership necessary to cultivate a culture of service. It will also ensure that the U.S. Government maintains a framework for prioritizing and coordinating service across Presidential administrations.
Promote cross-service marketing, recruitment, and retention. The three streams of service— military, national, and public—share fundamental characteristics, yet the agencies responsible for them do not collaborate. Because current efforts to advertise When 22 percent of American adults cannot name any of the three branches of government, it is well past time for the country to take action.
Create a platform to help Americans discover service opportunities. Unless a family member or close friend has served, most Americans lack knowledge and awareness of military, national, and public service opportunities. A new service platform will offer Americans a one-stop shop for exploring the wide range of opportunities in military, national, and public service. It will also help service organizations of all kinds find those Americans with the interests or skills they need to achieve their missions across the country and the world. The platform will provide young adults with the option to seamlessly transfer their information when they register with the Selective Service System, enabling them to immediately learn about ways to serve their communities and the Nation.
Advance Military, National, and Public Service Charged with considering methods to increase participation in military, national, and public service to address the needs of the Nation, the Commission identified three primary barriers that persist across all forms of service: awareness, aspiration, and access. Each of the following recommendations addresses one or more of these barriers.
Military Service
Cultivating a culture of service is critical to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the All-Volunteer Force and to strengthening engagement between service members and Americans who are unfamiliar with military life. The following recommendations were crafted 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 and uniformed services—in addition to accurate information about the realities of life as a service member—the American 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. 7
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. 8
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. A new service platform will offer Americans a one-stop shop for exploring the wide range of opportunities in military, national, and public service.
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.
National Service
National service programs such as AmeriCorps, YouthBuild, Senior Corps, and the Peace Corps offer many benefits to the country and local communities, including disaster relief, conservation of natural resources, housing expansion for lower-income Americans, economic development, and educational opportunities for children. Participants also benefit by learning leadership, teamwork, and technical skills; gaining exposure to people of different backgrounds and cultures; and experiencing the personal fulfillment that accompanies contributing to a cause greater than themselves. Yet despite these benefits, most Americans are unaware of national service and the opportunities to serve and unable to foresee how a term of service could support their future plans. The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act authorized expanding AmeriCorps to 250,000 annual participants; however, Congress did not appropriate funds to meet that goal, and AmeriCorps slots remain at 75,000 per year.9 The following recommendations will increase awareness of national service, promote greater access to service opportunities, and create a service infrastructure that would facilitate 1 million federally supported national service-year opportunities by 2031.
Improve awareness and recruitment. Funding an awareness campaign and referring those who are interested in but ineligible for military service, as well as veterans, to national service programs will help more Americans learn about and explore national service opportunities and make fully informed decisions to serve.
Monitor the accessibility and results of AmeriCorps programs. Collecting more complete applicant and participant data will help policymakers better understand the demand for AmeriCorps programs and their accessibility to individuals across the socioeconomic spectrum, while enabling the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to send AmeriCorps alumni a record of completion of national service that includes information on training received and certifications or licenses earned.
Increase the value, flexibility, and use of service incentives. Increasing the AmeriCorps and Senior Corps living allowances and the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, exempting the Segal Award from income taxes and allowing a cash-out option, and promoting in-state tuition for national service alumni will help make a service year a viable option for those who do not have other means of financial support and will increase the value and usability of the benefits associated with AmeriCorps.
Expand opportunities through national service. Doubling the participation of opportunity youth—the 4.5 million Americans ages 16–24 who are neither working nor in school—and Tribal members in national service programs; expanding service opportunities that welcome diverse abilities, including individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities; and leveraging national service to reintegrate ex-offenders will help share the benefits of national service more broadly.10
Establish new models for national service. Awarding national service fellowships to support individuals participating in a service year at any certified nonprofit organization will significantly expand the universe of opportunities for national service, especially in rural and underserved areas. Also, providing dedicated funding for demonstration projects will enable CNCS to test and expand other innovative approaches for national service.
Public Service
The Federal civil service personnel systems require urgent attention. The difficulties facing Government hiring are so severe that the Government Accountability Office identifies strategic human capital management as a “high risk” area in need of transformation if the Government is to work effectively and efficiently.11 Existing practices block younger Americans and workers with critical skills from entering public service and jeopardize the ability of Federal agencies to replenish their workforce in the face of a looming wave of retirements. Modernizing the civil service is politically and technically difficult. The public service recommendations below attempt to address near-term, urgent problems and long-term, structural issues: existing personnel processes should work better, so that agencies can function today, and the Federal personnel system should be replaced with a modern, talent-management approach to enable the Federal Government to be competitive with other employers in the future. With roughly one-third of Federal employees eligible to retire in the next five years, such changes are critical to ensure that the Federal workforce is stable, the United States retains its competitive edge, and governmental missions to serve the American public are not endangered.12 Public officials and civic leaders should also recognize the work of public servants as vital to the security and well-being of the Nation and avoid negative and disparaging comments that undermine morale among the current public-sector workforce and discourage Americans from pursuing public service careers.
Reform Federal hiring. Updating application and hiring processes with accessible job descriptions, proactive recruiting, valid assessment methods, and greater flexibility for agencies to select candidates—including improved systems to connect hiring managers and applicants eligible to bypass the competitive hiring process—will improve the ability of agencies to hire much needed, highly qualified candidates.
Modernize veterans’ preference. Applying preference as a tiebreaker between equally qualified candidates, and focusing its use for veterans transitioning as new entrants to Federal civilian service, will be more effective in attracting highly qualified veterans to Federal jobs in which they will likely excel.
Expand noncompetitive eligibility. Extending noncompetitive eligibility to all national service alumni and Federal fellowship and scholarship participants— and expanding eligibility for the Veterans Recruitment Appointment to 10 years after separation from the military—will further enable Federal agencies to take advantage of the talent, skills, and taxpayer investments in national service alumni, Federal fellows and scholars, and military veterans.
Revamp hiring systems for students and recent graduates. Establishing a Public Service Corps, similar to the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), in partnership with institutions of higher education; creating a new center to streamline and expand fellowship and scholarship programs across the Federal Government; and overhauling the Pathways Programs for student interns and recent graduates will help bring a new generation into public service and foster a pipeline of sustainable talent for Federal agencies.
“Any definition of a successful life must include service to others.” —George H. W. Bush
Promote a high-performing personnel culture. Elevating and investing in the human resources function; developing agency workforce plans to hire, retain, and reskill qualified individuals; and empowering agencies to communicate with the public about their mission and to promote service will foster a culture in which agencies make full use of available personnel authorities to meet agency workforce needs.
Address critical-skills challenges. Streamlining and extending special personnel systems for Federal agency health care and cyber security professionals, establishing a civilian cyber security reserve corps, and investing in the technical skills of current employees will enable agencies to meet workforce needs amid stiff competition from private-sector employers.
Increase the competitiveness of benefits. Offering an option with fully portable retirement benefits, establishing a cafeteria plan for certain benefits, and improving communication about benefits will enhance Federal agencies’ ability to compete for talented workers who do not seek career-long Government employment.
Develop and implement a new personnel system. Expanding demonstration-project authority for the Office of Personnel Management, launching a pilot project to test a new personnel system, and rigorously evaluating these projects will establish an evidence base to inform the development of a new, government wide personnel system that will be competitive for current and future workforce needs.
Strengthen Emergency National Mobilization
Though the Commission aims primarily to cultivate a culture of voluntary service across the country, it also recognizes the Federal Government’s vital need to organize the American people to provide for the common defense through mandatory military service in the case of a national emergency. The recommendations below offer steps to modernize, enhance, and improve America’s system to draw on the talents, skills, and abilities of all Americans if a national emergency requires lawmakers to do so.
Maintain a military draft mechanism in the event of national emergencies. To meet military personnel needs in the face of future threats and to demonstrate America’s resolve to international allies and adversaries, the Nation needs the Selective Service System to remain a viable U.S. national security institution.
Formalize a national call for volunteers prior to activating the draft. While the United States should maintain the ability to conscript individuals into military service in response to a national emergency, the President and Congress should encourage Americans to voluntarily join the military through an official call for volunteers before resorting to the draft.
Retain the Selective Service System’s current registration posture. Should the Nation be faced with a crisis so significant that it must activate conscription, the Government will benefit from an active system ready to induct personnel. After considering voluntary and mandatory registration systems, the Commission concluded that maintaining an active, mandatory registration system mitigates the level of potential risk to the Nation and protects the critical functions and procedures that safeguard a fair, equitable, and transparent draft process.
“If we desire peace, one of the most powerful institutions of our rising prosperity, it must be known that we are at all times ready for war.” —George Washington
Convey to registrants their potential obligation for military service. The rise in prevalence of secondary registration methods—such as enabling applicants for driver’s licenses or Federal student aid to simultaneously register with the Selective Service System—has generated high compliance rates; however, these systems have made the selective service process markedly less transparent to those registering. It is critical to ensure that registrants have a complete understanding of the potential obligations associated with draft registration.
Ensure a fair, equitable, and transparent draft. Common obligation shared generally through a lottery system is the foundation of a fair, equitable, and transparent draft. However, should an individual unknowingly or mistakenly fail to register, a mechanism to allow corrective registration is necessary to mitigate unduly harsh lifelong penalties to which they would otherwise be subject.
Develop new voluntary models for accessing personnel with critical skills. After exploring a range of options for identifying personnel with critical skills, the Commission concluded that only in the direst of circumstances should individuals be singled out for compulsory service because of their specific abilities. However, sustaining the most lethal and capable military in times of conflict requires the enhancement of voluntary mechanisms to engage such men and women, including the creation of a critical skills Individual Ready Reserve and a national roster of volunteers.
Improve the readiness of the National Mobilization System. The lack of institutionalized exercises of national mobilization processes, coupled with the low degree of public engagement with and awareness of the system, undercuts the effectiveness of the Nation’s draft contingency. To hold appropriate government entities responsible for maintaining national mobilization requirements and exercising the national mobilization process, the President should identify an official accountable for whole-of-government coordination. In addition, the Secretary of Defense should appoint an official to focus specifically on Department of Defense responsibilities.
Expand Selective Service Registration
In reviewing the question of whether Selective Service registration should include women, the Commission seriously considered a wide range of deeply felt moral, legal, and practical arguments and explored the available empirical evidence.
Extend Selective Service registration to women. The Commission concluded that the time is right to extend Selective Service System registration to include men and women, between the ages of 18 and 26. This is a necessary and fair step, making it possible to draw on the talent of a unified Nation in a time of national emergency
See the full summary here:
https://inspire2serve.gov/sites/default/files/final-report/Executive%20Summary.pdf
Endnotes
1 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, Pub. L. No. 114-328, §§ 551–557, 130 Stat. 2130 (2016), as amended by the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, Pub. L. No. 115-232, § 594, 132 Stat. 1636 (2018).
2 FY 2017 NDAA, 130 Stat. 2135 (2016).
3 For video and testimony from these hearings, see “Hearings,” National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service, https://www.inspire2serve.gov/content/hearings.
4 Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy, 2017 Demographics: Profile of the Military Community (Washington, DC: Department of Defense, 2018), 3, http://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/MOS/Reports/2017-demographics-report.pdf; “CNCS Fact Sheet,” Corporation for National and Community Service, July 2019, https://www.nationalservice.gov/sites/default/files/ documents/CNCS%20Fact%20Sheet%20July%202019%20FINAL_508.pdf; “What Is Senior Corps?,” Corporation for National and Community Service, accessed November 19, 2018, https://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/ senior-corps/what-senior-corps; “Fast Facts,” Peace Corps, September 30, 2018, https://www.peacecorps.gov/news/ fast-facts/; “Federal Workforce Statistics Sources: OPM and OMB” (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, January 12, 2018; updated March 25, 2019), 1, https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43590.pdf; FRED [Federal Reserve Economic Database], “All Employees: Government: State Government,” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, updated September 6, 2019, https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CES9092000001; FRED, “All Employees: Government: Local Government,” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, updated September 6, 2019, https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ CES9093000001.
5 “Historic Speeches: Inaugural Address,” John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, January 20, 1961, https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/historic-speeches/inaugural-address.
6 “Americans’ Civics Knowledge Increases But Still Has a Long Way to Go,” Annenberg Public Policy Center, September 12, 2019, https://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/americans-civics-knowledge-increases-2019-survey/.
7 “The USMEPCOM Story,” USMEPCOM [United States Military Entrance Processing Command], accessed August 9, 2019, http://www.mepcom.army.mil/About-Us/The-USMEPCOM-Story/; “Digest of Education Statistics, 2017: Table 216.20. Number and Enrollment of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools, by School Level, Type, and Charter and Magnet Status: Selected Years, 1990–91 through 2015–16,” National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), U.S. Department of Education, December 2016, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d17/tables/dt17_216.20.asp.
8 Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Personnel and Readiness, Population Representation in the Military Services: Fiscal Year 2016 Summary Report (Washington, DC: Department of Defense, 2017), 21, https://www.cna.org/ pop-rep/2016/summary/summary.pdf.
9 Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, Pub. L. No. 111-13, § 1301, 123 Stat. 1485 (2009); and “CNCS Fact Sheet.”
10 Kristen Lewis, Making the Connection: Transportation and Youth Disconnection (New York: Measure of America, Social Science Research Council, 2019), iii, https://ssrc-static.s3.amazonaws.com/moa/Making%20the%20Connection.pdf.
11 U.S. Government Accountability Office, High-Risk Series: Substantial Efforts Needed to Achieve Greater Progress on High Risk Areas (Washington, DC: GAO, March 2019), 75–77, https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/697245.pdf. 12 GAO, High-Risk Series, 75.