Indefinite Reenlistment and Noncommissioned Officers
Abstract
In 1998, following congressional approval, the U.S. Army shifted its senior enlisted force from a fixed contract system to indefinite reenlistment, theoretically increasing the prestige of senior noncommissioned officers (NCOs) by recognizing them as career soldiers. The Army program requires all soldiers reaching the rank of E-6 with ten years of service to reenlist indefinitely, mirroring the management of officers and eliminating reenlistment paperwork. The Army has been the only service to adopt this program. This study analyzes past and present arguments for and against this policy made by service representatives, policymakers, and enlisted personnel. Reservations about the program include concerns that force planning could be complicated by the unpredictability of NCO separation dates, that the quality of the NCO corps could decline without reenlistment screening, and that retention and morale could suffer with the loss of reenlistment bonuses and other benefits. The intended program boost to NCO morale does not appear to have been realized. This report concludes that neither the costs nor benefits of indefinite reenlistment are strong enough to merit a change in policy for either the Army or the other services. An appendix provides an overview of indefinite reenlistment programs in other Western nations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA473177
Entities
People
- Jennifer Kavanagh
- Joy Moini
- Laura A Miller
- Miriam Shergold
- Ronald Plasmeijer
- Suja Sivadasan
Organizations
- RAND Corporation