Putting Veterans to Work
Abstract
The United States government must revise veteran employment programs. After ten years of combat operations, approximately 1,350,000 service men and women deployed overseas have returned home; projections are that one million more will leave military service in the next five years. Today s returning combat veterans find fleeting job prospects and dismal employment opportunities. The Federal government has failed to consolidate its efforts, improve coordination with nongovernmental organizations, and report program performance. These failures directly impact a veteran population suffering from high unemployment rates. An overview of the economic and employment challenges facing returning combat veterans during two wartime periods, World War One and Iraq/Afghanistan, frames this problem by highlighting similarities and recommending opportunities to leverage limited resources. Using these two case studies, the paper recommends eliminating governmental silos in existence since the early twentieth century and permanently consolidating veteran employment services under one Federal department. Involvement by nongovernmental organizations, initiation of strategic communications efforts, and direct interaction with veterans will eliminate disparate and uncoordinated efforts to reduce high veteran unemployment.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 13, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA561790
Entities
People
- Donald J. Modder
Organizations
- United States Army War College