DoD is exploring what options it has within the law through its Force of the Future initiatives. It’s creating programs through which service members can work in the private sector to gain experience and then come back into the military.
The services also have implemented pilot programs that let soldiers take time off for graduate school or to have a child. When they return, they will be assessed by the promotion boards from the year their hiatus began instead of counting the years of nonmilitary work against them.