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Enlisted Personnel

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Members of the military with a rank below that of commissioned officer constitute a vital portion of the overall strength and mobility of an armed force. RAND research on enlisted military personnel provides objective analysis and recommendations to military leaders and civilian policymakers regarding such issues as health care, diversity and quality of recruits, reenlistment behavior, personnel management, family issues, and the effects of multiple deployments.

Report

Life as an Army Private: Six Soldiers Tell Their Stories

Mar 6, 2019

In their own words, six junior soldiers describe why they joined the U.S. Army, their joys and frustrations, and what they hope the future brings. These stories offer lessons for policymakers, Army leaders and recruiters, and anyone considering a career in the Army.
Report

How Does Deployment Experience Compare Across the Services?

Mar 6, 2018

Deployments are a key aspect of U.S. military service. Since 9/11, 2.77 million service members have served on 5.4 million deployments. Accrued time deployed is a relevant metric for measuring military experience, but also for measuring service member and family well-being.

Explore Enlisted Personnel

Report

An Updated Look at Military and Civilian Pay Levels and Recruit Quality

Comparing military pay with civilian pay, the authors find that military pay in 2017 was above the 70th percentile of civilian pay. It was at the 85th percentile for enlisted personnel and the 77th percentile for officers.

Jul 30, 2020
Report

Predicting 36-Month Attrition in the U.S. Military

First-term attrition—in which a new enlisted recruit does not complete his or her first contract—is a costly and ongoing issue across all military service branches. Who accesses to the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps?

Apr 28, 2020
Dissertation

People First: Improving Equitability of Air Force Recruiting Operations

Explores concerns at the Air Force Recruiting Service regarding an imbalance in workloads among their enlisted accessions recruiters, which could negatively influence both recruiter morale and aggregate production of high-quality recruits.

Dec 24, 2019
Report

Reducing the Time Burdens of Army Company Leaders

U.S. Army company leaders have long been recognized as overworked. This report is intended to help the Army identify ways to reduce and manage the time burdens on Active Component company leaders in garrison by examining these leaders' time burdens.

Dec 18, 2019
Report

Developing a National Recruiting Difficulty Index

The U.S. Army recognizes that the recruiting environment has a significant impact on its ability to recruit. This report presents a forecasting model that measures recruiting difficulty to forecast a difficult or easy recruiting environment.

Mar 13, 2019
Blog

ISIS, Women's Day, Army Privates: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on what to do about ISIS detainees, stories from the Army's junior ranks, International Women's Day, and more.

Mar 8, 2019
Blog

The Most Popular RAND Research of 2018

RAND serves as an objective source of facts that help inform the world's most pressing policy debates. When decisions are based on the best evidence, that's when public policy can have a positive impact on people's lives. We're highlighting the 10 research projects that RAND.org readers found most engaging this year.

Dec 21, 2018
Blog

Saudi Arabia, Border Troops, China's Military: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how to deter aggression abroad, examining the need for U.S. troops at the border, China's aerospace capabilities, and more.

Nov 23, 2018
Periodical

RAND Review: November-December 2018

This issue spotlights RAND's research on how providers can better meet the health care needs of veterans; life as a U.S. Army private; and Air Force efforts to improve leadership opportunities for women.

Nov 6, 2018
Essay

An Inside Look at Life in the Army's Junior Ranks

History records the names of generals, not of the privates filling out supply forms, cleaning out trucks, or huffing through another training exercise. But those privates keep the U.S. Army running. RAND research provides their unfiltered take on life in the ranks.

Oct 31, 2018
Report

How Do Senior Enlisted Leaders Influence Junior Soldiers?

The primary mission of U.S. Army noncommissioned officers is to lead and mentor soldiers. But research has placed little emphasis on how to value their experience. Knowing how NCOs influence soldiers can help the Army maintain or improve leadership quality and soldier performance and reduce personnel costs.

Oct 4, 2018
Report

Resources Required to Meet the U.S. Army's Enlisted Recruiting Requirements Under Alternative Recruiting Goals, Conditions, and Eligibility Policies

The project sought to enhance efficient use of Army recruiting resources and policies by optimizing required resource levels and mix to support recruiting under varying recruiting requirements and environments and recruit eligibility policies.

Jul 12, 2018
Report

Evaluating an Operator Physical Fitness Test Prototype for Tactical Air Control Party and Air Liaison Officers: A Preliminary Analysis of Test Implementation

This report provides a preliminary evaluation effort of the implementation of the physical tests and standards being adopted by the U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Control Party and Air Liaison Officer career fields.

Jul 11, 2018
Report

Prospective Outcome Assessment for Alternative Recruit Selection Policies

To help the Army select recruits more likely to complete their first term and avoid adverse outcomes, this report describes a tool that estimates how changes in a variety of recruit characteristics affect first-term outcomes and costs to the Army.

Jul 6, 2018
Report

Who Joins the Army, and Why?

The U.S. Army wants to improve its understanding of soldiers' motivations to enlist, and how the reality of Army life matches up with expectations. Interviews with soldiers ranked E-1 to E-4 offer a rich portrayal of life as a private.

May 14, 2018
Report

How to Increase Gender Integration in Air Force Basic Training

Now that all positions in the Air Force are open to women, USAF leadership is looking for ways to better integrate them during basic training. There are five options that could increase gender-integrated training, but the best solution will depend on USAF priorities.

Mar 5, 2018
Report

How to Bolster Recruitment of Women into the U.S. Military

As ground combat jobs transition to include women, efforts to improve the recruitment process are expanding. Having more female recruiters could help, as could creating outreach materials that counter stereotypes and highlight the roles of women in the military.

Jun 28, 2017
Research Brief

Assessing the Army's Ability to Regenerate Its Active Component End Strength

This analysis modeled the Army's ability to increase ("regenerate") its active component end strength over five years -- starting from end strengths of 450,000 and 420,000 -- to provide the number of deployable troops available in 2010.

May 3, 2017

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RAND Topic:
Enlisted Personnel

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