Military Personnel: First-Term Personnel Less Satisfied with Military Life Than Those in Mid-Career

Abstract

Satisfaction with military life and retention intent increase as personnel gain seniority. First-term enlisted personnel were more dissatisfied (41 percent) than satisfied (35 percent) with the overall military way of life. In addition, only 29 percent of first-term enlisted personnel reported that they were likely to stay on active duty, and relatively few (14 percent) reported that they envisioned serving a 20-year career. However, mid-career personnel were more satisfied than dissatisfied with the military way of life. More specifically, 52 percent of mid-career enlisted personnel and 62 percent of mid-career officers were satisfied, while only 23 percent and 20 percent, respectively, were dissatisfied. In addition, both mid-career enlisted personnel and officers reported that they were more likely than unlikely to stay on active duty (62 percent and 63 percent, respectively). And, mid-career enlisted personnel and officers reported that they were more likely than unlikely to serve 20 years (63 percent and 66 percent, respectively).

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2001
Accession Number
ADA396994

Entities

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accountability
  • Active Duty
  • Business Administration
  • Coast Guard Personnel
  • Congress
  • Department Of Defense
  • Education
  • Electronic Mail
  • Employment
  • Enlisted Personnel
  • Families (Human)
  • Military Personnel
  • Personnel Management
  • Quality Of Life
  • Training
  • United States
  • Websites

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Mental Health of Military Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Risk Factors, Prevalence, Symptoms, and Treatment.
  • Organizational Psychology.
  • Psychometric Testing or Psychological Assessment.