By David Blair, Jason Hughes, and Thomas Mashuda*
Talent
management is the sine qua non of an effective organization and,
therefore, a critical determinant of military success. Within the
framework of this article, talent management is best understood as the
thinking, policy, and strategy associated with hiring, training, and
retaining great people. Due to the competitive nature of combat,
military organizational structure and culture must be ruthlessly
functional, designed to apply the abilities and skills of the populace
in order to produce dominant combat capability. If the American military
cannot attract, develop, and retain the right people, producing an
environment in which these people flourish, the joint force cannot
expect to find success in competition below the threshold of armed
conflict, major combat operations, or credible deterrence. This is a
moving target, as the proverbial “right people” change over time due to
changes in society and technology. Stated simply, a nation’s best
military is the one that best leverages the deep strengths and best
mitigates the weaknesses of that society. This is a function of both
humans and hardware, requiring talent…
