In War for Talent, Army’s New Direct Commissions an Admin ‘Disaster’

Personnel expert Kate Kuzminski, who heads the Military, Veterans and Society branch of the Center for a New American Security think tank, emphasized how important it will be to iron out the kinks in direct commissioning before the Army’s next large-scale war.

“[Direct commissions] harken back to how we historically had to tap into the nation’s talent,” she said in reference to World War II officer procurement efforts.

She argued the services have largely accounted for the big-picture challenges — cultural barriers, fiscal barriers, and policy barriers — that could impede modern direct commissions. Kuzminski also thinks the practice could pay dividends beyond just niche capabilities like cyber and space, to include areas like logistics and acquisitions.

“How great would it be to get a vice president from DHL or UPS to come in and help overhaul logistics, if that’s what we needed?” she asked, or “teams from the private sector who have the vast [logistics and acquisition] experience we need in order to enable the operations [in which] we will be engaged.”

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