The National Defense Strategy (2018) notes significant concern about the workforce pipeline of the future. As technology matures and becomes more affordable for adversaries of any size, our global advantage begins to erode. It means the currency of tomorrow will not only include our financial and technological capabilities but also our ability to ensure a deep bench of qualified civilian and military workers. In response, a significant number of programs have been developed from youth outreach competitions like CyberPatriot to collegiate critical language internships to sponsorship of university and innovation research. At every level, key opportunities exist, however the strategic connections across these programs are lacking or non-existent.

Accordingly, the National Defense Industry Association (NDIA) has identified the workforce readiness pipeline issue as a key priority and is taking action to consider solutions that may help improve the strategic planning but also the network of opportunities across the defense industry. The pipeline of the future will need to marry the goals of the Defense Department with the capabilities available across the workforce and those needing to be developed. It will use a digital backbone to capture, connect, and match skilled workers across all ages, experience, and education. Most notably this connectivity will allow for two key opportunities. First, it will support learners of all ages to progress through the pipeline more efficiently by personalizing planning and recommending a series of training experiences. Second, it will help identify individuals most closely aligned to future skilled jobs, assess the additional skills needed to match, and then train those remaining components. In other words, training efficiency will be substantially enhanced to meet the constantly evolving defense workforce needs. This paper will explore current issues, goals, and programs available then provide recommendations to organizing strategic programs who can oversee these enhancements to improve planning.