The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a new report that the Department of Defense (DoD) needs to take action to improve its workforce planning in quantum computing across its research facilities.
The Dec. 5 report looks at how different DoD laboratories have been implementing strategic workforce planning initiatives to meet the needs of an expanding quantum computing field and maintain an advantage in the technology.
“The DoD has identified quantum science as one of 14 critical technology areas vital to maintaining U.S. national security. However, DOD faces challenges building its quantum workforce, such as difficulties recruiting highly specialized staff,” GAO said.
“To foster growth in this field, as well as other technology areas, DOD seeks to develop current and future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) talent by cultivating multiple pathways to DOD employment through STEM education programs,” the watchdog agency explained.
The report looks at the quantum workforce of four major DoD laboratories and found varying rates of adoption of five leading practices in strategic workforce planning.
“One laboratory fully adopted all five, while three laboratories conducted workforce planning that was aligned with most but not all leading practices,” GAO said.
“Three laboratories did not fully adopt the leading practice of monitoring and evaluating progress because their strategic workforce plans either did not have performance measures or inconsistently applied them,” GAO said. “One laboratory also did not fully adopt the leading practice of involving key stakeholders in workforce planning because it did not have a means to communicate its workforce goals, initiatives, and metrics for success.”
“Better workforce planning could help these laboratories build and retain the workforce needed to maintain global leadership in quantum technologies,” the agency said.
The report offers four recommendations, all of which the DoD concurred with.
- The Secretary of the Army should direct the Commander of Air Force Research Laboratory (ARL) to fully adopt the leading practice of monitoring and evaluating progress toward human capital goals and programmatic results by developing performance measures tailored to its mission needs.
- The Secretary of the Navy should direct the Commander of Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific to fully adopt the leading practice of monitoring and evaluating progress toward human capital goals and programmatic results by developing performance measures for evaluating success across the center.
- The Navy Secretary should direct the Commander of Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) to fully adopt the leading practice of involving top management, employees, and other stakeholders in workforce planning by developing and implementing an enterprise-wide strategic workforce plan.
- The NRL commander should work to fully adopt the leading practice of monitoring and evaluating progress toward human capital goals and programmatic results by developing performance measures for evaluating success.
