According to Fierce Government IT, the academies cited the global demand for STEM talent as an obstacle to the Pentagon.
Nearly half of STEM-related doctoral degrees awarded in the U.S. are awarded go to non-U.S. citizens and one-third of them leave the country after graduating, the report says.who leave the country after graduation.
Report authors said the Defense Department needs to examine and possibly change its recruitment policies and review personnel requirements that may limit their pool of potential recruits, such as security clearances for some STEM-related positions.
Geoff Whiting reports the academies also recommended the department remove or reduce some clearance requirements to make non-U.S. citizens available for positions.
The H-1B visa system could also be modified to get more workers in areas such as cybersecurity, the report said.