Washington Post:  “The Marine Corps released a new plan Wednesday that says it must overhaul how it recruits and retains Marines, suggesting for the first time in decades that threats posed by China and other adversaries require personnel changes that could require some shrinking of the service to accommodate a new emphasis on keeping trained personnel.  Gen. David H. Berger, commandant of the Marine Corps, said that he sees no alternative but to pivot away from a system that through multiple wars has prioritized massing a ‘young, physically tough, replaceable force’ that was ‘not all that highly skilled.’ For the past 35 years, Berger said, the service has turned over about 75 percent of its force each year, rotating annually through thousands of young enlisted Marines who join for four years, while other services retain a higher percentage of troops.

“’We’re the anomaly, and we brag about it — and I think it’s worked for us,’ Berger said. “’t will not work for us going forward, I don’t think.’  Berger said the Marine Corps is going to have to ‘treat people like human beings instead of inventory,’ making it appealing for more who already have experience to stay. There is urgency to do so, he said, because rising challenges such as China will require mature, experienced service members who possess multiple skills and can act on their own in the absence of communications with higher headquarters.

“The plan — titled ‘Talent Management 2030’ — amounts to a significant cultural shake-up for a service that once told Americans in recruiting advertisements that they were ‘looking for a few good men’ and wouldn’t ‘promise you a rose garden.’ It also calls for the service to promote equity and diversity among Marines, create ‘lateral’ ways for people with coveted skills to join the service without starting at bottom ranks, and reduce requirements for personnel to move as frequently.  Additionally, the Corps plans to seek authorization next year to increase the duration of parental leave available to its personnel. The plan calls for primary caregivers to be able to take up to a year of leave, with a secondary caregiver receiving up to 12 weeks.