Pentagon chief announces measures to improve quality of life for military
Source: Yahoo! News / Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday announced a series of measures aimed at improving the quality of life for those serving in the U.S. military, including a doubling of maternity leave for most personnel to 12 weeks.
Carter said the all-volunteer military is primarily a married force, and making it more family-friendly and responsive to the changing needs of a new generation would allow it to attract and retain the best talent available.
"We are not Google, we are not Walmart - we are war-fighters. But that doesn't mean we should not be challenging ourselves just like the private sector to modernize our workplace and workforce," the secretary told reporters at the Pentagon.
Women make up about 15 percent of the U.S. military, and thousands of women have served alongside men in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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