Coast Guard Steps Up Recruitment, Retention.

* Just like the private sector and the other armed services, the Coast Guard is having problems attracting young talent to join it, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan said at the Navy conference.

"We need to create more flexibility in that system than what's there right now, making it easier for people not just to see themselves serving, but to see themselves stay and continue to contribute," she said.

One pilot program centers around what she called "lateral entry." The service recently had two recruits: one a certified EMT and the other a culinary school graduate. They came in knowing about 70 percent of what they would be doing, so the Coast Guard customized their training. The rest of it focused on the other 30 percent of what they...