Recruitment and Retention Strategy: Endogenous Constraints, Exogenous Imperatives

Recruitment and retention strategy is driven by a complement of endogenous constraints and exogenous imperatives. Confronted with population aging and unprecedented and enduring fiscal austerity, staffing priorities among many armed forces of the world's advanced industrialized democracies seem to be driven increasingly by the bottom line instead of a view toward the future security environment. This study takes a demographic approach to the integration of military, political, and economic means in pursuit of states’ ultimate objectives in the international system. Similar to the youthful populations, rapid development, and urbanization that characterized the first half of the 19th century, demographic developments of the 21st century are raising the specter of systemic disorder, civil war, and political instability (Evans, 2009; Goldstone, 1993; Nichiporuk, 2000; Tam & Hoffman, 1994). Indeed, a recent intelligence forecast cautioned that “lagging economies, ethnic affiliations, intense religious convictions, and youth bulges will align to create a ‘perfect storm’ for internal conflict” in the near future ( National Intelligence Council, 2004 , p. 97). Factoring these developments into recruitment and retention strategy has significant implications for strategic posture.