On March 6th, 2024 President Biden signed Executive Order 14119: Scaling and Expanding the Use of Registered Apprenticeships in Industries and the Federal Government and Promoting Labor-Management Forums. This executive order (EO) announced the availability of nearly $200 million in grant money to support public-private partnerships that expand, diversify and strengthen Registered Apprenticeships (RAs), which are industry-vetted jobs training programs vetted by the Department of Labor (DOL) or a state labor agency. This is on top of the $440 million alreadyinvestedinto RAs to support job training in emerging American industries. This EO aims to expand RAs to new occupations and new populations of workers, namely people of color and women who have historically not had access to this opportunity. Additionally, the promotion of labor-management forums underscores a commitment to fostering collaboration between employers and workers, ensuring that apprenticeship programs align with industry needs and promote the interests of both parties.
DoD Labor Shortages
EO 14119 can have a significantly positive impact on defense. The EO orders the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and DOL to write a report in three months identifying ways the federal government itself canexpandits use of Registered Apprenticeships for training current employees and job candidates, encouraging agencies to include in job requirements RA program participation and incentives for on-the-job training. It is not insignificant that the federal government is the nation’s largest employer. There is a desperate need for the trades in the DoD. The EO highlights information technology, teaching, cybersecurity, healthcare, clean energy, hospitality and supply chain sectors. An under-discussed issue that military families face is lack of childcare; the waitlist for military families to access DoD child care is long. This puts a lot of stress on new families, particularly military spouses, and can interfere with servicemembers’ performance. A similar issue exists in the Military Health System. Many servicemen look to outside healthcare providers as fewer and fewer medical personnel and support staff (civilian or active duty) are available to give treatment. Expanding capacity will remedy both issues. Increasing the number of childcare workers, nurses, and counselors would drastically improve soldier quality of life.
Even more concerning are the labor market shortages that become national security liabilities. Logistics is of constant importance and can determine the outcome of battles before they begin. Increasing the number of diesel mechanics, avionics technicians, truck drivers, and distribution managers would be a short term fix for logistical issues faced by the military. Maintaining a forward defensive posture in Europe is crucial for the United States to continue to protect NATO countries and forward defensive posture is only possible through a robust logistical capability. Logistical problems abound in the Pacific as well: the U.S. Navy is evolving toward distributed maritime operations (DMO) to create overwhelming combat power in response to the near-peer adversaries in the Pacific. The Navy faces the unique challenge of using demand metrics based on analyses that are not comparable to expected demands in a Western Pacific conflict under DMO conditions. The most glaring need is for competent IT workers: there are close to 30,000 open cyber positions vacant in the national security infrastructure. It is no wonder why: in the IT sector, it is difficult for public sector compensation to compete with the private sector. Expansions to the United States Cyber Command and allowing computer science professionals to take part in the direct commission officer programs marginally help the problem but do not sufficiently expand capacity. Taking in civilian DoD employees who have done cyber RAs will result in an influx of young talent.
Skilled Trades and the DIB
Skilled trades play a critical role in the defense industrial base (DIB). The National Association of Manufacturers’ 2023 third quarter manufacturers’ outlook survey reports that about 75% of US manufacturers stated that their primary business challenge is attracting and retaining a quality workforce. The defense industry is struggling to attract talent, not just in college degree-holding engineers, but also technicians and manufacturers. The shortage of technicians may lead to increasedmaintenance costs and impact fleet expansion forecasts. As of March 2024, construction of the Block V version of the Virginia-class submarine is at least two years behind schedule because of workforce constraints, and the Constellation-class guided missile frigate will be one year late because of labor vacancies in Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard. Highly-specialized and niche skill sets like nuclear welding place a difficult burden on DIB because of how few people can do it despite but crucial it is to completing some contracts. It is a constant strategic challenge across the whole industry.
Expanding apprenticeship and other career-development initiatives is key to competing with near-peer competitors. According to the Shipbuilders Council of America, at least 18,000 and 25,000 additional workers are needed if the federal government wanted to build a 350-ship navy. When taking into account indirect roles and subcontracting companies, this number is bumped up to around 50,000 jobs. Example jobs include pipefitters, electricians, machinists, welders, plumbers, electricians, and even painters. These are good, union jobs with amazing pay and benefits. Furthermore, over the next decade, America’s submarineindustrial base will need to hire about 100,000 skilled tradespeople to meet the Navy’s growing demand for submarine construction through 2040. Regardless of appropriations, it is clear that the additional $200 million in grant money allocated to RAs will substantially increase America’s ship making capabilities. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, college enrollment has been steadily declining in the United States: undergraduate college enrollment dropped 8% from 2019 to 2022. It is very hard to get by with only a high school degree, but workers who complete a trade school or apprenticeship program have much higher earnings potential, so many in this cohort are pursuing them. Moreover, nearly 70% of the entire US workforce, (128 million workers) could stand to benefit from apprenticeships and on-the-job learning. With the Biden Administration emphasizing such programs, DIB can begin fixing its workforce issues by hiring from these newfound pool of candidates.
A National Security-Centered Industrial Policy
Expanding RAs should be taken as one piece of a wider effort. The past several years, the national security state has rightfully acknowledged the importance of industrial policy. The DoD describes in its industrial strategy that workforce readiness is of primary concern amid acknowledges that “apprenticeship programs, including those that collaborate with federal facilities (e.g., Oak Ridge National Laboratory), ensure that workers learn high-demand skills through hands-on experience and training.” Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Dr. William A. LaPlante, describes how “The NDIS recognizes that America’seconomicsecurity and national security are mutually reinforcing and, ultimately the nation’s military strength cannot be untethered from our overall industrial strength. I couldn’t agree more.
The Biden Administration certainly did not have national security at front of mind when issuing this directive. The vast majority of Registered Apprenticeship participants who complete their program retain employment after the program is over, and have an average starting salary north of $80,000. They wanted to help ordinary Americans achieve prosperity. This does not mean that there are not positive downstream effects of this policy in defense. OPM and DOL need to understand the labor needs of DoD and contractors and highlight them in the upcoming report on RAs. Doing so will help us meet the national security needs of the country.
Nicholas Weising is a senior in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University. He is an alumnus of the CMS Nimitz Internship Program. His primary interests include national security, defense industrial policy, and labor relations.
The views expressed in this piece are the sole opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Center for Maritime Strategy or other institutions listed.
Center for Maritime Strategy
By Nicholas Weising
On March 6th, 2024 President Biden signed Executive Order 14119: Scaling and Expanding the Use of Registered Apprenticeships in Industries and the Federal Government and Promoting Labor-Management Forums. This executive order (EO) announced the availability of nearly $200 million in grant money to support public-private partnerships that expand, diversify and strengthen Registered Apprenticeships (RAs), which are industry-vetted jobs training programs vetted by the Department of Labor (DOL) or a state labor agency. This is on top of the $440 million already invested into RAs to support job training in emerging American industries. This EO aims to expand RAs to new occupations and new populations of workers, namely people of color and women who have historically not had access to this opportunity. Additionally, the promotion of labor-management forums underscores a commitment to fostering collaboration between employers and workers, ensuring that apprenticeship programs align with industry needs and promote the interests of both parties.
DoD Labor Shortages
EO 14119 can have a significantly positive impact on defense. The EO orders the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and DOL to write a report in three months identifying ways the federal government itself can expand its use of Registered Apprenticeships for training current employees and job candidates, encouraging agencies to include in job requirements RA program participation and incentives for on-the-job training. It is not insignificant that the federal government is the nation’s largest employer. There is a desperate need for the trades in the DoD. The EO highlights information technology, teaching, cybersecurity, healthcare, clean energy, hospitality and supply chain sectors. An under-discussed issue that military families face is lack of childcare; the waitlist for military families to access DoD child care is long. This puts a lot of stress on new families, particularly military spouses, and can interfere with servicemembers’ performance. A similar issue exists in the Military Health System. Many servicemen look to outside healthcare providers as fewer and fewer medical personnel and support staff (civilian or active duty) are available to give treatment. Expanding capacity will remedy both issues. Increasing the number of childcare workers, nurses, and counselors would drastically improve soldier quality of life.
Even more concerning are the labor market shortages that become national security liabilities. Logistics is of constant importance and can determine the outcome of battles before they begin. Increasing the number of diesel mechanics, avionics technicians, truck drivers, and distribution managers would be a short term fix for logistical issues faced by the military. Maintaining a forward defensive posture in Europe is crucial for the United States to continue to protect NATO countries and forward defensive posture is only possible through a robust logistical capability. Logistical problems abound in the Pacific as well: the U.S. Navy is evolving toward distributed maritime operations (DMO) to create overwhelming combat power in response to the near-peer adversaries in the Pacific. The Navy faces the unique challenge of using demand metrics based on analyses that are not comparable to expected demands in a Western Pacific conflict under DMO conditions. The most glaring need is for competent IT workers: there are close to 30,000 open cyber positions vacant in the national security infrastructure. It is no wonder why: in the IT sector, it is difficult for public sector compensation to compete with the private sector. Expansions to the United States Cyber Command and allowing computer science professionals to take part in the direct commission officer programs marginally help the problem but do not sufficiently expand capacity. Taking in civilian DoD employees who have done cyber RAs will result in an influx of young talent.
Skilled Trades and the DIB
Skilled trades play a critical role in the defense industrial base (DIB). The National Association of Manufacturers’ 2023 third quarter manufacturers’ outlook survey reports that about 75% of US manufacturers stated that their primary business challenge is attracting and retaining a quality workforce. The defense industry is struggling to attract talent, not just in college degree-holding engineers, but also technicians and manufacturers. The shortage of technicians may lead to increased maintenance costs and impact fleet expansion forecasts. As of March 2024, construction of the Block V version of the Virginia-class submarine is at least two years behind schedule because of workforce constraints, and the Constellation-class guided missile frigate will be one year late because of labor vacancies in Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard. Highly-specialized and niche skill sets like nuclear welding place a difficult burden on DIB because of how few people can do it despite but crucial it is to completing some contracts. It is a constant strategic challenge across the whole industry.
Expanding apprenticeship and other career-development initiatives is key to competing with near-peer competitors. According to the Shipbuilders Council of America, at least 18,000 and 25,000 additional workers are needed if the federal government wanted to build a 350-ship navy. When taking into account indirect roles and subcontracting companies, this number is bumped up to around 50,000 jobs. Example jobs include pipefitters, electricians, machinists, welders, plumbers, electricians, and even painters. These are good, union jobs with amazing pay and benefits. Furthermore, over the next decade, America’s submarine industrial base will need to hire about 100,000 skilled tradespeople to meet the Navy’s growing demand for submarine construction through 2040. Regardless of appropriations, it is clear that the additional $200 million in grant money allocated to RAs will substantially increase America’s ship making capabilities. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, college enrollment has been steadily declining in the United States: undergraduate college enrollment dropped 8% from 2019 to 2022. It is very hard to get by with only a high school degree, but workers who complete a trade school or apprenticeship program have much higher earnings potential, so many in this cohort are pursuing them. Moreover, nearly 70% of the entire US workforce, (128 million workers) could stand to benefit from apprenticeships and on-the-job learning. With the Biden Administration emphasizing such programs, DIB can begin fixing its workforce issues by hiring from these newfound pool of candidates.
A National Security-Centered Industrial Policy
Expanding RAs should be taken as one piece of a wider effort. The past several years, the national security state has rightfully acknowledged the importance of industrial policy. The DoD describes in its industrial strategy that workforce readiness is of primary concern amid acknowledges that “apprenticeship programs, including those that collaborate with federal facilities (e.g., Oak Ridge National Laboratory), ensure that workers learn high-demand skills through hands-on experience and training.” Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Dr. William A. LaPlante, describes how “The NDIS recognizes that America’s economic security and national security are mutually reinforcing and, ultimately the nation’s military strength cannot be untethered from our overall industrial strength. I couldn’t agree more.
The Biden Administration certainly did not have national security at front of mind when issuing this directive. The vast majority of Registered Apprenticeship participants who complete their program retain employment after the program is over, and have an average starting salary north of $80,000. They wanted to help ordinary Americans achieve prosperity. This does not mean that there are not positive downstream effects of this policy in defense. OPM and DOL need to understand the labor needs of DoD and contractors and highlight them in the upcoming report on RAs. Doing so will help us meet the national security needs of the country.
Nicholas Weising is a senior in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University. He is an alumnus of the CMS Nimitz Internship Program. His primary interests include national security, defense industrial policy, and labor relations.
The views expressed in this piece are the sole opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Center for Maritime Strategy or other institutions listed.