The Wall Street Journal reports that the United States Department of Defense (DOD) wants to recruit and hire Silicon Valley tech executives and subject matter experts to serve as Reserve Officers. The move is a new attempt by the DOD to attract top talent and benefit from increased partnerships with the private sector.
As Reservists, Silicon Valley’s tech executives and senior tech employees would join, serving at “high-ranking positions” only part-time. However, their tech expertise would contribute to prioritized data analytics, cybersecurity projects, and other areas.
Brynt Parmeter, DOD Chief Talent Management Officer said, “We’re creating this people industrial base that is going to help us solve our national security problems and national security challenges in the decades to come.”
According to the Journal report, Parmeter is leading the program and aims to onboard an initial group of tech professionals in their “military roles by September [2025].”
It won’t solve DOD’s recruiting targets, but it could gain critical data analytics and cyber talent
The Defense Department announced the new program as the U.S. military has struggled to meet recruiting targets for several years. Branches such as the Air Force have recovered marginally, while others, such as the Army, continue to miss targets.
According to a Pentagon report, the Army missed its recruiting goals by 15,000 soldiers, or 25%, in 2022.
The recruiting challenges have forced the Defense Department to seek alternative methods to fill their ranks.
DOD and Silicon Valley increasingly collaborating on critical areas
An increasing partnership with the private sector through programs such as the Public Private Talent Exchange (PPTE) permits a temporary assignment of an approved member of the Defense Department to a private-sector organization or a private-sector organization employee to a DOD organization.
Other nontraditional programs include allowing citizens with in-demand skills to be directly commissioned as officers. For example, the Air Force has a Cybersecurity direct commissioning program. The Army has a broader range of direct commissioning options in logistics, information technology, cybersecurity, and medicine.
Will the DOD recruiting Silicon Valley tech move the needle?
The Defense Department has a long history of partnering with the private sector, whether through investing and utilizing “government clouds” (GovCloud) or using solutions by Palantir or Anduril.
However, using private sector solutions, commonly referred to as “commercial off the shelf” (COTS) versus “government off the shelf” (GOTS) solutions, can only take the DOD so far. It needs to develop and retain talent from within, something incredibly hard to do when the private sector pays multiples more what a government or military salary could.
A Reserve commission for Silicon Valley’s best could be a breakthrough the DOD needs–or it could become just another stovepipe think tank.
The DOD must bolster its technical ranks as ransomware attacks, nation-state hacking by advanced persistent threat groups, and critical infrastructure attacks escalate. If even a tiny fraction of Silicon Valley tech executives and leaders contribute, it may mean the difference between being prepared or not for a major DOD cybersecurity operation.
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