Posted on Aug 18, 2015
"Ben Bernanke: Being In the Military Won’t Actually Help You in the Real World"
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From: Foreign Policy
The U.S. military has spent tens of millions of dollars on TV advertising promoting the armed forces as a great way to acquire skills and training that will pay dividends in the private sector. But on Monday, one of the country’s most respected observers of the U.S. labor force, former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, directly contradicted that message.
“The evidence appears to be that there really is not an advantage,” Bernanke told a crowd at a Brookings Institution event in Washington. “If you go into the military at age 18 — versus an identical person who stays in the private sector and takes a private sector job — 10 years later, if you leave the military, your skills and wages are probably not going to be quite as high on average as the private sector person.”
Bernanke specifically called out the U.S. Army for using misleading advertising and noted that for veterans who left the military after 2001, the unemployment rate is just above 7 percent, as opposed to the national average of 5.3 percent.
“The military takes our younger people and uses them for good purposes, but it’s not really adding much to the private sector through training or other experience,” Bernanke said.
The remarks have already drawn heavy fire from veterans who say the renowned economist, widely credited for leading the Fed out of the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression, is wrong on the facts.
“I am not sure where Mr. Bernanke got his information, but the current numbers just don’t reflect saying military service does not help you succeed in the private sector,” said Fred Wellman, a 22-year Army veteran and CEO of ScoutComms, a veteran-focused advocacy firm. “The most current surveys show that veterans are far more likely to be employed than non-veterans and earn higher median incomes in those jobs.”
Frustrated by the claim, Wellman added that Bernanke’s remarks were “just another example of the civil-military divide, wherein Americans have ill-informed or dated views of what veterans bring to our country.”
Phil Carter, an Army vet who served in Iraq and is now a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, says the reality is more complicated than both sides are letting on.
According to surveys and data from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Wellman is correct that the total unemployment rate for veterans overall is lower than for the general public. However, Bernanke is also correct that post-9/11 veterans, specifically, have a higher unemployment rate than non-veterans when adjusting for demographic differences.
Carter said that an important factor is that veterans who served prior to 9/11 — predominantly white males — tend to do well in the private sector and are beating the national average for unemployment by a significant margin, a fact that distorts the average.
However, he also pushed back against Bernanke, noting that post-9/11 veterans won’t immediately see a benefit from military service due to the time it takes to readjust to private sector work. But, he said, those skills do pay off over time — which will be reflected in future surveys.
“It takes time for veterans to catch up, but the data show that they do catch up and, in many ways, surpass their peers over time,” he said.
Ultimately though, Carter acknowledged that Bernanke’s contention is a sensitive one because it threatens the entire premise of America’s modern military. “Bernanke’s speaking a very uncomfortable truth that goes to the core of the all-volunteer force,” said Carter. “The whole idea is it can recruit people by saying, ‘You’ll serve your country and be better off afterwards,’” he said. “Bernanke’s comments suggest that might not be true, and that’s a big problem for the all-volunteer force.”
https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/08/17/ben-bernanke-being-in-the-military-wont-actually-help-you-in-the-real-world/
The U.S. military has spent tens of millions of dollars on TV advertising promoting the armed forces as a great way to acquire skills and training that will pay dividends in the private sector. But on Monday, one of the country’s most respected observers of the U.S. labor force, former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, directly contradicted that message.
“The evidence appears to be that there really is not an advantage,” Bernanke told a crowd at a Brookings Institution event in Washington. “If you go into the military at age 18 — versus an identical person who stays in the private sector and takes a private sector job — 10 years later, if you leave the military, your skills and wages are probably not going to be quite as high on average as the private sector person.”
Bernanke specifically called out the U.S. Army for using misleading advertising and noted that for veterans who left the military after 2001, the unemployment rate is just above 7 percent, as opposed to the national average of 5.3 percent.
“The military takes our younger people and uses them for good purposes, but it’s not really adding much to the private sector through training or other experience,” Bernanke said.
The remarks have already drawn heavy fire from veterans who say the renowned economist, widely credited for leading the Fed out of the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression, is wrong on the facts.
“I am not sure where Mr. Bernanke got his information, but the current numbers just don’t reflect saying military service does not help you succeed in the private sector,” said Fred Wellman, a 22-year Army veteran and CEO of ScoutComms, a veteran-focused advocacy firm. “The most current surveys show that veterans are far more likely to be employed than non-veterans and earn higher median incomes in those jobs.”
Frustrated by the claim, Wellman added that Bernanke’s remarks were “just another example of the civil-military divide, wherein Americans have ill-informed or dated views of what veterans bring to our country.”
Phil Carter, an Army vet who served in Iraq and is now a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, says the reality is more complicated than both sides are letting on.
According to surveys and data from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Wellman is correct that the total unemployment rate for veterans overall is lower than for the general public. However, Bernanke is also correct that post-9/11 veterans, specifically, have a higher unemployment rate than non-veterans when adjusting for demographic differences.
Carter said that an important factor is that veterans who served prior to 9/11 — predominantly white males — tend to do well in the private sector and are beating the national average for unemployment by a significant margin, a fact that distorts the average.
However, he also pushed back against Bernanke, noting that post-9/11 veterans won’t immediately see a benefit from military service due to the time it takes to readjust to private sector work. But, he said, those skills do pay off over time — which will be reflected in future surveys.
“It takes time for veterans to catch up, but the data show that they do catch up and, in many ways, surpass their peers over time,” he said.
Ultimately though, Carter acknowledged that Bernanke’s contention is a sensitive one because it threatens the entire premise of America’s modern military. “Bernanke’s speaking a very uncomfortable truth that goes to the core of the all-volunteer force,” said Carter. “The whole idea is it can recruit people by saying, ‘You’ll serve your country and be better off afterwards,’” he said. “Bernanke’s comments suggest that might not be true, and that’s a big problem for the all-volunteer force.”
https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/08/17/ben-bernanke-being-in-the-military-wont-actually-help-you-in-the-real-world/
Posted in these groups: 
Military Life
Civilian Career
Military Life Civilian Career
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 33
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This is because a whole lot of Soldiers get out and claim unemployment for a few months to chill out and take there time looking for a job.
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Bernanke is a moron. One has to wonder where this buffoon gets his information, who the people are who gather the data, and why they are compiling information which provides this man from being so narrow-minded and biased. I can't tell you how many Veterans and military personnel I talk to each day at the VA Med. Cntr, where my Advocacy Office for MOPH is located. There are so many living examples of how military service IS beneficial, not only to these Veterans, but to their families and their communities. Perhaps Mr. Bernanke should either a) completely Retire and withdraw from the public view, or b) actually make time to visit military communities, VA facilities, and community groups all over the country to rely on empirical fact, straight "from the horses' mouth." No wonder the Federal Reserve is as despised as it is, this man obviously did nothing to embellish or improve the character and or function of a governmental entity (even though it really ISN'T a part of the federal government....).
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I think he's missing the life skills (teamwork, discipline, leadership, etc.) that most vets take away from the military. Those skills might not translate directly to a higher salary right away, but they make a better employee. That, to me, is a major benefit of having served in the military.
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I just like how everyone here defaults to this being some sort of insult to service members instead of a criticism against the military's advertising campaign. "Transferable skills" aren't worth what they used to be and a college degree is the new High School diploma. A great number of companies could give a crap about your military experience or veteran status.
People who stay civilian have a leg up. At first.The last guy in the interview has a great point - Bernanke's right, but it's the long game that matters. We don't quite know what that looks like for GWOT vets yet, but historically, vets will do better.
People who stay civilian have a leg up. At first.The last guy in the interview has a great point - Bernanke's right, but it's the long game that matters. We don't quite know what that looks like for GWOT vets yet, but historically, vets will do better.
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Not usually sure how this really matters. He is a bureaucrat. Just saying more useless stuff like the rest.
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The military has such a diverse range of jobs for both enlisted and officers that you cannot generalize this like he seems to do. I know from my personal experience that this is not necessarily true. I left active duty as an Infantry officer in 1996 after not being selected for promotion to Major. A couple of months later, I started working as a station manager for Hertz Corporation at Chicago-O'Hare, the 4th largest rental car operation in the company. 8 months later, I was promoted to Senior Station Manager and ran several of the departments. When I left there 11 years later, I was the Operations Manager (#2) of the location. I was promoted because I knew how to lead and manage people in a very dynamic environment. That came from being in the Army. One of my best managers there was a former enlisted Marine. I enjoyed working with him because he knew that the mission came first (in this case, it was staying until business allowed us to leave). Most of the other non-military managers did not have that same attitude.
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I know I've struggled to get a job after military service, but that's a by-product of me going back to school and trying to get myself into the sports industry. Unfortunately, that is a tough road to walk as many institutions dedicated to certifying people in that field aren't veteran friendly. By that I mean they don't accept the GI Bill to cover cost of training /courses. However, the military does a lot for its members in getting them ready with skills. Military police, medical personnel, pilots, mechanics and others all get valuable skills needed to succeed in the post-military life. It's up to the service member on what direction to take.
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Im living proof that Bernanke full-o'-the-Crap.
Always simple to make a complaint, difficult to find a solution.
He looks and sounds like a Govt douche-canoe anyway.
Always simple to make a complaint, difficult to find a solution.
He looks and sounds like a Govt douche-canoe anyway.
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