Toward Improved Management of Officer Retention: A New Capability for Assessing Policy Options
Abstract
The management of officer retention, particularly midcareer officers, is an ongoing concern for the U.S. armed services. Given that the U.S. military permits virtually no lateral entry, all midcareer and senior officers must enter at the bottom and be retained. In this report, we estimate the parameters of a behavioral model of officer retention decisions and use these parameters in a simulation model to help evaluate the effect that changes in compensation can have on the retention of officers. We also show how policies that change the retention behavior of midcareer officers can also change the aggregate retention of the population of officers at earlier or later years of their careers. The model allows us to simulate the effect of compensation associated with an increased service obligation, such as under the Army's Graduate School for Service program. We have created a spreadsheet version of the simulation model that can provide quick estimates of the effect of bonuses, gate pays, and separation pays on retention in all years of service (YOSs). We developed these capabilities in response to a request from the Office of Compensation for Personnel and Readiness. Similar capabilities have been developed for enlisted personnel and for specific officer communities, but no capability existed to analyze the retention and cost effects that alternative officer management policies can have on officers in each service.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2014
- Accession Number
- ADA610184
Entities
People
- Beth J. Asch
- Christina Panis
- Christopher Whaley
- James R. Hosek
- Michael G. Mattock
Organizations
- RAND Corporation