Defense industry at risk of losing the future.

AuthorErwin, Sandra I.
PositionDefense Watch

One hundred high-school academic superstar seniors in the Hampton, Virginia, area were asked if any of them would consider a career at the Newport News naval shipyard or saw themselves pursuing any career related to the military.

Not a single hand went up, recalls Donna Poland, a specialist at the Virginia Department of Education's office of mathematics and governor's schools. Although it was an unscientific poll, Poland was struck by the lack of interest that these exceptional students showed in the defense industry. She is a military brat who worked for eight years at Newport News Shipbuilding on nuclear submarines. "So I am well aware of the values of a strong and innovative military," she says.

The students she referenced were part of the New Horizons Governor's School for Science and Technology in Hampton. These high achievers had worked on NASA projects and other engineering and medical research. Poland was excited to see such accomplishments in science and technology occurring at the high school level but was "horrified" when not a single student seemed even remotely enthusiastic about defense-oriented careers.

For years she tried to inform students about job opportunities geared toward supporting military innovation. "I can't say I was successful."

Defense CEOs and Pentagon officials frequently bemoan a culture that glamorizes Silicon Valley tech careers, a reality that for years has been siphoning young talent away from the industry that designs and builds high-end military weapons.

The outgoing secretary of defense, Ashton Carter, was attuned to this problem and launched a "force of the future" personnel reform and talent management effort. He also warned defense contractors that they, too, face a potentially crippling skills gap.

Poland suggests the defense industry is in denial about its capacity--and lack of a strategy--to recruit talent in STEM fields. "From my perspective, bringing young, talented individuals into the military and military-related industries has to start in high school," she says. "These students are already focused on a career path. Mentoring into the field is essential."

If students don't see these options as possible careers, Poland warns, "We've limited their view of their future, and ours."

The Governor's Schools in Virginia serve over 6,500 students, most in STEM fields. "What steps are being taken to ensure these exceptional students are considering the military and military-related industry in their...

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