Accession Number:

ADA247320

Title:

Why Recruits Separate Early

Descriptive Note:

Corporate Author:

RAND CORP SANTA MONICA CA

Personal Author(s):

• Klein, Stephen
• Hawes-Dawson, Jennifer
• Martin, Thomas

Report Date:

1991-01-01

Pagination or Media Count:

87.0

Abstract:

Approximately 27 percent of recruits who enter military services will leave before completing 35 months of their first term of enlistment. This amount of attrition represents a major loss of recruiting and training resources. Past research on first-term attrition has sought to identify factors correlated with whether or not a recruit separates early. For example, several studies found that high school graduates are less likely to separate early than are nongraduates. However, almost no attention has been given to documenting the prevalence of specific reasons that led to these early separations. To our knowledge, there has been no systematic examination to determine whether the prevalence of various reasons for an early separation are related to recruit characteristics such as gender, race, service, year of entry, education, and military occupational specialty MOS. If reasons for early separation vary as a function of readily observable recruit characteristics, then information about these relationships could be useful for designing counter-attrition programs and for improving recruiting and screening procedures. The same is true if the pattern of reasons varies with the time during the first term at which attrition occurs.

Descriptors:

• *MILITARY FORCES(UNITED STATES)
• MILITARY PERSONNEL
• JOBS
• SCHOOLS
• TRAINING
• RECRUITING
• ATTRITION
• RESOURCES
• SEPARATION
• LOSSES
• RECRUITS
• GRADUATES
• SPECIALIZATION

Subject Categories:

• Personnel Management and Labor Relations

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE