Determinants of Post-Training Attrition in the Army and Air Force
Abstract
This research assesses the influence of military environment and individual background characteristics on the likelihood of post-training enlisted male attrition. Post-training attrition refers to recruits who complete their advanced individual training in a military occupational speciality but leave the military before the end of their enlistment term. The study has two objectives. First, we would like to identify the separate influences of individual background characteristics (e.g., educational attainment, aptitude, and family status) and service environment (e.g., military occupational speciality, duty location assignments, and career turbulence) on post-training attrition. Second, we want to determine whether the correlates of post-training attrition vary across services and military occupations. For example, one might expect that if individuals were poorly matched to jobs, then high school dropouts would be more likely to leave early in some jobs than in others. The remainder of this paper is divided into three sections. Section II describes the data set used in the analysis and examines occupational differences in post-training attrition levels. Section III introduces a multivariate model of the attrition process to analyze the separate relative effects of individual characteristics, duty location, career turbulence, and military occupation on attrition. The final section presents conclusions and suggestions for further research.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA511840
Entities
People
- Richard Buddin
Organizations
- RAND Corporation