Now that Congress has updated military retirement benefits to be closer to private-sector offerings, outside experts are hoping lawmakers will do the same for the armed services' promotion and personnel systems.

"This is not about one particular constraint, it's about the idea that everyone's (military) career should look the same," former Defense Undersecretary for Personnel David Chu told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday.

"We're grooming all our officers to be chief of staff," Chus aid. "They're not all going to do that. But many are looking for a career in middle management that they can perform for a long period of time."

Wednesday's hearing is part of a larger effort by the committee to consider holistic reforms throughout the Defense Department, including talking to internal and external experts about ways to improve acquisition, readiness and fiscal responsibility.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the committee's chairman, said the personnel reform issue hits all of those other areas.

"The question is whether our military is able to recruit and retain so many excellent Americans because of its personnel system, or in spite of it," McCain said. "I am concerned that, all too often, it is the latter."

Former defense officials testifying Wednesday said the military's decades-old promotion and assignment systems are well overdue for an update. Forcing out talented individuals too early leaves offices without experienced leaders. Letting others stay too long stifles innovation and productivity.

The solution, Chu and others said, is to move away from the Pentagon's one-size-fits-all model for promotions and recruiting.

"We need to manage individual careers that make sense for each career," said Bernard Rostker, who preceded Chu in the Pentagon personnel role. "We need to tell manager of each department that each of these groups should have a career structure that makes sense for that group."

That could mean lifting mandatory retirement rules for experienced acquisition officers, Rostker said, and allowing some midcareer specialists to stay in place even without rank advancement. It could also mean quicker outprocessing for certain combat posts, where youth and fitness are a higher priority than experience.

The services already do some of that, in medical and supply specialties. "There are other ways to do this," Chu said. "They aren't being used aggressively."

Defense Secretary Ash Carter has hinted at such plans with his "Force of the Future" initiatives, but lawmakers say they worry that those proposed changes don't go far enough to shape the force to be prepared for future threats.

Former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead testifies about personnel reform before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, December 2, 2015.

Retired Adm. Gary Roughead, former chief of naval operations, speaks before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Photo Credit: Mike Morones/Staff

Fellowships and sabbaticals outside the military bring new ideas into the ranks, said former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead. But such plans are ideal only in specific circumstances, and don't provide real reform in the military's archaic career structure.

He said military leaders need to find ways to value skill over longevity and "give people latitude to make mistakes," two philosophies that aren't supported by the current rigid military promotion system.

Both lawmakers and the experts acknowledged that diagnosing the problem is easier than developing long-term solutions. But they said military leaders need to keep having those discussions to prevent making an already difficult recruiting job even harder, and to keep skills critical to national security from being dominated by private sector companies.

Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.

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