Retention of Racial-Ethnic Minorities in the Regular Army

Abstract

The U.S. Army's talent management strategy, the Army People Strategy, lists diversity among its strategic outcomes (Grinston, McConville, and McCarthy, 2019). This includes diversity in its leadership, which can be achieved by recruiting and retaining a diverse force. To help it accomplish these goals, the Army asked RAND Arroyo Center to analyze retention of racial-ethnic minorities in the Army. RAND Arroyo Center's analysis considered the extent to which cohorts become more or less diverse as they progress through the ranks. In particular, this report seeks to answer the following: How has the racial-ethnic composition of the Army's active-component enlisted and officer force changed over time? What factors could explain racial-ethnic group differences in retention and other career outcomes that affect retention, such as promotions? How can the Army address potential barriers to retaining a racially and ethnically diverse force? To address these questions, we used Army personnel data and relevant data on comparable civilian populations to document the racial-ethnic composition of the Regular Army and comparable civilian populations, as well as changes over time. We also applied statistical models to quantify how much observable factors (e.g., military occupational specialty) could explain racial-ethnic group differences in retention and associated career outcomes (e.g., promotion). We conducted interviews with 33 Army unit leaders to understand how unit leader decision-making about soldiers' careers might relate to potential barriers for retaining talent from underrepresented racial-ethnic communities. We conclude the report with key findings and courses of action for the Army to consider.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2023
Accession Number
AD1216024

Entities

People

  • Avery Calkins
  • Clifford Grammich
  • Kristin J. Leuschner
  • Maria. C. Lytell
  • Matthew D. Baird
  • Michael L. Hansen
  • Nastassia Reed

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Administrative Personnel
  • Attrition
  • Business Administration
  • Court Martial
  • Employment
  • Enlisted Personnel
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Geographic Regions
  • Geography
  • Health Services
  • Management Personnel
  • Minority Groups
  • Native Americans
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Social Media
  • Sociology

Readers

  • Defense Technology Research and Development.
  • Naval Personnel Management