Enhancement of Marine Corps' Recruiting and Retention Programs

Abstract

Though the Marine Corps has historically met its recruitment and retention goals, recruiting has become more challenging and cultural indicators show that recruiting will become even more difficult in the future. Retention paints a slightly more favorable picture as the Corps now offers more reenlistment incentives than it has in the past. The Marine Corps, however, still has a retention goal challenge. The Corps has to retain more Marines per year than it has in the past to grow the Corps from 186,490 to 202,000 by fiscal year 2011. An analysis of the Corps' environment and marketing strategy reveals strengths and weaknesses that can be exploited or mitigated to enhance recruiting and retention. The Corps' execution of its mission and values has earned the Corps its distinctive mark, image, and reputation. External environmental scanning shows that the Marine Corps' recruiting and retention are impacted by America's opinion of the military, the economy, deployments, and competition with its sister services and universities. Environmental scanning also shows that the Corps holds a competitive position regarding its advertising, caliber of personnel, image, and community reputation. Internally, the Corps has numerous strengths and a few weaknesses. The Corps' major strengths are its numerous tangible benefits and its name, image, and reputation. The Corps has good marketing techniques due to enhancements in its marketing strategy since 2004. The Corps' understaffing of Career Retention Specialists and possible lack of educational opportunities for its deployed Marines are two of its major weaknesses. The Marine Corps' recruiting and retention programs can be enhanced by increasing the number of Career Retention Specialists in every unit and strengthening educational opportunities for deployed Marines.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2008
Accession Number
ADA490601

Entities

People

  • Shalisa W. Davis

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Administrative Personnel
  • Business Administration
  • Civilian Personnel
  • Computer Programs
  • Employment
  • Enlisted Personnel
  • Instructors
  • Iraqi-War
  • Management Personnel
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Recruiting
  • Recruits
  • United States

Readers

  • Economics
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Naval Personnel Management