Gen. Shalikashvili

Three-quarters of young Americans are not qualified to apply for the military, a Pentagon official told a congressional hearing in 2009 – because they are physically or mentally unfit, have a criminal record or lack a high school diploma. To General John M. Shalikashvili, US Army (Ret.), former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, poor education is the major culprit. And the solution lies in expanding children’s access to high-quality early education.

“The situation is so serious that nearly 200 retired generals and admirals are calling on Congress to consider major educational reform, with a special emphasis on increased investments in high-quality early education, Shalikashvili writes in a recent op-ed column in USA Today. “Why early education? Because research shows that these high-quality programs are the most cost-effective way to provide children with the skills they need to succeed in school and later in life. Getting a positive, early start can help at-risk kids, many from single-parent households, overcome obstacles such as high dropout rates and teenage pregnancies.”

The 200 retired generals and admirals that Shalikashvili mentions founded Mission: Readiness / Military Leaders for Kids.. In November 2009, Mission: Readiness released “Ready, Willing, and Unable to Serve: Early Education across America is Needed to Ensure National Security.”

“The most proven investment for kids who need help graduating from high school starts early: high-quality early education,” the report’s preface states. “It also helps kids stay away from crime and succeed in life.” The group’s members also include General Henry “Hugh” Shelton, US Army (Ret.), and General Wesley Clark, US Army (Ret.).

“In taking up education reform, Congress should support a shift away from the traditional K-through-12 approach toward a system that incorporates high-quality early learning so children are ready to learn when they enter kindergarten,” Shalikashvili writes in his column. “Otherwise, our dropout crisis could well become a national security crisis.”

The technological revolution means that the military, like the overall economy, has more need than ever for well-educated personnel – and more need for investments in high-quality early education, according to Jamie Barnett, a retired rear admiral in the Navy and member of Mission: Readiness. “The military is much more technologically sophisticated now,” Barnett tells National Public Radio.  “We need people who can operate complex sensor systems, weapons systems, aircrafts, nuclear reactors.” (Read the story l Listen to the story)

A recent report from The Education Trust — “Shut Out of the Military” – examines the problem from another angle. It looks at young people, age 17-20, who have graduated from high school and want to join the U.S. Army. Almost one-quarter (23%) fail the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery exam. “If kids aren’t ready for jobs in the Army, they also aren’t ready for jobs in the civilian workforce,” Education Trust Vice President Amy Wilkins tells NPR.