Military Officers: Assessment of the 1988 Defense Officer Requirements Study

Abstract

Because of its concerns about the growth in the number of officers (11.3 percent) compared to enlisted personnel (3.9 percent) between fiscal years 1980 and 1986, the Congress mandated a 6-percent reduction in the number of commissioned officers on active duty as of September 30, 1986. The reduction was to be accomplished in annual 1-, 2-, and 3-percent increments beginning in fiscal year 1987 and completed by the end of fiscal year 1989. After implementing the 1-percent reduction in 1987, the Department of Defense (DOD) conducted a study aimed at justifying the officer growth. The resulting study did not satisfy congressional concerns about the disproportionate growth in officers and DOD's inability to provide convincing justification for that growth. On March 1, 1988, the Secretary of Defense transmitted the 1988 Defense Officer Requirements Study to the Committees. We monitored the DOD effort throughout the process of producing the study and were provided full access to meetings, interim products, and product critiques.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1988
Accession Number
AD1176920

Entities

People

  • Frank C. Conahan

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accounting
  • Active Duty
  • Air Force
  • Department Of Defense
  • Enlisted Personnel
  • Force Structure
  • Law
  • Manpower
  • Marine Corps
  • Military Personnel
  • National Security
  • Officer Personnel
  • Personnel Management
  • Standards
  • United States
  • Warfare
  • Warrant Officers

Readers

  • Government Contracting/Procurement.
  • Naval Personnel Management
  • Systems Analysis and Design