William Treseder
There is a small but growing movement of reservists behind the deployment of new capabilities in support of national security. Think of these reservists as “quantum talent,” occupying a role in both the military and commercial worlds. These tech-savvy reservists bring an enormous amount of critical experience to the table, whether they’re working with cutting-edge companies or running their own startups.
Think what could happen if we truly harnessed the skills and passion of these reservists. They could be game-changers for the U.S. economy, accelerating the development of new capabilities that enhance America’s technological dominance, deterring our adversaries and strengthening our allies.
Calling in the reserves
In the last few decades, the defense industrial base has drifted far apart from commercial industries. The intertwined communities of researchers, engineers, and technicians from previous eras are now split apart into distinct communities with little overlap. They work on different problems, for different organizations with different values and goals, instead of pulling together in the nation’s interest.
Attempts to address this split haven’t worked well. The infamous Google Maven insurrection, when over 4,000 employees forced the company to exit a contract supporting the U.S. Defense Department is a notable case in point. There are many examples of commercial technology companies walking back from defense, and even avoiding it all together.
One strategy to bridge the gap is gaining traction, however. The Defense Department is realizing how valuable reservists with high-demand / low-density skill sets – so called “quantum talent” – can be. The reserve community could be a strategic tool to close the many skill gaps facing the military, including areas such as cybersecurity, product management, and data science.
Quantum talent emerged when the first few reservists trickled in to support the Defense Innovation Unit. Thousands have since formed a movement with the Army’s 75th Innovation Command, the Air Force’s ARCWERX, the Marine Innovation Unit, the Office of Strategic Capital, and soon inside the Navy’s innovation command, NavalX. These reservists have been responsible for spending hundreds of millions of dollars to deploy new capabilities in support of the mission.
Unlike those who completely separated from the military – becoming veterans – these reservists maintain a commitment to the armed forces and regularly activate for administrative and operational purposes. In the language of quantum computing, they are not forced to choose between binary 1s and 0s. Thousands of these reservists occupy the “superposition” that joins the civil and the military – quantum talent, if you will.
The military cannot afford to pay these highly successful professionals for the work they do in the civilian world. In their civilian jobs, these reservists command remarkably high salaries well beyond the reach of the federal government. Through their reserve status, however, the nation can leverage the same skills, experience, and network at a fraction of the price.
Changing the system
Tapping into quantum talent requires some painful rebuilding of Human Resource systems and processes. The existing systems are set up to focus entirely on military-relevant data such as rank, job/billet, time in service, etc. In many cases there isn’t even a place to include meaningful information about each person’s civilian experience. Early results to get around these challenges are encouraging, however. Tools such as the Army’s IPPS-A and GigEagle appear to offer commanders more flexibility for recruiting, developing, and retaining personnel.
Commercial companies can also see the benefits. Many cutting-edge companies with reservist employees tap into their experiences when pursuing opportunities to sell into the federal government. In some cases, the reservists themselves are founding companies that blend the best of Silicon Valley technology and the Defense Department mission. Startups such as Shield AI, Reveal Technologies, Swarmbotics AI, and Saronic Technologies include reservists in their founding teams as they deliver the next generation of capabilities in autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, and data analytics.
This is the American version of the Chinese civil-military fusion, a strategy to develop the most technologically advanced military in the world. Instead of a dictatorial strategy where the Chinese government builds back doors into commercial technology companies, however, we can embrace a bottom-up approach. This starts with two practical changes.
First, technology companies should expand their outreach to the military reservist community through programs such as SkillBridge and the Defense Ventures Program. There are over 770,000 reservists around the country, with thousands more entering each month. These reservists are highly motivated, with relevant experience that will immediately improve team performance while also providing key insights into military needs and initiatives.
Second, the military should embrace more flexible talent policies tied to strategic efforts. Increase the benefits of reserve duty while decreasing the costs. This is critical to retain the best and brightest who want to continue serving the nation. The Army, National Guard, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps are trying to address friction points, yet the reserves are largely ignored in strategic planning. An example is the new National Defense Industrial Strategy, which talks a lot about recruiting and workforce development for the companies building our military systems but never mentions reservists.
If a quantum talent approach is successful, military organizations will better retain talent that provides access to critical skills they can’t produce on their own. Commercial companies get proven leaders who can identify and pursue opportunities to support the government.
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