Ahead of national ‘Hire A Veteran Day’ on July 25, former U.S. Navy officer Dietrich Kuhlmann, who is now president and CEO of Navy Federal Credit Union, tells Military.com there’s a talent gap between corporate hiring practices that use artificial intelligence to pre-screen candidates and veterans looking for work.
“Technology is only as effective as the information it is built to recognize,” Kuhlmann said. “Military experience can be misread or undervalued, especially when a candidate’s accomplishments are described through rank, command structure or military occupational terminology that does not always fit neatly into civilian job titles or screening tools.”
Kuhlmann knows the issues firsthand. He spent 35 years in the Navy as a career submariner, leading teams through demanding assignments where trust, accountability, and mission focus were paramount.
Later in his career, he served in financial management roles at the Pentagon, which he said gave him a broader perspective on strategy, resource allocation, hiring practices and organizational leadership.
His final military assignment was running the Navy’s $800 billion, five-year capital allocation process. Kuhlmann now leads the world’s largest credit union, serving more than 15 million service members, veterans and their families.
“When I joined Navy Federal, I wasn’t leaving those experiences behind. I was applying them in a different mission. The transition was about learning a new industry and a new vocabulary while staying grounded in the leadership principles that had guided me throughout my career of serving people, building strong teams, and continuously learning,” Kuhlmann said. “Those principles translate whether you’re leading sailors at sea or serving the military community and their families’ financial well-being.”
Many Veterans Struggle to Find Employment
But Kuhlmann said even with his success, he’s mindful of the struggles that so many veterans face in finding employment. According to the U.S. Labor Department, the national unemployment rate for U.S. military veterans was 4.1% in June 2026. That’s slightly higher than the overall unemployment rate of 4.0% for the same period.
Kuhlmann attributes veteran unemployment to a ‘translation gap’ where a service member’s experience may not be clearly translated on a resume or job application submitted electronically, or during an interview.
“Military service develops tremendous leadership, operational, and problem-solving skills. The challenge is that those experiences aren’t always described in terms civilian employers immediately recognize,” Kuhlmann said. “A veteran may have led large teams, managed significant resources, or made critical decisions in complex environments, but if employers aren’t able to translate these responsibilities, they may miss out on exceptional candidates. It’s less a talent gap than a ‘translation gap.'”
There are programs to help bridge those gaps. The Department of Defense SkillBridge program allows active-duty service members to complete civilian internships and training with private-sector employers during their final 180 days of service.
Also, the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) provides federal tax credits ranging from $2,400 to $9,600 to private employers who hire qualified veterans.
In addition, corporate coalitions like the Veteran Jobs Mission have a goal of facilitating two million veteran hires by 2030 with companies that actively value military discipline, leadership, and technical skills across logistics, manufacturing, technology, and healthcare.
Job Screening Platforms Can Filter Out Qualified Veterans
But Kuhlmann acknowledges electronic job screening platforms powered by artificial intelligence can overlook or filter out qualified veteran candidates because their skill set may not be a direct match.
The opportunity is for employers to look beyond military titles and understand the leadership, teamwork, adaptability, and accountability behind them. Technology should help identify talent, not make it harder to recognize.
His advice for corporate hiring teams is to simply look beyond rank or job titles and focus on the scope of responsibility and the outcomes an individual was able to achieve in that role.
“Military leaders are responsible for training high-performing teams, solving complex problems, managing resources, making decisions under pressure, and staying focused on accomplishing the mission while taking care of their people,” Kuhlmann said. “Those are capabilities that translate across every industry because they’re fundamentally about leadership and service.”
Kuhlmann and his hiring team at Navy Federal Credit Union actively use these same principles when considering veteran or service member candidates. He calls it a win-win.
Veterans bring a proven commitment to service, accountability, teamwork, and continuous learning. They’ve worked in environments where adaptability and trust are essential, and they’ve learned how to lead through change while staying focused on the mission,” he said. “Ultimately, organizations are better off when they recognize the full value of military experience. When employers understand the capabilities behind that experience, they’re not simply hiring a veteran. They’re hiring someone who has demonstrated leadership, resilience, and a commitment to serving something bigger.”
Read the full article here