Research for Pretrained Pilot

Early in the 21st century, the United States Navy launched Sea Power 21—a strategy to organize, integrate, and transform the Navy to take advantage of changing technology and to meet emerging challenges and threats. An important part of that vision is a reduced enlisted workforce of more experienced, better educated, more skilled, and higher performing people than ever before. It also means a more flexible manpower system, with significant changes in the shape of the force and in recruiting, training, and personnel policies. In support of these efforts, CNA initiated a project to address several aspects of human capital management, including innovative career paths, alternative military retirement systems, a strategy for Navy civilians, and a proposed pilot in recruiting and training. This paper describes the latter. Specifically, we propose implementing a pilot to recruit pretrained civilians, using civilian recruiters. When fully implemented, the pilot would include a significant number of Navy occupations and technical fields. This is a concept that could enhance the average skill level of junior Sailors, enabling a different kind of force structure in which fewer Sailors are in initial pipeline training and more are in the fleet as technically trained Petty Officers.