M.I.T. Book Urges Overhaul of Military Pay and Benefits 6/3/2004
From: Amy Tarr, 617-253-1965 or atarr@mit.edu, Harlene Miller, 617-258-6531 or harlenem@mit.edu both of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology News Advisory: WHAT: Press conference on new M.I.T. book urging overhaul of military pay and benefits. WHEN: June 4, 2004 at 9 a.m. WHERE: National Press Club (Zenger Room) 529 14th Street, Washington, DC 20045 The United States must reshape its policies related to pay, benefits, and career paths of people who serve in the armed forces, according to the authors of a new book, Filling the Ranks: Transforming the U.S. Military Personnel System. The book, edited by Cindy Williams of the Security Studies Program at MIT, is likely to become an important resource for military leaders and for members of the administration and Congress as they redesign U.S. forces for the future. It is also a useful guide to today's policies for non-experts. For the first time since conscription ended in 1973, U.S. forces are engaged in a large, long, deadly operation abroad. Active-duty forces are still meeting goals for the total number of people in uniform, but many service members are not well matched to their jobs, contractors have replaced uniformed personnel in key positions on and off the battlefield, and National Guard recruiting and reenlistments are below needed levels. Some people are calling for a return to the draft. In stark contrast to that suggestion, Filling the Ranks finds that the nation, the military, and the men and women in uniform would be far better served by keeping the volunteer system and overhauling it in fundamental ways. In fourteen reader-friendly chapters, the book recommends that the United States: -- Learn from modern best practices in the private sector -- Overhaul enlisted careers and compensation -- Overhaul officer career patterns -- Align reserve compensation with today's realities -- Transform benefits provided directly to individuals as in- kind goods and services -- Transform the delivery of family support services Authors of the chapters include Bernard Rostker of RAND, former Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness; Arnold Punaro of SAIC, former staff director of the Senate Armed Services Committee; and experts from the Congressional Budget Office, the National Military Family Association, Fidelity Investments, the Lewin Group, the C.N.A. Corporation, the Institute for Defense Analyses, Georgetown University, Harvard University, and MIT. Filling the Ranks: Transforming the U.S. Military Personnel System, Cindy Williams (editor), BCSIA Study in International Security (MIT Press 2004, 361 pages); Hardback $50.00 (ISBN 0-262- 23239-1); Paperback $25.00 (ISBN 0-262-73172-X) Cindy Williams is a Principal Research Scientist in the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Center for International Studies. http://web.mit.edu./cis/ |