A FORCE IN FLUX


The Army is rethinking what’s possible to build the workforce of tomorrow and create a workplace that is “a magnet, not a mandate.”


by Ellen Summey C


hange is the only constant—but that doesn’t mean it’s easy—and the U.S. Army is no exception. Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the service has seen seismic shifts in when and where work is being done across the workforce. Many of those changes, like liberal telework policies, remote


training opportunities and other flexibilities, are known to be powerful tools for recruit- ment and retention but are sometimes still met with uncertainty within the service.


“You know, this organization is not used to some of these ideas,” said Brig. Gen. Greg Johnson, adjutant general of the United States Army, United States Army Human Resources Command (HRC). “It’s virtually all new.” If there was one upside to the COVID pandemic, he said, it was that the Army was forced to think through the chal- lenge of remote work and the hurdles to its wide implementation—which Army leaders were not willing to consider before.


DEEP END OF THE TALENT POOL Today, the Army is making a concerted effort to modernize its workforce, focusing on hiring for in-demand skills and providing additional technical training for existing employees, according to Edward Emden, director of the Army Civilian Career Manage- ment Activity (ACCMA) at the U.S. Army Civilian Human Resources Agency. “Te Army is looking to recruit more civilians to the workforce in competitive fields such as engineering and cyber,” he said. Emden cited new partnerships with universities and an upcoming advertising campaign for Army civilian careers. “Tis will be a critical compo- nent in raising awareness and understanding the benefits of Army civilian employment to reach a new generation of public servants.”


40 Army AL&T Magazine Winter 2024


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