Editor,

I recently submitted testimony urging the Maine Legislature’s Committee on Health and Human Services to prioritize investments in early care and education, such as Head Start, to maintain a strong national defense.

If you aren’t familiar with the connection between early education and national defense, consider the fact that 71 percent of all young Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 (and 68 percent in Maine) are unable to join the military because they lack proper education, are overweight, or have a record of crime or drug abuse. A shrinking pool of eligible recruits is indeed a threat to our national security and, as the former Adjutant General of Maine, I am troubled by the likely impact that this will have on our future military preparedness.

One of the most important long-term investments that we can make for an effective fighting force is in the education of the American people. Lack of education is one of the main disqualifiers for military service. While Maine’s graduation rate of 87 percent is better than most other states, that still means that 13 percent of our ninth-graders fail to graduate from high school within four years. In many cases, completing high school is not enough. One study found that even among high school graduates in Maine, 19 percent who tried to join the U.S. Army scored too low on the military’s entrance exam to qualify.

Decades of research have shown that high-quality early education can help put more kids on the path to graduation and later success. Studies have affirmed that participants in quality early learning programs are more likely to show gains in early literacy and math and enter kindergarten ready to learn, less likely to be held back in school, more likely to graduate from high school, and less likely to engage in criminal activity later in life.

Unfortunately, there is still a considerable unmet need for Head Start here in Maine. Currently, Head Start serves only 4 out of 10 eligible Maine children, leaving behind more than 8,800 of Maine’s lowest income children who are eligible for Head Start programming, but are currently not enrolled. That is the wrong direction to begin addressing the education needs of future generations.

Retired military leaders like me understand and appreciate the difficult spending decisions that our state legislators must make.  But it is important that we do not overlook investments that are crucial to the success of upcoming generations. To be sure, our military stands ready to protect against those who would threaten our security. In order to sustain our military strength for the future, we must ensure that upcoming generations of Americans will be able to serve in uniform.

That is why I support greater investments that help more at-risk children cultivate the skills they need to succeed later in life, including a career in the military should they choose that path.

Major General Bill Libby

U.S. Army, retired

Old Orchard Beach