Indefinite Reenlistment and Noncommissioned Officers
In 1998, following congressional approval, the U.S. Army shifted its senior enlisted force from a fixed contract system to indefinite reenlistment, theoretically increasing the prestige of senior noncommissioned officers (NCOs) by recognizing them as career soldiers. The Army program requires all soldiers reaching the rank of E-6 with ten years of service to reenlist indefinitely, mirroring the management of officers and eliminating reenlistment paperwork. The Army has been the only service to adopt this program. This study analyzes past and present arguments for and against this policy made by service representatives, policymakers, and enlisted personnel. Reservations about the program include concerns that force planning could be complicated by the unpredictability of NCO separation dates, that the quality of the NCO corps could decline without reenlistment screening, and that retention and morale could suffer with the loss of reenlistment bonuses and other benefits. The intended program boost to NCO morale does not appear to have been realized. This report concludes that neither the costs nor benefits of indefinite reenlistment are strong enough to merit a change in policy for either the Army or the other services. An appendix provides an overview of indefinite reenlistment programs in other Western nations.
Download eBook for Free
Full Document
| Format | File Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PDF file | 0.7 MB | Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 7.0 or higher for the best experience. |
Summary Only
| Format | File Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PDF file | 0.1 MB | Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 7.0 or higher for the best experience. |
Purchase Print Copy
| Format | List Price | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paperback, 138 Pages | $25.00 | $20.00 Special 20% Web Discount |  |
Document Details
- Copyright: RAND Corporation
- Availability: Available
- Print Format: Paperback
- Paperback Pages: 138
- List Price: $25.00
- Paperback Price: $20.00
- Paperback ISBN/EAN: 978-0-8330-4043-5
- Document Number: MG-553-OSD
- Year: 2007
- Series: Monographs
Contents
Chapter One
Introduction
Chapter Two
The Army Indefinite Reenlistment Program and Other Service Evaluations
Chapter Three
Indefinite Reenlistment and the Career NCO
Chapter Four
Effects of Indefinite Reenlistment on Force Management
Chapter Five
Conclusions and Recommendations
Appendix A
Army Policy Message on the Indefinite Reenlistment Program
Appendix B
Army Message on the Indefinite Reenlistment Program
Appendix C
Army Policy Message on Processing Indefinite Reenlistment
Appendix D
International Variants of Indefinite Reenlistment
The research described in this report was prepared for the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). The research was conducted in the RAND National Defense Research Institute, a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the OSD, the Joint Staff, the Unified Combatant Commands, the Department of the Navy, the Marine Corps, the defense agencies, and the defense Intelligence Community.
This report is part of the RAND Corporation monograph series. RAND monographs present major research findings that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND monographs undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.
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 institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.
RAND® is a registered trademark. Copyright © 1994-2013 RAND Corporation.