Review of Specialized Degree-Granting Graduate Programs of the Department of Defense in STEM and Management (2014) / Chapter Skim
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1 The Need for STEM and Management Graduate Education in the Department of Defense
1 The Need for STEM and Management Graduate Education in the Department of Defense
Pages 9-21
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From page 9... ...
Each weapon, platform, vehicle, and person in an operating force is a node in one or more advanced networks that provide the ability to rapidly form a coherent force from a large number of broadly distributed elements. DoD's ability to create and operate forces of this nature demands a competent understanding by its workforce of the composition, acquisition, and employment of its technology-enabled forces.
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From page 10... ...
MANAGING THE DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE DoD acquires nearly all of its military combat systems from the private sec tor, where the collective defense industrial base performs most of the research, development, design, and production activities. However, the Armed Services and other DoD technical agencies are responsible for conceptualizing, specifying, contracting, testing, and accepting contractor-developed systems before military
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From page 11... ...
In addition to the need for in-house competence to specify and manage the acquisition of knowledge, technology, and systems from the private sector, there are special circumstances requiring government capabilities that advance knowledge, create technologies, and select system designs in an environment of secrecy, security classification, and selective need-to-know under the control of DoD in-house organizations. In particular, the constrained access required for many secure research projects makes it extremely desirable that DoD perform all phases of knowledge and technology creation within DoD technical education and laboratory institutions.
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From page 12... ...
Going forward, DoD may wish to follow the Air Force example by promulgating a policy requiring military officers and non-commissioned officers to incorporate a basic technology literacy and technology management course in all degree-granting programs funded by DoD. As part of the policy, education monitors and supervisors responsible for reviewing and approving education funding requests would be held responsible for ensuring that those receiving education funds are properly counseled on the 2 For additional information, see S.J.
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From page 13... ...
MANAGEMENT COMPETENCE DoD has a history of cost overruns, excessively long schedules, and performance shortfalls for complex programs that depend on high-technology goods and services. Improving in these areas requires management skills, as well as STEM+M literacy.
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From page 14... ...
A 2012 NRC report on DoD STEM needs identified rapidly evolving areas of science and engineering with a potential for high impact on future DoD opera 5 Caution should be given against treating M.B.A.s, or even graduate degrees in technical fields, as a "check-the-box" situation. DoD is better off with civilians and uniform personnel who receive graduate degrees from accredited and recognized institutions.
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From page 15... ...
WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT COMPETENCE In 2008, DoD updated its policy governing graduation programs for military members. The revised policy, which represents a significant shift from earlier policies focused on graduate education to achieve specific competencies for anticipated assignments, emphasized the following: 4.2.
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From page 16... ...
DoD should fund the civilian tuition assistance program at levels similar to the military program in terms of per capita outlay, factoring in an appropriate reduction for the fact that DoD can hire civilians with graduate degrees, whereas military members generally must earn their degrees after joining. Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART)
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From page 17... ...
The expanding global knowledge base and increasing technological complexities of modern military systems and operations suggest the need TABLE 1-1 Current Department of Defense (DoD) Workforce Broken Down by Degree Level and Major DoD Organization for Military and Civilian Employees Doctorate Masters Bachelors Total Army 10,720 24,585 48,119 83,424 Navy 2,884 15,830 15,259 33,973 Marine Corps 325 3,047 14,845 18,217 Air Force 7,601 31,429 22,855 61,885 Civilian agencies 11,904 94,486 182,341 288,731 Total 33,434 169,377 283,419 486,230 NOTE: A detailed analysis was not done to determine the correctness of the outcomes in Table 1-1.
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From page 18... ...
Growing demands within the civilian element of DoD's workforce for STEM expertise are evident from recent hiring trends. Comparing 2012 hires to those in 2000 reveals that while the total number of civilians hired is down (31,336 to 29,731)
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From page 19... ...
Finding 1-6. A strategic mechanism to track and manage the overall civilian workforce is emerging in the inaugural DoD Fiscal Years 2013-2018 Strategic Workforce Plan Report.15 It appears to be a comprehensive effort to manage the civilian workforce.16 Military and civilian workforces in DoD are constituted in very different ways.
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From page 20... ...
SOURCE: DoD, Fiscal Years 2013-2018 Strategic Workforce Plan Report, http://dcips.dtic.mil/documents.html, Fall 2013. ping labels of the Civil Service System and may be grouped within the same DoD Strategic Workforce Plan functional area.
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From page 21... ...
ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT The remainder of the report is structured as follows: Chapter 2 provides an overview of current DoD STEM+M graduate education and provides working definitions for the relevant terms used in the report. Chapter 3 provides the value proposition for the two primary DoD institutions offering advanced degrees in STEM+M: AFIT and NPS.
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