The United States marked the 50th Anniversary of the All-Volunteer Force on July 1, 2023. To reflect on the challenges and opportunities the services face in the next 50 years, Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks joined Katherine Kuzminski, Deputy Director of Studies and Director of the Military, Veterans and Society Program at CNAS for a virtual conversation. They discussed military professionalism, challenges to recruitment, service member retention, and policy options for a resilient future force.