'Force of the Future': Defense Secretary proposes civilian-led military units

Could civilians fly high or will they fall flat?

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter is pushing the controversial idea of allowing civilians with certain skills to enter the officer corps up to the position of colonel or Navy captain.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Imagine the military accepting your application - and all that's required of you is knowledge and experience in a high-tech field such as cyber warfare and space.

According to Carter's Force of the Future initiative, civilians entering the military up to colonel or Navy captain can help "overcome the five challenges we face today -- from Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and terrorism -- especially [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Lecant] and to be flexible and agile in preparing for ... unknown dangers we can't anticipate today."

Congress must approve any changes to the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act (DOPMA), but Carter specifically explained an expansion of lateral entry for civilians allows "the military services to commission a wider segment of specialized outside talent ... who can meet our standards, who provide unique skills we need and who are willing to serve in uniform will help fill critical gaps in our force and will make us more effective."

He explained civilian doctors could be commissioned military officers at grades appropriate for their skills and experience but in most other specialized fields, there is currently no way for any of the service branches to recruit a skilled and experienced civilian without starting them at the bottom.

Secretary Carter described the benefits of enlisting a network defense or encryption expert from a tech company to help with DoD missions as a reservist or on active duty.

Though Carter shared much information, what he didn't share certainly wasn't lost on critics.

Military Times spoke to Dakota Wood, a retired Marine officer and military expert at the Heritage Foundation.

Wood questioned whether civilian servicemen and officers would be able to assimilate with hardened veterans who earned their stripes through rigorous training and experience.

"They will enter a culture they don't know, understand or potentially appreciate," Wood worried. "The Marines around them will likely be challenged to appreciate them as they would a fellow Marine."

Terry Stevens, a retired Air Force colonel and personnel expert stated: "They have absolutely no military background, they don't know how the systems work, they don't know how to supervise military personnel," adding the civilian officers would "create a lot of animosity, confusion and distrust."
 
Brad Carson, the Pentagon's former personnel chief, agrees "there are some cultural issues." He stated: "People who come in won't just have to have the skills. They'll have to have a military bearing and understanding of the military ethic. You don't just get that by walking in off the street."

Another concern is whether any civilian, who fully understands what being part of the military means, would actually join.

Richard Bejtlich, a 44-year-old Air Force Academy graduate who separated as a junior officer and who now works cyber-security in Washington, said: "I really question who is going to do it. I don't see a lot of people I know of saying, 'Hey, I want to go abandon my current position and go be in the military.

"Can you imagine someone coming in as an O-5 or O-6 and not knowing who salutes who? Or how to wear a uniform? The traditional military's worst nightmare is to bring in some long-haired hippie and make him a colonel. The way I think you could make it palatable to the rank and file is, you would limit it to bringing in former military."

Other concerns include what sort of initial training will civilian officers undergo? Will lateral entry officers be eligible for promotion? What about junior officer retention? If they could potentially leave when their contract is up and return years later at a higher rank, why bother with working their way up?

Despite the concerns, the Navy is on board with the plan and the Army and Air Force have agreed to consider it. The Marine Corps, however, have yet to approve.

Vice Admiral Robert Burke, the chief of naval personnel, explained: "Right now the one we're focused on is the cyber [community] because that's the immediate need. But we want this authority in place ... because we want to be responsive when the need comes - we don't want to start writing policy the minute we discover we need it.

"Today, cyber is where we need it; tomorrow we might need it in 10 other places. I just can't foresee what those might be right now."

Army Vice Chief General Daniel Allyn spoke at the Heritage Foundation on June 13 to explain why the Army would consider civilian recruits: "It gives secretaries of the services the authorities to use those tools that are needed. That's important. You want to have a toolbox that allows you to adjust as needed."

Another Army official explained, "We have expertise in America that could serve the military well, but we don't have the apparatus to bring someone in. ... We're coming to a place and time where we're dealing with the cutting edge of many different issues."

Brigadier General Brian Kelly, the directory of military force management policy in the United States Air Force simply said, "We're still exploring it. We are looking at similar programs to what the Navy is talking about."

Colonel Gaines Ward, the head of the Marine Corps' promotions and policy branch, was clearly critical of the controversial idea when he stated: "We are prepared to observe the 'experimentation' efforts of other services and adopt the best practices where applicable and advantageous."

Secretary Carter acknowledged some of the general concerns and specified: "Now, I have to say we can't do this for every career field - far from it. It will probably never apply to line officers, as they'll always need to begin their military careers as second lieutenants and ensigns."

Though he did not specify anything, Carter remained optimistic and added, "But allowing military services to commission a wider segment of specialized outside talent ... will make us more effective."

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