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Military Recruitment

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Attracting qualified recruits and the costs associated with essential skills training make military recruitment an ongoing challenge; low recruitment affects, among other things, enlistee counts, unit readiness, and morale. RAND has provided objective evaluations and recommendations that support decisionmakers' efforts to monitor and manage military recruiting, including examinations of demographic groups and communities where recruiting could be more successful.

Commentary
The Army Should Be Looking for a Few Older Soldiers
Recruiting older people to enlist in the Army could help increase numbers, quality, and talent. Individuals who enlist over the age of 21 perform better as soldiers on several metrics. Recruiters have noted that older recruits are of higher quality, more focused, and more motivated.
Apr 7, 2023
Multimedia
Addressing the Recruiting Crisis in the Armed Services
Testimony presented before the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation on May 11, 2023.
May 11, 2023

Explore Military Recruitment

Brochure
RAND Research on Military Recruiting
The Department of the Air Force seeks more diversity and technical knowledge in its recruits and the pool of eligible candidates who have a desire to serve is shrinking. This document provides an overview of work that RAND has conducted in this area.
Nov 13, 2023
Report
A Revised Recruiting Resource Model for Achieving the Army Personnel Strategy: Accounting for Digital Advertising
Using an updated version of RAND’s Recruiting Resource Model, the authors analyze how observed and alternative mixes of advertising, recruiters, and bonuses affect the Army’s ability to achieve recruiting goals and the cost of doing so.
Nov 6, 2023
Report
Army Enlistment Options Optimizer: Research Approach, Findings, and Implications
The authors developed a wide set of Army enlistment options that bundle bonus and less-costly non-bonus incentives. Survey respondents choose the option they most value. This can increase satisfaction and potential enlistments and decrease costs.
Sep 27, 2023
Report
Impact of Individual Augmentation Policy on Navy Reserve Force Readiness
The authors examine the evolution of individual augmentation—from a stopgap to standard practice—and the effects on the Navy Reserve in terms of readiness and deployment times, specifically relating to anti-terror operations and the 2019 pandemic.
Sep 7, 2023
Report
Russian Military Personnel Policies and Reforms 1991–2021
In the initial post-Soviet years, the personnel system of the Russian Armed Forces experienced pervasive challenges because of budget limitations and collapse of prestige. Reforms in recruitment, retention, and proficiency made some progress but multiple problems remain.
Aug 15, 2023
Report
Analysis of the Post-Service Earnings, Wealth, and Well-Being of Military Retirees
The authors assessed the extent to which the earnings and wealth of service members who served full careers in the military and retired differed from the earnings and wealth of those who did not serve full careers and those who did not serve at all.
Jul 10, 2023
Report
Attracting and Employing Top-Tier Civilian Technical Talent in the Department of the Air Force: A Comparison of Six Occupations with Other Federal Agencies and the Private Sector
This report identifies barriers related to the Department of the Air Force's (DAF's) ability to attract and employ top civilian talent in six occupational series and explores strategies the DAF may be able to use to better compete for that talent.
Jun 27, 2023
Commentary
The Russian Military's Looming Personnel Crises of Retention and Veteran Mental Heath
Russia's looming troop-retention and veteran-treatment problems are already visible on the horizon, even though they have been delayed by policy. By invading Ukraine, Russia has created a wave of severe trauma that will soon crash over its own country.
Jun 1, 2023
Testimony
Addressing the Recruiting Crisis in the Armed Services
The U.S. military services struggled to meet their recruiting goals in fiscal year 2022, and the Army, Air Force, and Navy are on track for another tough year. If this problem persists, it could hurt operational effectiveness. What might be done to address this recruiting crisis?
May 11, 2023
Blog
Truth Decay and National Security, Gun Violence, Blockading Crimea: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on Truth Decay and national security, America's gun violence problem, how Ukraine could blockade Crimea, and more.
Apr 14, 2023
Report
Neurodiversity and National Security: How to Tackle National Security Challenges with a Wider Range of Cognitive Talents
This report provides research and analysis for national security managers and employees who seek to better understand neurodivergence and neurodiversity and desire simple steps to achieve neurodiverse inclusivity for national security workplaces.
Mar 27, 2023
Research Brief
Why National Security Needs Neurodiversity
Neurodiversity, like other forms of diversity, can strengthen an organization. Members of the neurodivergent population have skills that can be beneficial in many fields of interest to national security. These include pattern recognition, problem-solving, visualization, and memory.
Mar 27, 2023
Report
Quantifying Potential Cost Avoidance Implications of Outcomes Reported in Behavioral and Social Science Research
This report summarizes and develops utility functions for a series of behavioral and social science studies to help senior leaders translate the research results into estimates of cost avoidance or other desired benefits.
Feb 22, 2023
Commentary
50 Years Without the Draft: Behind the Bold Move That Ended Conscription, and What's Next for the All-Volunteer Force
On the 50th anniversary of the all-volunteer force, the important question is: “How has the move to manning the Army without relying on conscription fared?” The short answer: Quite well.
Jan 31, 2023
Report
Assessment and Selection for U.S. Air Force Special Warfare: Vol. 1, Defining Attributes and Designing Rater Training
Air Force Special Warfare warrants specialized assessment and selection of future operators. The authors examine the nontechnical attributes needed to conduct challenging missions and the process for selecting candidates who can succeed.
Sep 27, 2022
Commentary
Removing Barriers to Diversity and Inclusion in the Military
Efforts to improve representation and remove barriers for personnel with protected characteristics are seen as essential steps for modern militaries, but have not gone without controversy. The UK Armed Forces could take a more-strategic approach to leveraging diversity to elevate it as a strategic enabler of military fighting power in the contemporary threat environment.
Aug 29, 2022
Report
Diversity Can Enhance Military Effectiveness
Embracing diversity in the military could bring significant operational and strategic advantages. For example, diversity is important in developing effective, ethical, and trustworthy AI systems. How can the UK and U.S. armed forces remove barriers to inclusion and attract more diverse workforces?
Aug 23, 2022
Commentary
Russian Forces in Ukraine: Muddling Through
The Russian armed forces have suffered tens of thousands of casualties and lost more than 5,000 pieces of equipment. These deficits will make it hard for Russia to hold regions in Ukraine that it may soon try to annex. To succeed, Moscow will have to replenish personnel and equipment at scale—tasks that will prove extremely difficult.
Aug 15, 2022

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RAND Topic:
Military Recruitment

Topic Synonyms:
Enlistment

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

John B. Halstead

Senior Operations Researcher

John Halstead is a senior operations researcher at RAND and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Halstead graduated from the United States Military Academy and earned his doctorate of philosophy in systems and information engineering from the University of Virginia. He holds a masters…
Beth J. Asch

Senior Economist

Beth Asch is a senior economist at the RAND Corporation and professor of policy analysis at Pardee RAND Graduate School. Her areas of study include labor economics and defense manpower. She has led numerous studies on compensation design in the military and in the federal civil service, on the…

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