Document Information
Deployments and Army Personnel Tempo
Over the past decade, numerous observers have expressed concerns about increased tempo and overseas deployments. This report derives quantitative measures of unit and individual deployments over the period from 1994 through 2000 and uses them to create an empirically grounded description of tempo and its possible effects. Results show that, overtime, Army deployment levels have increased appreciably. For example, the average time deployed rose nearly 30 percent between 1997 and 2000, and the number of units with lengthy periods away from home was also up sharply. In 2000, the average soldier in a TO&E unit spent about 7 days away from home on deployments each month, or 85 days per year. The impact was much more pronounced among some units, branches, and individuals, particularly those deployed to the Balkans. However, fewer than 4 percent of the force was subject to repeat overseas deployments during a three-year period, and fewer than 1 percent was deployed more than one-third of the time. The authors conclude that these static measures of tempo and deployment do not by themselves explain a widespread tempo problem, but that a problem results from two other sources. The first is the workload generated by the combination of warfighting readiness, deployments, and day-to-day peacetime demands of operating a unit and installation. The second arises from the dynamics of the system that must sustain the force, prepare for deployments, and adhere to peacetime operational and policy constraints. As a result, the report suggests that the major focus of Army concern about deployments should probably be not on the amount of time that individual soldiers spend overseas (although that should be monitored), but on overall force management, to evenly distribute the burden, minimize short-term readiness impacts, and ensure that longer-term skill development and warfighting capability are sustained.
Support RAND Research — Buy This Product!
Paperback Cover Price: $15.00
Discounted Web Price: $13.50
Pages: 90
ISBN/EAN: 0-8330-3067-1
Free, downloadable PDF file(s) are available below.
RAND makes an electronic version of this document available for free as a public service. If you find this information valuable, please consider purchasing a paper copy of the full document to help support RAND research.
Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 7.0 or higher for the best experience.
Contents
Preface PDF
Figures PDF
Tables PDF
Summary PDF
Acknowledgments PDF
Chapter One:
Introduction PDF
Chapter Two:
"Tempo" of Units PDF
Chapter Three:
"Tempo" for Individuals PDF
Chapter Four:
Dynamic Effects of Deployments: An Illustration PDF
Chapter Five:
Observations and Conclusions PDF
Appendix A:
Unit DEPTEMPO Data PDF
Appendix B:
Individual Personnel Deployment Data PDF
Appendix C:
Detailed Tabulations: Deployment Frequency for Individuals PDF
References PDF
The research described in this report was performed under the auspices of RAND's Army Research Division.
The monograph/report was a product of the RAND Corporation from 1993 to 2003. RAND monograph/reports presented major research findings that addressed the challenges facing the public and private sectors. They included executive summaries, technical documentation, and synthesis pieces.
Permission is given to duplicate this electronic document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Copies may not be duplicated for commercial purposes. Unauthorized posting of RAND PDFs to a non-RAND Web site is prohibited. RAND PDFs are protected under copyright law. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit the RAND Permissions page.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.
* RAND research is conducted across divisions, centers, and projects; these organizational components are represented in the "Related RAND Divisions" section above.
Top
RAND® is a registered trademark. Copyright © 1994-2008 RAND Corporation. 