We recently released a new report examining the persistent challenges facing veteran transition services and outlining a path forward to improve how these programs are delivered, monitored, and evaluated. The report emphasizes the need for targeted, customized support—especially for enlisted service members who often face the greatest difficulty reentering civilian life. These are matters of fairness and conscience but they are also critical to maintaining the military strength that helps guarantee national security.

Since 9/11 and throughout the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the federal government—on a bipartisan basis—has provided some of the most generous veterans benefits in American history. These efforts reflect a deep national commitment to those who have worn the uniform. But generous funding alone does not guarantee meaningful results.

What remains missing is a clear, data-driven assessment of whether these programs are truly meeting their intended goals. Have they improved post-service outcomes for servicemembers in the ways their advocates claim? Are we delivering the returns our veterans deserve—and the public expects—for the dollars invested in their reintegration?

This uncertainty poses risks not only to individual veterans who sometimes fail to flourish after their exit from the armed services, but also to the long-term health of the all-volunteer force (AVF) itself.

We are currently facing the most serious recruiting crisis since the AVF’s inception in 1973. According to the US Department of Defense, fewer than one in four age-eligible young adults qualify to serve, and just nine percent express willingness to serve. These challenges are compounded by demographic trends following the 2008 financial crisis and by negative word-of-mouth from veterans whose transition experiences fell short of expectations. If young Americans start to believe that post-service support amounts to little more than a “thank you for your service,” they will be less inclined to enlist.

To preserve the strength and quality of our armed forces, we must confront the gaps and unknowns in our transition systems. Our report calls for a collaborative, public-private effort—including Congress, the executive branch, policy experts, and nonprofit and philanthropic partners—to develop a standardized set of outcome measures that identify what works. With a shared definition of success and tools to track results, we can better allocate resources to the programs most capable of delivering what veterans need while ensuring the long-term security and defense of the nation.