AmeriCorps and the Department of Defense Forge a Partnership

AmeriCorps

WASHINGTON, DC (News Release) – AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Department of Defense. The memorandum will provide information and access to service opportunities in AmeriCorps NCCC for individuals not eligible or selected for military service. This effort builds upon a previous agreement between the two organizations that ended in 2013.

AmeriCorps joins the Department of Defense to support shared national service goals.

“I am proud AmeriCorps NCCC is re-establishing a previous partnership with the Department of Defense to enhance both agencies’ ability to recruit members and build upon national service activities,” said Michael D. Smith, CEO, AmeriCorps. “Together, we will strengthen AmeriCorps NCCC and the Department of Defense and bring more people into service. Through this partnership, the Department of Defense’s Military Department and Services are encouraged to enter into agreements that support AmeriCorps NCCC through technical assistance and provide guidance and training to enhance the development and implementation of service activities.”

“Service is service in all its forms, and this partnership is a critical step toward exposing young people to a variety of service pathways,” said Shawn G. Skelly, who is Performing the Duties of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. “When the military is not the right path for someone, they still have many opportunities to give back. We look forward to working with AmeriCorps NCCC to ensure these individuals can explore other rewarding and valuable opportunities to serve.”

As part of this memorandum of understanding, the DOD’s Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness is responsible for coordinating AmeriCorps NCCC’s requests for logistical and recruitment support and collaborates with military branches for teams serving in communities.

This memorandum of understanding renews a commitment between the two agencies to work collectively to advance the ethos of service in America. The most recent memorandum was in place from 2008 through 2013. In 2017, after the previous memorandum had expired, the National Commission on Military, National and Public Service was charged with “conducting a review of the military selective service process and considering methods to increase participation in military, national and public service to address national security and other public service needs of the Nation.” In 2020, the Commission published its report, which included recommendation number 30(a), which was for Congress to “require the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the CEO of [AmeriCorps] and the Director of the Peace Corps, to develop and provide the Armed Services Committees a plan for providing ineligible or non-selected applicants with information about other forms of service.” Skelly, a Navy veteran, civil servant, and member of the Commission, was one of the signers of this memorandum.

“AmeriCorps NCCC is honored to formally reestablish our collaboration with the Department of Defense,” said Ken Goodson, National Director, AmeriCorps NCCC. “This MOU represents both an opportunity to reconnect NCCC to our roots as a demonstration project at the Department of Defense, as well as to launch a new era of cooperation to bolster our ability to meet the most pressing needs of our nation. We are grateful to our partners in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, who worked collaboratively with us to make this renewed partnership possible.”

Since the first class of AmeriCorps members pledged to “get things done for America” nearly 30 years ago, more than 1.3 million Americans have served. Every year, thousands of AmeriCorps members prepare students for success, rebuild communities and revitalize cities, support veterans transitioning from military to civilian life, fight the opioid epidemic, preserve public lands, strengthen the workforce and so much more. AmeriCorps members who complete a full term of service earn a Segal Education Award. Since 1994, AmeriCorps members nationwide, in return for their service, have earned more than $4.8 billion in education scholarships.