Manpower Alternatives to Enhance Total Force Capabilities: Could New Forms of Reserve Service Help Alleviate Military Shortfalls
Abstract
Developed in the first half of the twentieth century, the basic structure of participation in the U.S. military reserve components (RCs) still reflects many of the sociocultural trends of that era: RC members were more likely then to have a long-term civilian career with a single employer and established benefits, weekends free for nonwork activities, and two-parent families with only one parent working outside the home, to name a few. Changes in employment stability, family structure,and economic pressures since that time created both challenges and opportunities for how the RCs are used to meet national military requirements. Modifying assumptions about Reserve duty has the potential to improve RC member recruitment, performance, development, and retention in critical experience-reliant occupational fields - and it could stem projected manpower losses by providing alternative RC service options and enhancing recruitment of those in fields with highly competitive civilian industries, such as cyber specialties, information technology, and aviation. Against the backdrop of this context, the Office of the Secretary of Defense initially proposed this research when the U.S. Department of Defense was undergoing a review of alternative force mixes as directed by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 - including military technicians (MilTechs), civilians, and full-time support personnel - and the FY 2016 NDAA-mandated conversion of certain categories of MilTechs to civil service positions. In the course of that work, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs concluded that it needed to explore broader programmatic improvements that would go beyond the MilTECH program to enhance the manpower available for a variety of national requirements.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1086690
Entities
People
- Amy G. Donohue
- Brian Phillips
- Katherine Costello
- Michael Pollard
- Michael Shurkin
- Molly Dunigan
- Phillip Carter
- Stephen Dalzell
- Susan A. Resetar
Organizations
- RAND Corporation