Strengthening prior service-civil life gains and continuum of service accessions into the Army's reserve components / Jennie W. Wenger, Bruce R. Orvis, David Stebbins, Eric Apaydin, James Syme.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wenger, Jennie W., author.

Orvis, Bruce R., author.

Stebbins, David, author.

Apaydin, Eric A., author.

Syme, James (James C.), author.

Contributor:

Rand Corporation., issuing body.

Arroyo Center, issuing body.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Armed Forces--Personnel management.

Recruiting and enlistment.

United States--National Guard--Recruiting, enlistment, etc.

United States.

United States--Armed Forces--Personnel management.

United States. Army Reserve--Recruiting, enlistment, etc.

United States. Army Reserve.

Summary:

"Many service members join (affiliate with) the Reserve Component (RC) after leaving the Regular Army (RA). Attracting prior service personnel to the RC allows the Army to retain valuable experience. This report combines quantitative and qualitative methods to understand service member decisions upon exiting the RA: to join the RC or not; to join the U.S. Army Reserve (USAR) versus the Army National Guard; and the timing of their affiliation. Personal characteristics, experiences in the RA, availability of positions in the RC, and economic conditions all are correlated with these decisions. Our results suggest that service members generally choose a geographic location without explicitly considering availability of jobs in the RC. Also, service members who leave the RA when civilian unemployment is high are less likely than others to join the RC. Service members seem to form an impression of overall RC job availability based on the RC jobs available near their last Active Component installation; service members who leave the Army in areas with fewer RC jobs are less likely to join the RC. Finally, those who join the USAR after a break in service spend fewer months serving in the RC than other prior-service recruits. Overall, our findings suggest that focusing recruiting resources on soldiers who are preparing to leave the RA is likely to be cost effective; also, to the extent possible, working to ensure more positions are available in geographic areas that appeal to personnel is likely to pay dividends"--Publisher's description.

Contents:

Preface

Figures

Tables

Executive Summary

Summary

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

1. Introduction

2. Historical Trends and Challenges in the Army's AC-RC Force Mix: Factors That May Contribute to AC Soldiers' Choice to Enter the RC: Demographic Factors

Economic Factors

Geographic Factors

Previous Experience with the AC

Identifying Prior-Service Recruits for RC Service

3. Transitions to the Reserve Component: Enlisted Personnel: Who Affiliates? When Does Affiliation Occur?

How Does Geography Influence Affiliation?

Separating the Factors That Influence Affiliation: Probability of Affiliation with the RC

Probability of Affiliation with the USAR (Versus ARNG)

Probability of Affiliating with the USAR Within Six Months

Persistence in the RC as a Measure of Performance

Affiliation Among Enlisted Personnel

4. Transitions to the Reserve Component: Officers: Who Affiliates? When Does Affiliation Occur?

Separating the Factors That Influence Affiliation

Affiliation Among Officers

5. Qualitative Analyses: Focus Groups with Service Members

Interviews with Reserve Recruiters

Procedural and Regulatory Concerns

6. Conclusions and Recommendations

APPENDIXES

A. Data Description

B. Qualitative Research and Instruments

C. Additional Map

References.