Overcoming the Opportunity Cost to Readiness in Recruiting Teenage Enlistees into an All-Volunteer Force

Abstract

The active recruitment of American teenagers for military service before they enter optional post-secondary education or the civilian workforce brings with it an opportunity cost to unit readiness and command distraction that manifests itself in petty UCMJ violations, resiliency-rooted behavioral health issues, and responsibility challenges. To better account for the diverging character and expectations placed on American youth and the later transition to adulthood, the Department of Defense should implement a gradual statutory change in the minimum age to enlist from 18 to 20 years old over a five-year phase in period.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 10, 2019
Accession Number
AD1177293

Entities

People

  • Joseph C Hicks

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Attrition
  • Census
  • Department Of Defense
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Education
  • House Of Representatives
  • Law
  • Mental Health
  • Military Medicine
  • National Security
  • New York
  • Recruiting
  • Training
  • United States
  • Universities
  • War

Readers

  • Criminal Law
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Naval Personnel Management