Recruitment and Accession of Special Forces Warrant Officers
Abstract
Special Forces (SF) has had difficulty filling the available training slots in the SF Warrant Officer Basic Course (WOBC). Research was required to analyze factors related to the accession and retention of SF WOs. Four specific objectives were identified: describe the available target population for accession to the SF WOBC, describe SF Non-commissioned Officers' (NCOs) opinions regarding the WO position, identify barriers to recruitment of future WOs, and provide recommendations regarding future WO accessions. Analyses indicate that the percentage of SF NCOs that meet the WOBC accession requirements is very small, possibly as low as 2% to 6% of the SF NCO population. In addition, recruitment into the WO program may be hampered by a lack of awareness of the requirements; 52% of survey respondents were not aware of the requirements for accession to WOBC. Results also indicated a continued negative view of the SF WO pay structure, with 47% of respondents ranking "fixing pay" as the most important thing the Army could do to encourage NCOs to apply. Finally, results indicated that about half of the NCOs had indifferent or negative perceptions of the WO position. Recommendations are provided and recent initiatives that address some of these issues are discussed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA446700
Entities
People
- Gonzalo Ferro
- Michelle M. Wisecarver
- Susan S. White
- William A. Mcpherson