Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness speaks at Fletcher

Dr. David Chu, Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, spoke Wednesday about the challenges the army faces in maintaining its ranks.

The goal of Chu's talk was to answer the question of how the army has been able to maintain large standing force since 1973, when the draft was eliminated and the military became a volunteer force. Chu said the large standing army was what made the US a "true world power."

Chu spoke at Fletcher before an audience of about 25, including President Larry Bacow. He discussed a myriad of strategies the Department of Defense (DoD) has enacted to keep interest levels high in the armed forces, focusing largely on the financial packages to soldiers.

A personal friend of Chu's, Bacow introduced the speaker as "someone who's changed Congress' analytic abilities" when considering military figures.

Chu said the first ten years after the ending of the draft was not a successful time for recruitment. He attributed this to low benefits civilians received when joining the armed forces.

Another problem for recruitment agents has been individuals' increased attention to higher education. Today, Chu said, around 70 percent of high school graduates go on to some form of college - a number that has increased significantly in the last thirty years.

Until recently, serving in the military would have been incompatible with attending college, a fact that kept many potential soldiers from enlisting.

"Today, we are actively seeking to reconcile military service with higher education," Chu said. He listed a series of new programs the DoD created, including the ability for students to get college credit for classes they take under military instructors.

Numerous area schools participate in such a program based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Tufts students do not currently receive credit for courses Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets take at MIT, however, alumni are in negotiation with the University with an aim to change the school's policy.

The ROTC program grants scholarships to students who enlist in the military after graduation from college. Students who enroll in the ROTC agree to five years of military service after graduation in exchange for scholarships that can exceed $100,000, depending on the university. While in school, students take military science classes and attend activities to prepare them for their service.

More than half a million people have graduated from college through the program. Currently more than seventy-five percent of the army's officers come from Army ROTC.

Chu said the DoD has made higher education and military service more compatible. "Pay increases within the military has attracted many people...and has also gotten large numbers to stay in the military," he said.

He briefly outlined the financial program for soldiers, explaining that the physical paychecks they receive account for only 60 percent of their total compensation from the military. Their house and food expenditures are entirely tax-free, and their healthcare paid for by the government.

"These changes have been enacted to heighten the quality, effectiveness and dedication of our armed forces," Chu said.

Although he acknowledged that the burden on the men and women in the armed forces is great, Chu noted that "people are generally satisfied with the military way of life."

The statistics he presented showed that 62 percent of those in active duty claimed to be satisfied, and that 58 percent of those in active duty today held a strong intent to stay in uniform.

Chu maintained although the military made great strides in changing its image to accommodations the younger, education-seeking generation, the DoD still faces problems.

"Although for a long time the DoD was at the head of the creation of new technology-that is no longer the case today. The civilian population has taken over that role," he said.

These facts, according to Chu, have forced the military to rethink its definition of career length and involvement, so as to attract a larger variety of talent into the armed forces.

Since being sworn in as Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness last June, Chu is considered to be the United State's highest ranking civilian Asian American.