The authors of this report draw on a large body of research on recruiting and examine tools and resources--including recruiters and recruiting management, eligibility criteria, and pay and bonuses--that can help the Army meet recruiting challenges.

Serving Military and Veteran Families introduces readers to the unique culture of military families, their resilience, and the challenges of military life. It reviews the latest research, theories, policies, and programs to prepare readers for understanding and working with military and veteran families. It also offers practical knowledge about the challenges that come with military family life and the federal policies, laws, and programs that support military and veteran families. Boasting a new full-color design and rich with pedagogy, the text also includes several boxed elements in each chapter. "Spotlight on Research" highlights researchers who study military and veteran families with the goal of informing and enriching the work of family support professionals. "Voices from the Frontline" presents the real-life stories of support program leaders, practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and most importantly service members and veterans and their families. "Tips from the Frontline" offers concrete, hands-on suggestions based on the experiences and wisdom of the people featured in the text and the broader research and practice communities. Third Edition features: Streamlined focus on theories and the addition of the contextual model of family stress and life course theory, including an interview with Glen Elder in which he shares his perspective on the development of life course theory and how it can be applied to understand development across individuals and cohorts. Personal accounts of 70 program leaders, practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and, significantly, service members, veterans, and family members who offer insight into their personal experiences, successes, and challenges associated with military life. 20 new interviews with service members, veterans, family members, researchers, and clinicians that bring important topics to life. Updated demographics and descriptions of service members, veterans, and their families. Expanded descriptions of mental health treatment approaches with an emphasis on including family members. Updated exercises focused on providing services to military and veteran families. New online resources designed to further enrich discourse and discussion. Serving Military and Veteran Families is designed as a core text for advanced undergraduate or graduate courses on military and veteran families, or as a supplement for related courses taught in family science, human development, family life education, social work, and clinical or counseling psychology programs. Providing a foundation for working with increased sensitivity, knowledge, and respect, the text can also be a useful resource for helping professionals who work with military and veteran families.

In Military Medicine and the Hidden Costs of War, the distinguished political scientist Tanisha M. Fazal covers the full range of American wars from the Civil War to War on Terror. A rich and engrossing account of the advances in military medicine, the book shows that over time there has been a steep increase in the wounded-to-killed ratio. That has had a major impact on the actual costs of US wars--as more soldiers survive, health care costs dramatically rise, making the costs of war much greater than politicians say they are. Yet the public is unaware of these long-term costs, which contributes to America's penchant for engaging in so-called "endless wars." All told, this is both a powerful history of American wars through the lens of injury and medicine and also a necessary corrective for how we understand the costs of war.

The authors identified current, desired, and prospective data-enabled practices that the U.S. Department of Defense and the services might be able to deploy in their outreach and recruiting processes.

The U.S. military has been continuously engaged in foreign conflicts for over two decades. The strains that these deployments, the associated increases in operational tempo, and the general challenges of military life affect not only service members but also the people who depend on them and who support them as they support the nation â€" their families. Family members provide support to service members while they serve or when they have difficulties; family problems can interfere with the ability of service members to deploy or remain in theater; and family members are central influences on whether members continue to serve. In addition, rising family diversity and complexity will likely increase the difficulty of creating military policies, programs and practices that adequately support families in the performance of military duties. Strengthening the Military Family Readiness System for a Changing American Society examines the challenges and opportunities facing military families and what is known about effective strategies for supporting and protecting military children and families, as well as lessons to be learned from these experiences. This report offers recommendations regarding what is needed to strengthen the support system for military families.

Can America continue to maintain its military commitments without conscription?

When the U.S. Army drafted Elvis Presley in 1958, it quickly set about transforming the King of Rock and Roll from a rebellious teen idol into a clean-cut GI. Trading in his gold-trimmed jacket for standard-issue fatigues, Elvis became a model soldier in an army facing the unprecedented challenge of building a fighting force for the Atomic Age. In an era that threatened Soviet-American thermonuclear annihilation, the army declared it could limit atomic warfare to the battlefield. It not only adopted a radically new way of fighting but also revamped its equipment, organization, concepts, and training practices. From massive garrisons in Germany and Korea to nuclear tests to portable atomic weapons, the army reinvented itself. Its revolution in warfare required an equal revolution in personnel: the new army needed young officers and soldiers who were highly motivated, well trained, and technologically adept. Drafting Elvis demonstrated that even this icon of youth culture was not too cool to wear the army’s uniform. The army of the 1950s was America’s most racially and economically egalitarian institution, providing millions with education, technical skills, athletics, and other opportunities. With the cooperation of both the army and the media, military service became a common theme in television, music, and movies, and part of this generation’s identity. Brian Linn traces the origins, evolution, and ultimate failure of the army’s attempt to transform itself for atomic warfare, revealing not only the army’s vital role in creating Cold War America but also the experiences of its forgotten soldiers.