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The National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service wants the National Guard to expand its community-building efforts and leverage its unique footprint across nearly every community in the country to give people more exposure to the military.
In its recent report, “Inspired to Serve,” the commission laid out what it recommends as the best way to boost participation in military, national and public service.
Among the recommendations was a proposal to require women to register with the Selective Service System, which maintains information on potential draftees.
Another recommendation was to double the number of youth outreach programs, such as the National Guard’s Youth ChalleNGe program, by 2031.
Youth ChalleNGe is a voluntary program for youth between the ages of 16 and 18 who have either dropped out of school or are at risk of failing. It lasts for 17 months and aims to either get the participants to successfully graduate high school or attain an equivalency.
There are 40 Youth Challenge programs in 28 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.
The commission also wants the defense secretary to develop pilot programs focused on using the Guard as an outreach tool in low-density areas. These programs would have the Guard partner with local schools and other community organizations to increase exposure to the military and promote national service.
The commission believes the Guard has “an opportunity to serve a primary role” in military and civilian service outreach due to the dispersion of Guard units throughout the country.
In addition, these programs would provide opportunities for Guardsmen to serve as mentors for children who are interested in career areas with both a military and civilian application. To do this, the commission wants Guardsmen to use paid drill time to conduct these outreach tasks.
These efforts would “significantly increase engagement between the military and the broader American public, shatter myths and provide a new generation of Americans with firsthand information about military life,” according to the report.
