Education Standards in the US Military

The United States military has been observed by many conservative and libertarian thinktanks, such as The Heritage Foundation and CATO, as losing strength and effectiveness. Many outside of these major thinktanks are concerned about why defense takes up so much of the discretionary budget when the military seemingly continues to decline as majority of military branches fall short on their recruitment quotas. To boost recruitment and bolster the US military several branches have reexamined policies and altered them to expand the recruiting pool. One policy that is being investigated for reexamination is education standards. Education standards in some branches may be, or already are dropping to expand the recruitment pool. Actions such as this should lead Americans to wonder what the importance of education is to the US military. Specifically, looking at whether education plays a positive, negative, or neutral role on the strength and effectiveness of the US military. This paper will examine education’s effects on the US military, specifically targeting the United States Navy’s decision to drop the requirement for a completed high school education prior to enlistment. In doing so, this paper seeks to advocate for the instrumental role education plays in maintenance of a strong and effective military.