To give soldiers more flexibility and stability, the Army could reduce the number of times they are expected to move to new duty stations, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said this week, as Defense News reported.

“Should we restructure the force to reduce PCS moves to every five years instead of every three years? Should we modify officer career timelines and promotion criteria to give more flexibility for broadening assignments while ensuring we’re still selecting the right officers for command?” Wormuth said Monday at the Association of the U.S. Army conference.

Wormuth indicated some such changes are not imminent and would require cooperation from Congress.

“But if the Army doesn’t seriously explore these questions soon, I worry that in 10 to 15 years, we could see our recruiting challenges deepen and our historically high retention rates start dropping, placing the viability of the all-volunteer force under threat, during a time when our nation can least afford it.”

Army photo by Cpl. Joseph Spraktes