The Impact of Pregnancy on U.S. Army Readiness

Abstract

The impact of pregnancy on U.S. Army readiness came to the forefront following the Persian Gulf War and the large-scale deployment of military servicewomen. Some deploying units reported that non-deployable rates for pregnancy among women were as much as 30% of those assigned. Numerous studies were conducted to determine the impact of pregnancy on Army readiness and different conclusions were drawn. From a tactical perspective the numbers of non-deployable for pregnancy are more than 16% in support units with a high concentration of female soldiers. Pregnancy in these units has a great impact on readiness, as well as the experience of the pregnant soldier. The Army should evaluate for implementation a one-year comprehensive Maternity Leave of Absence program that takes place during the time the soldier is non-deployable for pregnancy. A volunteer from the Reserve Component force will fill the pregnant soldiers vacancy as a deployable replacement, while gaining valuable active duty training at the same time. The MLA program would benefit the Army by integrating Reserve Component forces and by limiting the time lost from the pregnant soldiers active duty service obligation.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1999
Accession Number
ADA395136

Entities

People

  • Merideth A. Bucher

Organizations

  • Air Command and Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Air Force
  • Army Personnel
  • Business Administration
  • Department Of Defense
  • Electronic Mail
  • Families (Human)
  • Governments
  • Management Personnel
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Students
  • Training
  • United States Government
  • United States Pacific Command
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

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