Appendix G
PERSONNEL READINESS FACTORS BY RACE AND GENDER

The National Defense Authorization Act FY 1995 (Public Law 103-337, Section 533) requires that the Department submit this report of readiness factors by race and gender as part of its annual report. This appendix responds to that reporting requirement.

INDISCIPLINE TRENDS

Over the years, the Department of Defense has been unable to provide standardized and complete data on criminal activities and disciplinary infractions in the Services. To remedy this shortcoming, the Department is now implementing the Defense Incident-Based Reporting System (DIBRS). On October 15, 1996, DoD Directive 7730.47, DIBRS, was issued; and on November 29, a DoD manual containing specific guidance on the reporting procedures for DIBRS was issued. The target date for full DIBRS reporting is May 1, 1997.

DIBRS incorporates the crime reporting requirements of the Uniform Federal Crime Reporting Act of 1988, the Victims' Rights and Restitution Act of 1990, and the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1994. The Services will also report sexual harassment and race-bias motivated offenses through DIBRS. The DIBRS system will produce automated reports of criminal activity and disciplinary infractions that include case dispositions in administrative, nonjudicial, court-martial, and civilian court proceedings. It will provide a central repository for tracking complaints resulting in disciplinary actions so that DoD will be able to provide reliable information on disposition of discrimination and harassment cases.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT TRENDS, FY 1987 TO 1996

Military Complaint Trends -- Sexual Harassment

Since FY 1987, the Services have reported to DoD the number of resolved formal complaints of sexual harassment and all other discrimination (e.g., complaints based on race, sex, national origin, and religion) filed by military personnel. Complaints informally presented and resolved are not reported. The number of formal complaints of sexual harassment reported for FY 1996 was 916. This compares to a high of 1,599 formal cases reported for FY 1993. The percent of sexual harassment complaints which were substantiated has risen over the past decade, from 38 percent in FY 1987 to a high of 61 percent in FY 1996. Note that in 1990, the Army changed its reporting criteria for sexual harassment complaints, resulting in a substantial increase in the statistics. In 1992, the Navy formalized its system of reporting these complaints.

Military Complaint Trends -- All Other Discrimination Complaints

There were 1,098 formal discrimination complaints in FY 1996 in this category. This compares to a high of 2,103 in FY 1992. The percentage of these complaints which were substantiated has fluctuated over the past decade, with no discernible pattern. Note that in 1990, the Army changed its reporting criteria for discrimination complaints, resulting in a substantial increase in the statistics.

NONDEPLOYABILITY TRENDS

The Department, in conjunction with the Services, has continued to review permanent and temporary limitations on the deployability of service members and to address the issue of nondeployability in relation to readiness. The Services assign individuals and deploy units. When a unit deploys, the individuals assigned to that unit are expected to participate in that deployment, and the overwhelming majority do, regardless of personal circumstances. That was an important finding of the Department's December 1993 study titled Family Status and Initial Term of Service. When a unit is called upon to deploy, however, it is inevitable that some of its members may not be able to accompany the unit. A temporary medical condition or a family emergency, for example, may temporarily prevent a member from accompanying his or her unit. Each problem is unique to the service member and to the circumstances of his/her unit and is properly managed at the unit level. Current Department policy recognizes Service-unique and unit-unique circumstances, and provides the Services with the flexibility to manage those situations to meet readiness goals. Accident, illness, and family emergencies are inherently unplanned and pose the greatest challenges to commanders of units about to deploy.

The definition of a nondeployable service member is one who is unable to deploy to a specified area of operation as an individual or as part of a unit. Nondeployability is measured in three permanent condition categories: HIV-positive, other Medical Permanent, and Hazardous Duty Restriction. The six temporary condition categories are AWOL/Deserter, Legal Processing, Pregnancy, Medical Temporary, Administrative, and PANOREX (dental panoral radiographs). A hierarchy of categories exists so that a service member can be counted as nondeployable in one category only. Since the Services are given some latitude in determining who is or is not deployable based on certain conditions, a meaningful comparison between the Services in a number of categories is not always possible.

Permanent medical limitations (HIV-positive, cancer, heart disease, asthma, diabetes, and other progressive medical conditions) are a small part of the medical problem. The actual number of members with permanent limitations is small -- around three-tenths of 1 percent of the active force -- and is far too small to exert a significant impact on readiness. This small number is manageable through the assignment process. Since only a very small number of service members have medical conditions that preclude them from taking certain assignments, when such a medical condition is diagnosed, the service member is given an assignment limitation. These individuals are not assigned to deploying units. If an assigned member becomes permanently restricted, he or she is reassigned and replaced. If that individual's medical condition affects duty performance, he or she is referred to a Physical Evaluation Board to determine retainability.

In developing a system to collect data on nondeployability rates, DoD's focus has been to capture the nondeployability of unit personnel who directly contribute to unit readiness and whose availability for duty is controllable by a unit, installation, or senior local commander. Non-unit personnel (i.e., transients, trainees/students, long-term patients, prisoners, and personnel awaiting separation) are treated separately and not counted against readiness billets. Therefore, DoD does not include them in data reported here.

Tables G-22 to G-31 present the data for all of DoD and each of the Services as of the end of FY 1996. The nondeployable category totals and rates reflect only the quantities associated with service members assigned to units (i.e., that portion of each Service's active end strength that is applied against the manpower requirements of their programmed force structure, also known as the operating strength).

RETENTION TRENDS

The Department of Defense has been able to increase overall retention rates and maintain a quality force despite the personnel turbulence which resulted from the drawdown. This achievement can be attributed to the skillful execution and management of the Services' programmed retention strategies.

The Army's retention rates for FY 1994, 1995, and 1996 have remained consistent and at historical levels in the mid-career and career categories. Initial term rates have remained about 10 percent above historic levels. Enhanced advertising efforts, reduced drawdown impact on younger soldiers, and concerned command involvement had a positive impact on initial term retention rates during FY 1995 and FY 1996.

Navy retention rates have steadily increased during the past three years, while Marine Corps retention rates have remained fairly consistent for FY 1995 and 1996. After years of focus on drawing down the force, the Air Force is giving priority to issues of retention in order to ensure the right number of quality people are retained to successfully meet its mission well into the next century. Although the Air Force retained 89 percent of its total inventory in FY 1996 (up 3 percent from FY 1995), more discrete retention indicators are being closely monitored for any negative trends due to slight fluctuations in officer and enlisted retention rates between FY 1994 and FY 1996.

Lower retention in certain aviation communities has forced the Air Force, Navy, and Marines to expand the Aviation Continuation Pay (ACP) program to increase pilot retention.

In summary, the Department continues to improve the quality of U.S. forces and its readiness while maintaining its full commitment to treat people fairly. This ensures the country's best people, regardless of gender, are continuously encouraged to remain in the force. The Department of Defense is pleased with the success attained this year and is ready to meet upcoming retention challenges.

TRENDS IN PROPENSITY TO ENLIST

Since 1975, the Department of Defense annually has conducted the Youth Attitude Tracking Study (YATS), a computer-assisted telephone interview of a nationally representative sample of 10,000 young men and women. This survey provides information on the propensity, attitudes, and motivations of young people toward military service. Enlistment propensity is the percentage of youth who state they plan to definitely or probably enlist in the next few years. Research has shown that the expressed intentions of young men and women are strong predictors of enlistment behavior.

Enlistment Propensity Trends

Results from the 1996 YATS show young men's propensity for military service has not changed significantly in the last three years (see Tables G-19 to G-21). In 1996, 27 percent of 16-21 year-old men expressed positive propensity for at least one active-duty Service, about the same as in 1995 (28 percent) and 1994 (26 percent). Propensity for each of the Services remained the same in 1996 as in 1995.

Propensity of 16-21 year-old women for active military service in 1996 was also approximately the same as in 1995. However, while men's propensity remained substantially below pre-drawdown levels, young women's propensity has increased gradually over the past five years and is now the same as in 1989.

In 1996, 20 percent of 16-21 year-old White men, 34 percent of 16-21 year-old Black men, and 43 percent of 16-21 year-old Hispanic men expressed propensity for at least one Service. In 1995, the comparable percentages were 23 percent for Whites, 32 percent for Blacks, and 44 percent for Hispanics.

Over the past several years, the drop in propensity was commensurate with Service cuts in recruiting resources. In 1994, 1995, and 1996, recruitment advertising was increased, and the 1995 and 1996 results indicate that the previous decline in propensity has stabilized. FY 1995 was the bottom of the drawdown for recruiting objectives. Today, recruiting objectives are going back up. These YATS results (considerably lower than during the pre-drawdown years) are not surprising and suggest that recruiting will continue to be challenging.

Factors Influencing Propensity

YATS respondents are asked to provide, in their own words, reasons for joining and not joining the military. The attached tables provide the most common reasons offered by 16-21 year-olds.

The most frequently mentioned reasons for joining are funds for college, job training and/or experience, duty to country, pay, travel, and self-discipline. Most young men see postsecondary education as the key to prosperity and job security, and the availability of money for college from the military is well known. One in three men mentioned educational funding as a reason to join the military. The importance of educational funding was even more pronounced for women, with two in five citing it as a reason to join. Moreover, the number of women associating college funds with military service is increasing. About one in four young men, and one in six women, suggest military service would provide them job training and experience. Women more frequently mentioned training and experience in 1996 than in previous years. The percent of youth mentioning duty to country as a reason for joining has not changed significantly in the past few years, although an unusually high percentage of Hispanic women mentioned duty to country in 1994. Pay is mentioned about as frequently as duty to country. Black youth are more likely to mention pay and less likely to mention duty to country as a reason for joining.

Reasons most frequently cited for not wanting to join the military are that respondents do not like the military lifestyle, have other career interests, think the commitment is too long, see military service as threat to life, have family obligations, and find military service against their beliefs.

In 1996, 16 percent of young men and 21 percent of young women mentioned military lifestyle as a reason for not joining. Qualitative studies show youth perceive military life as disciplined and highly regimented; many identify military life with the basic training regime of early morning rising, strenuous physical exercise, and verbal harassment. YATS shows the percent of youth reporting military lifestyle as a reason for not joining increased in the past three years. Nine percent of both men and women mentioned the length of commitment as a reason for not joining. Length of commitment is mentioned less frequently by Blacks than Whites. In 1996, 9 percent mentioned the danger associated with military service as a reason for not joining; this is a significant increase over 1995 for both men and women. Five percent of youth indicated military service was against their beliefs. More Blacks than Whites mentioned the danger of military service and said it was against their beliefs.

Nine percent of young men and 7 percent of young women mentioned other career interests as a reason for not joining the military. Other career interests were more frequently mentioned by Whites than minorities, reflecting, perhaps, perceived greater opportunities in the civilian workforce. Seven percent of men and 13 percent of women mentioned family obligations as a reason for not joining. Familial obligations were more frequently mentioned by Hispanics than Whites or Blacks.

In-Depth Interviews

In order for DoD to develop reliable statistical trends, YATS interviews must be strictly standardized -- from year-to-year, interviewers must ask exactly the same questions, in the same context. This discipline does not allow extended in-depth discussions. To get a better sense of the stories behind YATS responses, DoD reinterviewed 120 16-21 year-old male high school seniors and high school graduates after the 1995 YATS administration. DoD interviewed approximately equal numbers of Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics, and selected (1) Joiners, who appeared most likely to enter military service, (2) Shifters, who seemed unlikely to enlist, but had previously considered military service, (3) Non-Joiners, who had never considered joining, and (4) Fence-Sitters, who seemed undecided in their considerations. Social scientists conducted the interviews, following a protocol that allowed the young men to tell their stories in their own words. Interviews were taped (with permission), and verbatim transcripts were qualitatively analyzed.

The results confirmed the appeal of educational funding as a reason to enlist. Most young men want to go to college and, for many, officer commissioning programs (Reserve Officer Training Corps and Service academies) and enlistment provide ways to meet rising college costs. However, for affluent youth, acquiring funding for college was never a concern, and military service was never a consideration. Many other college-bound youth seriously considered military service as a means for paying for college, but ceased to consider military service if other sources of funds became available. Thus, college funding appeals specifically to a limited segment of the youth population -- college-bound youth who need money for college.

Military service evokes images of discipline and regimentation for most young men, regardless of current or past propensity. These images tend to deter many college-bound youth from interest in military service. They believe they have the self-discipline to achieve their goals, and see regimentation as stifling. Many others, however, see externally imposed discipline as beneficial. Several Joiners noted that learning how to take discipline served an important maturing role in their lives; others look forward to learning this critical life lesson in military service. The military would provide a guiding structure within which to get their priorities straight. These include many young men who feel they are not ready for college, or have dropped out of college because of poor study habits.

The interviews also confirmed many young men seek job training and experience in military service, but relatively few mentioned serving their country as a major motivation for joining the military. Few youth, regardless of gender or race, look forward to engaging in combat. However, danger did not seem to be a major concern; many perceived the civilian world to be equally dangerous.

As other studies have shown, Joiners tend to have family members who are veterans; they tend to have extensive contact with people serving in the military. However, the majority of youth, regardless of propensity, have had some direct contact with others who have served or are serving in the military. YATS statistics show that more youth are influenced, either positively or negatively, by conversations with people who are, or have been, in military service, than by recruiters or advertising.

The young men perceived that movies and television shows do not present a factually accurate portrayal of military life. Although several youth mentioned particular movies that portray their visions of military life, it seemed these movies merely reinforce a mental picture being already formed on the basis of firsthand information from friends, relatives, and acquaintances, as well as newspapers, books, and other more objective media sources. Any notion that these youth are hapless victims of media manipulations seems fairly unsubstantiated, at least for the youth interviewed.

These young men's views of recruiters were almost uniformly negative. Although Joiners were a bit more charitable than others, even they complained of recruiters being both pushy and unresponsive to their needs and concerns. Several Shifters reported that distasteful experiences with recruiters who gave them misleading information clinched the decision not to join. Although these perceptions may imperfectly mirror these youth's actual interactions with recruiters, they deserve to be taken seriously, if for no other reason than they importantly influence and help justify behavior.

Timing is a critical factor influencing military propensity. Whether a particular youth will be favorably inclined to join the military can depend on reaching him at just the right time in his life. For many youth, this corresponds to the junior or senior year in high school. For others, the timing is more variable. One youth who planned to join reversed his decision when he discovered his estranged father would send him to college. Another, who a year before would not have given more than a passing thought to joining the military, did a complete about-face after spending time in the work force. Others developed familial obligations shortly after high school graduation, and acknowledged that the option of enlistment is closed to them.

Propensity Implications

While women's propensity for military service is rising slightly, men's propensity remains substantially below pre-drawdown levels and, if past experience is a guide, below the levels needed to meet increased accession requirements while maintaining the high quality required for today's military. This research underscores the need for college funds to attract an important segment of college-bound youth (those needing money). Many other youth, however, are attracted by the prospects of job training and experience, and by the discipline universally viewed as intrinsic to military service. To meet recruiting goals, DoD must address the needs of all market segments.

As timing is critical, DoD must find appropriate combinations of advertising and recruiter presence to assure young people will consider military service at appropriate decision points in their lives. At the same time, DoD needs to assure military recruiters are seen as available sources for helpful and credible information.

Most young people know someone who is, or has been, in the military. Propensity for military service is strongly influenced by what these people say and how they behave. It will continue to be important for Department of Defense leaders to ensure that the people currently in the military not only believe they are fairly treated, but also derive pride and satisfaction from their experiences. Veterans who have served will always be a powerful influence on the attitudes and perceptions of potential recruits.

Attachments:

Table G-1 to G-2 (Equal Opportunity Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Complaints)
Table G-3 to G-5 (Army Retention Trends)
Table G-6 to G-8 (Navy Retention Trends)
Table G-9 to G-11 (Marine Corps Retention Trends)
Table G-12 to G-14 (Air Force Retention Trends)
Table G-15 to G-17 (Coast Guard Retention Trends)
Table G-18 (Total DoD Retention Trends)
Table G-19 to G-21 (Trends in Enlistment Propensity)
Table G-22 to G-23 (Army Nondeployable Unit Personnel)
Table G-24 to G-25 (Air Force Nondeployable Unit Personnel)
Table G-26 to G-27 (Navy Nondeployable Unit Personnel)
Table G-28 to G-29 (Marine Corps Nondeployable Unit Personnel)
Table G-30 to G-31 (DoD Nondeployable Unit Personnel)