Ensuring that a modern military has the appropriate personnel and capabilities is the key goal of military force planning. RAND research on such topics as military wages, support for military families, troop diversity, and reenlistment rates ensures that U.S. and allied militaries are well aware of issues related to career field management and personnel retention and recruitment.
America's all-volunteer military has been an overwhelming success, but after four years of war with mounting casualties in Iraq, continuing insurgency attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan, and multiple deployments throughout the world, the military has experienced recruiting shortfalls for the first time since the late 1970s.
Report
While most U.S. government officials working in Iraq believe the use of armed private security contractors has been a useful strategy, many worry that the contractors have not always had a positive effect on U.S. foreign policy objectives.
News Release
The increased use of cash bonuses by the U.S. Department of Defense to encourage military enlistment and reenlistment had a positive effect on recruiting and retention in the armed forces.
Multimedia
In this Congressional Briefing, held on June 14, 2010, James Hosek and Beth Asch describe the effect of enlistment and reenlistment bonuses on military recruitment and retention efforts and on attrition.
Report
The increased use of cash bonuses by the U.S. Department of Defense to encourage military enlistment and reenlistment had a positive effect on recruiting and retention in the armed forces. Until recently, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have placed greater stress on military recruitment and retention.
Research Brief
Congress has questioned the scope and efficacy of enlistment and reenlistment bonuses, but Army high-quality recruiting would have been lower without them; they are more cost-effective than pay but less so than recruiters as a way to gain recruits.
Report
Analyzes the Air Force's seven medical and professional officer corps with regard to end strengths, accession levels, promotion flow, and attrition since the late 1970s.
Journal Article
Discusses military transformation across the eight years of the George W. Bush administration, particularly those in which Donald Rumsfeld was secretary of defense.
Research Brief
The Air Force Officer Qualifying Test is valid and useful and should not be replaced, although other tests could be used to complement it.
Report
Reports the results of an examination of the worth and validity of the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test.
Report
Testimony presented before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Subcommittee on Personnel on April 28, 2010.
Report
Describes the full range of research products and services that RAND Arroyo Center provided to the Army leadership in FY 2009, including projects, quick-response studies, peer-reviewed publications, and the analytic training of Army officers.
Report
Although the percentages of women and nonwhite entrants have increased in the U.S. Military Academy, Air Force Academy, and Naval Academy, until recently, these groups tended to have lower graduation rates than their civilian counterparts.
Commentary
Reflecting changes in the American approach to counterinsurgency, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen recently enunciated a new and apparently more restrained doctrine for the use of armed force. But is this really a repudiation of the so-called Powell Doctrine, asks James Dobbins.
Research Brief
Women and nonwhites are an increasing percentage of U.S. service academy entering classes. Their first-year completion and graduation rates have also increased, and their graduation rates are somewhat higher than at comparable civilian institutions.
Report
Comparisons of military wives with a group of similar civilian wives show that the former have a much greater tendency to be underemployed. However, there does not seem to be a strong link between military wives' labor force position and satisfaction with their life situation.
Research Brief
Introducing Consolidated Afloat Networks Enterprise Services (CANES) had only limited implications for the Navy's information technology community.
Report
Testimony presented before the Commission on Wartime Contracting on February 22, 2010.
Report
Working with allies in a security cooperation context to build their defense capacity, acquire or maintain access to their territory for potential operations, and strengthen relationships with their air forces is a valuable U.S. Air Force activity.
Report
Provides a menu of actions for strengthening and expanding the U.S. Air Force's capabilities to take part in joint and interagency efforts in irregular warfare.
Report
Assess the demands placed upon the Army by the continuing deployments of soldiers to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
RAND® is a registered trademark. Copyright © 1994-2013 RAND Corporation.