ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Efforts to attract high-achieving college students to serve in U.S. government national security jobs often fail because the hiring process does not favor new blood, according to a new report from the nonprofit Center for a New American Security.

The hiring process can take more than two years—a long stretch for someone who has just completed a degree and is looking for their first full-time job.

Maintaining a relationship between the U.S. military and higher education is key to preserving democracy, said Gen. Bob Brown, president and CEO of the Association of the U.S. Army. 

Speaking April 6 during an event hosted by the University of North Georgia’s Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies, Brown said a “close, productive relationship” between the two entities “is really essential to our democratic way of life.”

The Association of the U.S. Army is hosting a virtual job fair Nov. 10 to connect job seekers with military-friendly employers.

AUSA constituents—soldiers, Army civilians, family members, the defense industry and more—have valuable skills, and the job fair is an opportunity to share those skills and expertise with prospective employers.

Forty-six military-friendly employers met with job seekers at a job fair Dec. 11 at the Association of the U.S. Army’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.

“We continue to see the interest of civilian employers seeking to grow their teams by adding service members, civilians, retired soldiers, veterans and family members,” said retired 1st Sgt. Stephen Canonico, the association’s assistant director of Retired Soldiers, Veterans and Department of the Army Civilian Affairs. “These companies love both what military employees bring to the team talent-wise and their soft skills.”

The Army needs talented civilians, and it should streamline how it brings them into the force, panelists said Oct. 16 during a forum at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition.

"We need to shorten the hiring time and improve the acquisition of talent," said Carol Burton, director of the Civilian Human Resources Agency for the Army deputy chief of staff for personnel. Noting that the hiring process for civilians typically takes 180 days – during which time prospective candidates may go somewhere else – Burton said: "It's time to change."

The seventh annual Warriors to the Workforce (Washington D.C.) job fair will take place during the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting this fall.

Hosted by the American Freedom Foundation, the event will be held Oct. 14-16 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

The three-day event will run from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. each day. It will bring together major companies from throughout the country to profile their services and provide employment opportunities for veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses.

David Norquist, the Pentagon comptroller nominated to become deputy defense secretary, is a former Army GS-9 program and budget analyst who believes in fiscal and structural reform and is a strong supporter of the military’s civilian workforce.

Testifying July 24 before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Norquist said the biggest challenge facing the Defense Department’s civilian workforce is competing for talent with other private and public employers.

In a mission to share military-trained talent with the civilian sector, the Association of the U.S. Army held its fourth job fair June 5 at its national headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.

“We think it’s really important that we bring the talent the Army soldiers, civilians and family members have to the attention of civilian employers,” said retired Lt. Gen. Patricia McQuistion, AUSA’s vice president for Membership and Meetings. “We think that they’re the perfect candidates to be applying for jobs in the civilian sector.”

Dozens of vendors and job seekers filled the General Gordon R. Sullivan Conference and Event Center on June 19 for the Association of the U.S. Army’s Veteran, Soldier and Family Job Fair to network, talk about jobs, services, products and career information and get advice.

It was the second time AUSA’s national headquarters hosted the job fair, and interest among employers remained strong, attracting 64 military-friendly companies in defense, law enforcement, insurance, banking, logistics and more.