Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / This thesis examines the movement of personnel into, through, and out of the enlisted forces of the U.S. military services during the period FY1974-FY1987. The vehicle for this analysis is the Enlisted Transition Matrix, which is used by DOD and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), to track the transition characteristics of the enlisted forces. The Matrix data were supplied by the Defense Manpower Data Center, Monterey, CA. The data were aggregated to the service-wide and years-of-service (YOS) level. The main conclusion of this thesis is that analysis of data aggregated to this level does not yield useful information. Economic and demographic factors fluctuated significantly during the period of interest; however, the effects of those fluctuations are not evidenced in enlisted force information aggregated to the force or YOS level. / http://archive.org/details/trendsinenlisted00good / Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / The purpose of this thesis is to determine the potential gain from using information from state criminal history files as a screen for enlistment. Additionally, two more fundamental questions are addressed. First, what is the level of pre-service criminal behavior in the recruit population and to what extent is it 'hidden' from the Navy? Second, does pre-service criminal behavior affect first term performance, and if so, how large is the effect? The data examined are composed of MEPCOM personnel files combined with state criminal history records which allow determination of recruits' actual recorded criminal backgrounds. Four measures of recruit success are identified: first-term unsuitability attrition; promotion to paygrade E-4; reenlistment eligibility; and retention beyond EAOS. Employing cross-tabulations and logit models, this research compares the effects of juvenile versus adult offenses, felony versus non-felony offenses, and convictions versus arrests on the likelihood of success. The results indicate that a moral waiver process relying on self- disclosure may not be effective in identifying an individual's criminal background and that recruits with pre-service criminal histories are more likely to attrite for unsuitability and are less likely to promote to E-4, be reenlistment eligible, or remain in the Navy beyond their EAOS. This study suggests adult felony criminal histories are effective predictors of future recruit success and recommends using state criminal information in the recruit selection process.

The military has an important role in peace and development work. Having skilled, experienced and knowledgeable personnel on peace-promoting missions abroad is crucial to ensure the missions success. A consequence of attrition is that military organizations lose valuable skills, experiences and qualities of service members. Preventing attrition is essential to maintain readiness, morale and knowledge. It also has a positive impact on peacekeeping missions, humanitarian relief and interactions with civil society. Current research on attrition has focused on early attrition; separation that occurs before a full term of service. It has focused on pre-enlistment factors of individuals that would make them less suitable to remain in the military. Current research has looked at attrition among all branches of the United States military. The focus of this thesis is to identify the main reasons for attrition among enlisted United States Marines. Focus is on the effect dissatisfaction of service and civilian opportunities has on attrition. It will also identify areas in need of improvement to prevent attrition. This research is a qualitative field study taken with an abductive approach. The main method of data collection was in-depth semi-structured interviews with active and retired U.S Marines, on site in North Carolina. The theory used to analyze the results is the Rational Choice-Theory, an individualistic theory that focus on individual’s actions and the values and beliefs shaping the action. Dissatisfaction because of bad leadership, military structures, long days of work and lack of motivation affected attrition. Civilian opportunities such as college and spending more time with family also played a part in the decision-making regarding reenlistment. Among the Marines, dissatisfaction arising from long-term issues was the factor that affected attrition the most. Civilian opportunities were in some cases the last pull needed to leave service. The findings can assist in making changes that will have a positive effect on the Marines. It can encourage Marines to pursue a longer military career, and hence keep valuable skills and experiences. These Marines can then continue to do important work within the peace and development field.

Thesis (Master of Military Studies)-Marine Corps Command and Staff College, 2008. / Title from title page of PDF document (viewed on: Feb 9, 2010). Includes bibliographical references.