Introduction
Strategic human capital refers to a scholarship that associates human resource management, organizational behavior, strategic management, and research aspects to the human capital experience. This situation aims at explaining the cross-firm variance performance through the assessment of firms and the encompassing individuals. Additionally, national security refers to the nation’s safety against threats entailing war and terrorism. This paper focuses on strategic human capital and its relationship to national security and surge.
Importance and Relationship of Human Capital as it relates to National Security
National Security and its Dependence Human Capital
National security ensures people’s protection by maintaining the states’ survival through diplomacy, economic and political power. The geographical aspects are key in the national security planning and decision making abilities encompassing geopolitics theories, cartographic science and arts. National security in the 21st century requires human resource management to recruit and sustain a talented workforce for effective performance. This situation requires more investment in the recruitment of qualified personnel and training programs that foster productivity. Inadequate investment in human capital adversely affects national security.
Increasing Human Capital “stock” promotes the effectiveness of military power and enhances economic growth. The situation implicates that the country’s investment in human capital through education expenditures in the current progression later translates to productivity. Additionally, theoretical perspectives regarding the human capital theory indicate that an increase in expenditure is likely to decline the current civilian services but has attributes in future successes.
Education Promotes Economic Prosperity, Global Position, and Physical Safety
The United States needs to invest in education to realize future economic stability, sustain the global position and ensure physical safety. The progression entails the nation’s examination of the disparities in the K-12 education system and suggestions of reformation that contribute to future achievement. The education system disparities depict the students in urban centers originating from low-income homes experiencing inadequate learning resources while at school. This situation implicates that learning institutions in poor neighborhoods lack adequate resources that promote equality in education, which risks the nation’s economic prosperity. The education sector’s reformation should focus on equity in schooling achievement through resource allocation and improvement of its infrastructure.
Lack of investment in education results in an under-educated population which encompasses adverse effects to the nation. An under-educated population affects the nation’s global positioning in the political and economic aspects. These individuals cannot critically think about future challenges and make intelligent decisions. In the current progression, the nations compete for economic dominance, and the more educated countries produce innovative workers who realize higher productivity. Additionally, a skilled workforce in the country attracts higher salaried jobs in developing industries.
Inadequate funding of the education sector results in a lack of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) personnel. This situation affects the national defense department, heavily relying on technological advancements such as hypersonic weapons, cyber, robots, and Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). Additionally, the STEM personnel contributes to understanding scientific and engineering knowledge essential for military materials’ producers and users. The knowledge is also vital for the future generation of warfighters. For the United States to maintain its military power superiority, particularly against China, it should invest in the STEM learning progression. Lack of STEM personnel is likely to result in dependency on Foreign Service, risking the nation’s safety.
Economic Growth and Trade-Off Capital Structure
Economic growth is an essential element in national security. A country realizes economic growth through human capital improvements. National security is an economic issue, and government progression is likely to highly invest in the defense sector through material and human resources. This situation incorporates the political aspects, economic evaluation, and public opinion. Basing on the democratic theory, leadership advancement entails public view and the governments in the policy generation. Studies regarding the relationship between the economic and political association indicate that the political perspectives influence the public’s inclination to particular policies that enhance military funding. The progression contributes to a vibrant, growing economy that provides jobs for American Citizens, a great opportunity in the economic growth enhancement that promotes national security.5 Additionally, technological and engineering skills ensure military benefits due to advanced weaponry and infrastructure security.
Economic instability is a threat to national security because it affects the most important aspects of the country. Through trade-offs in capital structure, the government ensures a balance in in costs and benefits as it enhances debt and equity finances in human resources and military service. The financial achievement reflects in the nation’s ability to support and maintain military power, which is responsible for countering all internal and external threats, including war and terrorism. It ensures the installation of homeland security. Economic instability affects all the efforts geared towards securing the nation posing risks to the safety level.
Economic distribution, education, and equality contribute to the flourishing of the industrial base. This situation results in the lack of trade-skill workers as all the efforts focus on large-scale goods produced in factories and processing plants. The progression depicts most citizens who acquire education focusing on the prestigious positions in the employment sector while sidelining trading skills due to the social pressure and the developed worker culture. Studies indicate that most individuals view some trade skills such as carpentry and plumping as an occupation for the school dropouts.
Immigrants, International Students, and Skilled Migrants
The United States relies on foreign skills and talents in national security achievements. Many international students and skilled migrants to the United States are attracted to their values, freedoms, and opportunities. The United States offers exciting opportunities to immigrants and international students to better themselves and incorporate it into American society. As the nation integrates the skilled immigrant, they, in turn, contribute to the transformation and building of the economy and the ever-changing culture.
International students and skilled immigrants create an opportunity for the U.S to enhance specialized areas such as STEM. Studies indicate that immigrants in the United States hold a disproportionate share of STEM occupations, implicating their importance in maintaining the country’s preeminence in industrial STEM occupation in the employment sector. Research indicates that most foreign-born employees with advanced degrees in the United States ensured their higher learning in the nation. After schooling completion, the graduates chose to remain in America instead of returning to their home countries.
America’s stipulation of security requirements and immigration laws, VISA requirement are political aspects that often reduce U.S. capacity to benefit foreign workers. The political progression explanation on the strict measures for immigrants entail arguments in the American’s loss of a job to foreigners. This progression limits skilled workers’ immigration to the nation, contributing to the nation’s vibrant economic growth and national security.
The strict policies in the immigration department result from the view of migrants as a threat to national security. This situation explains the illegal migrants at the border who ensure terrorist attacks on the country. Without strict measures, illegal migrants can easily slip into the country unnoticed and cause security challenges. The situation outweighs the immigration cost in the progression, resulting in an influx in the nation’s economic advancement.
Emerging Technology
The emerging technology in the global world requires a more STEM-trained population. STEM is essential as it impacts individuals with skills that promote their employability chances in the new labor market. All the STEM components entail valuable contributions to the education aspects.
Lack of appropriately skilled workers presents challenges in an era of cybersecurity threats, space, and artificial intelligence. A.I. is a rapidly growing aspect in the technological world that implies national security. The United States has applied A.I. in numerous military functions, and the situation requires more skilled workers in the field. Technological progression ensures that the country adopts the most innovative aspects of A.I. applications in military functioning. The commercial sector also indicates a high A.I. adoption rate, and this situation affects its balancing with the military field. The nation’s perspectives in technology application entail preference to the defense system, ensuring the need for policy regulations regarding the application in the military and commercial sectors.
Technological advancements also increase the rates of cybersecurity attacks which always encompass grievous and disastrous effects. Cyberspace allows individuals to carry out malicious intents by utilizing unique emerging technologies’ unique characteristics or exploiting existing vulnerabilities. Skilled workers help in the identification and prevention of related technological threats to national security.
Ineligibility of Young Americans to Serve in the Military
The ineligibility of young Americans to serve in the Military leads to staffing shortages. The situation also compromises National Security due to the lack of proper manning of the U.S. military. Studies indicate that 71% of the youths between 17 to 24 years cannot join the Military due to the inability to meet the stipulated standards. These youths are either too overweight, poorly educated, or entail a criminal offense record. The sector could lower the standard requirements, but doing so will jeopardize the military functioning ability. For instance, the military industry spends more money annually on treating the obese workforce and replacing unfit individuals.
Another reason for military power shortages emanates from young Americans’ unwillingness to serve in an All-Volunteer Force. Service in the military sector depends on the young men’s willingness through voluntary national protection progression. The nation’s anticipation for reduced volunteer entry involves the increase of bonuses in the different military areas, though there is a likelihood for a turnout of qualified individuals. Research indicates that some retired older groups depict willingness but are unable to serve in the Military.
National security as a public good, which ensures benefit to all citizens, entails an undersupply. National security depicts two distinct characteristics of a public good. The first characteristic is non-excludable. This aspect indicates that national security is costly, and it is impossible to exclude a person from its service. Additionally, the national defense protects all the citizens, including those who disagree with its stipulated policies. The second characteristic indicates that national security is non-rivalrous, which implies that two people can simultaneously benefit from the service. Additionally, a person benefiting from the national defense does not prevent another one from getting the service. The distinct characteristics indicate the challenge in marketing national defense’s consumption.
Surge and Mobilization Considerations In Policy Recommendations
Surge refers to a sudden increase or abnormal value generation. The surge tends to involve emergencies in disaster form and disease outbreaks and war progression that depict influx disrupting the daily operations at the national level. The situation requires a surge capacity functioning that plans on disaster emergency preparedness and response. Mobilization refers to the organization of the national resources that support the defense system for security purposes. The national mobilization depends on several factors such as estimations of a time requirement, the allies’ strength, and foreign policies.
Recommendations such as the nation generating personnel to deal with pandemic and national emergencies through intrinsic intergovernmental and cross-sectional policy implementation are essential in ensuring safety in the country. This progression entails the formation of a surge committee that ensures early planning and preparation for disasters. Also the government should fund the coordination and evaluation in the surge committee planning. The cross-sectional operation requires the human resource and the government initiatives in the workforce mobilization in handling the emergency issues. Additionally, the American nation faces threats from other countries such as Russia and China pandemics the incline to similar core interests in the commercial sector. U.S. policy makers must establish mobilization strategies that improve its ability in warfare. Additionally, national emergencies require outside funding and government structures that guide and support various jurisdictions in the mitigation process.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States government responds to the situation by prioritizing preparedness through investment. The government creates a healthy coordination committee that mobilizes the pandemic response in various sectors. During the WWII United States prepared for warfare through workforce mobilization in weapon generation and investment in lend and lease programs with the Soviet Union and England. The nation also increased the military workforce to reinforce defense.
During the mobilizations, the nation experiences manufacturing gaps due to the inability to understand the demand requirements. Pandemics also impact the labor sector generating shortfalls, as unemployment hits many people. The American government should venture into military expansion programs and modernization to keep up with the global world’s ever-changing competition strategies.
Human capital mobilization is strategic, planned, purposeful activity that achieves defined outcomes. The activity should forge towards mitigating the surging situations during emergencies. Human capital mobilization encompasses a workforce with various abilities, knowledge, and qualifications that target particular national security goals.
Conclusion
In conclusion, strategic human capital is essential in national security and mobilization. National security depends on human capital for a successful operation in the defense system. This situation implies the requirement to invest in human capital for future benefits. Investment in the education sector entails disparity elimination and emphasis on the STEM system. National security relies on economic growth to ensure stability. Economic instability adversely affects the national defense system. The United States depends on international students and skilled immigrants to contribute to the nation’s human capital. These groups promote STEM education, which ensures skills for national security. The emerging technologies require a high inclination in the STEM education system. This progression requires the nation to invest in skill attainment to manage emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity threats. The national military service depicts workforce shortages due to the ineligibility of young people to join. Lastly, human capital has a role in mobilization during pandemics and national emergencies. Human capital mobilization achieves defined outcomes through strategic planning and purposeful progression.
Bibliography
Asghari, Maryam. “National Security and Economic Growth.” Iranian Economic Review 21, no. 4 (2017): 905-924.
Gillies, Donald. “Human capital theory in education.” Encyclopedia of educational philosophy and theory (2017): 1-5.
Linkov, Igor, Benjamin D. Trump, Elke Anklam, David Berube, Patrick Boisseasu, Christopher Cummings, Scott Ferson et al. “Comparative, collaborative, and integrative risk governance for emerging technologies.” Environment Systems and Decisions 38, no. 2 (2018): 170-176.
Mc Carthy, Ultan, Ismail Uysal, Ricardo Badia-Melis, Samuel Mercier, Colm O’Donnell, and Anastasia Ktenioudaki. “Global food security–Issues, challenges, and technological solutions.” Trends in Food Science & Technology 77 (2018): 11-20.
Sá, Creso M., and Emma Sabzalieva. “The politics of the great brain race: Public policy and international student recruitment in Australia, Canada, England, and the USA.” Higher Education 75, no. 2 (2018): 231-253.
Sasangohar, Farzan, Jason Moats, Ranjana Mehta, and S. Camille Peres. “Disaster ergonomics: human factors in COVID-19 pandemic emergency management.” Human factors 62, no. 7 (2020): 1061-1068.
Spoehr, Thomas, and Bridget Handy. “The looming national security crisis: young Americans unable to serve in the military.” Backgrounder 3282 (2018): 1-10