Reforming the Military's Force Management and Retirement Systems: Are Longer Careers the Answer?
Abstract
The Department of Defense manages its career officer force vastly different from private industry at large. It neither hires nor fires based upon need, nor does it employ personnel for their entire useful life. Rather, it uses a combination of fifty-year-old 'up or out' policies coupled with legislated quantity control of promotions and numbers in grade limitations to shape and maintain its officer corps. These methods of personnel management and retirement have sufficed for a number of years, but recent changes have rendered these policies obsolete. Mandated joint, command, staff, and education requirements for officer careers are incompatible with the current promotion progression and the length-in-service retirement restriction. The shift in demographics of the United States population, due to the aging of the baby boom generation (people born between 1946 and 1964), will present the nation's armed services with a long term force management dilemma. This report's research methodology will review the history of military retirement and personnel management, including the background of current legislation, gathered from existing government documents, congressional records and previous theses. Additionally, this project will draw on previous government and private studies of military retirement and personnel management. This research project recommends changing the DOPMA legislated promotion and mandatory retirement phase points in such a manner as to extend officer active duty careers well beyond the current 20 year standard. Additionally, eliminating the 'up or out' policy as well as the time-in-service limitation will base retention upon merit and ability, vice age and tenure. This will best meet the needs of the services as well as the legislated intent of Congress for greater cooperation and interoperability in joint matters.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA397854
Entities
People
- Micah E. Killion
Organizations
- Air Command and Staff College