Tom Vanden Brook

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Female troops in all services will receive 12 weeks of maternity leave as part of a series of personnel initiatives Thursday aimed at making military careers more appealing, especially to millennials, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced.

The moves, unveiled under the banner of Force of the Future, are designed to recruit and retain a new generation of troops, Carter said.

Carter's announcement sets the same standard for maternity leave for all services. But the move will also reduce the leave for the Navy and Marine Corps from 18 weeks to 12 weeks. The Army and Air Force will increase from six weeks to 12. Paid paternity leave will be expanded to 14 days from 10, Carter said. About 200,000 women in the services will be eligible for the benefit.

"This puts (the Defense Department) in the top tier of institutions nationwide," Carter said. "It will have significant influence on decision making for our military service members."

The reduction in maternity leave for female sailors does not represent a "downshift," Carter said. However, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who announced the expansion to 18 weeks last year, believes that level is appropriate, said Capt. Patrick McNally, a Navy spokesman.

"Secretary Mabus has been clear since he announced 18 weeks of maternity leave for sailors and marines in July," McNally said "He feels that meaningful maternity leave when it matters most is one of the best ways that we can support the women who serve our county and also serves as a safeguard against losing skilled service members."

Twelve weeks, Carter said, balances the needs of new mothers and the military.

“I concluded that 12 weeks of maternity leave across all of the force establishes the right balance between offering a highly competitive leave policy while also maintaining the readiness of our total force,” Carter said.

The level is likely the best compromise Carter could reach with senior military commanders, said Todd Harrison, a military budget expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a non-partisan think tank.

"Keep in mind that these initiatives encountered fierce resistance from senior military leaders a few months ago when they were initially being considered within (Defense Department)," Harrison said. "Senior military leaders are on the opposite end of the demographic spectrum than the future leaders these reforms are intended to attract, so it's not surprising that some senior military leaders would oppose them. Twelve weeks is probably the best Carter could do at this time."

The services will also extend day-care center hours by at least two to 14 hours a day, Carter said. In addition, posts with 50 or more people will be required to set aside rooms for new mothers. Other benefits: trading the ability to remain at a base with their families for extending their time in the military; and covering the cost of freezing sperm or eggs for active-duty troops.

Carter, who has held office less than a year, has been making a mark on the Pentagon’s personnel policies. In December, he announced all combat units will be open to women this year, allowing them to compete for 200,000 military roles, most of them in the infantry. That move has been opposed by the Marine Corps, which commissioned a study that units with mixed gender would suffer greater casualties than male-only counterparts.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter's historic personnel changes irk generals

Carter last year announced his intention to rescind the Pentagon’s ban on transgender troops serving openly. A committee of military brass and civilians is close to forwarding recommendations to Carter on the issues, including health care for transgender troops that will have to be addressed when the ban is lifted. The panel’s recommendations will likely be made in the next few weeks.

A 401(k)-style retirement plan for troops was also introduced last year. It affords all troops, regardless of time in the military, to accrue retirement benefits. The old system, which has grandfathered in those already serving, granted benefits only after 20 years of service.