Assessment of the DoD Laboratory Civilian Science and Engineering Workforce
Abstract
The Director, Defense Research and Engineering (DDR&E) tasked the Institute for Defense Analysis (IDA) to analyze the civilian science and engineering (S&E) workforce employed by the Department of Defense (DoD) laboratories (DoD labs). The objectives of the study were as follows: (1) to provide DDR&E with an assessment of the recent trends/current status of the S&E workforce as input for policy and funding decisions relative to S&E workforce development to meet national security needs, and (2) to present suggestions to DDR&E regarding policies and practices that will ensure future workforce viability. The principal tasks were to determine the size and composition of the current civilian S&E workforce in DoD science and technology (S&T) laboratories; identify recent trends in the S&E workforce and projected trends to 2020; estimate the anticipated future composition of the U.S. and DoD S&E workforces; and assess current DoD workforce programs, policies, and practices relative to future S&E needs. A customized database developed by IDA, which contains workforce information provided by the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), was created to conduct the workforce analysis. Trends in the DoD Lab civilian S&E workforce between 1988 and 2008 were analyzed in 5-year increments. IDA augmented data analysis with selected DoD lab director interviews, in part to understand the role of "Lab Demo" in shaping DoD S&T workforce personnel policies. This report summarizes the study's findings and recommendations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA506429
Entities
People
- Jocelyn M. Seng
- Pamela E. Flattau
Organizations
- Institute for Defense Analyses