Life as a Private: Stories of Service from the Junior Ranks of Today’s Army

Life as a Private: Stories of Service from the Junior Ranks of Today’s Army. RAND Corporation. Rebecca Zimmerman et al. March 6, 2019

Army enlisted service is an enduring American tradition. Men and women, often recent high school graduates, leave home to serve their country and experience the challenges of Basic Combat Training and the camaraderie of life on a military base. But there is much more to Army service than the outlines with which most Americans are familiar. A separate RAND Arroyo Center report details the service experiences of 81 junior enlisted soldiers across many similar topics. The objective of this report is to provide deeper insight into the junior enlisted experience in a way that is accessible to policymakers and senior Army leaders, junior leaders, recruiters, and individuals considering an Army career.

This volume goes beyond the archetypes and bumper stickers to tell the stories of six soldiers in their own words. In these chapters, readers learn about their decisions to join the Army, the joys and frustrations of their jobs, and their considerations for the future. The narratives identify some leadership behaviors that support soldier success and others that make soldiers’ lives more difficult. The interviews have been edited for clarity and readability, and some details changed to protect soldiers’ confidentiality; otherwise, these words are theirs alone, with a few opening and concluding thoughts from the authors to capture key lessons. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 210 pages].

Developing a National Recruiting Difficulty Index

Developing a National Recruiting Difficulty Index. RAND Corporation. Jeffrey B. Wenger et al. March 13, 2019

The U.S. Army recognizes that the recruiting environment has a significant impact on its ability to recruit. This report presents a forecasting model that measures recruiting difficulty to forecast a difficult or easy recruiting environment. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 136 pages].

National Will to Fight: Why Some States Keep Fighting and Others Don’t

National Will to Fight: Why Some States Keep Fighting and Others Don’t. RAND Corporation.  Michael J. McNerney et al. September 20, 2018

 What drives some governments to persevere in war at any price while others choose to stop fighting? It is often less-tangible political and economic variables, rather than raw military power, that ultimately determine national will to fight. In this analysis, the authors explore how these variables strengthen or weaken a government’s determination to conduct sustained military operations, even when the expectation of success decreases or the need for significant political, economic, and military sacrifices increases.

This report is part of a broader RAND Arroyo Center effort to help U.S. leaders better understand and influence will to fight at both the national level and the tactical and operational levels. It presents findings and recommendations based on a wide-ranging literature review, a series of interviews, 15 case studies (including deep dives into conflicts involving the Korean Peninsula and Russia), and reviews of relevant modeling and war-gaming.

The authors propose an exploratory model of 15 variables that can be tailored and applied to a wide set of conflict scenarios and drive a much-needed dialogue among analysts conducting threat assessments, contingency plans, war games, and other efforts that require an evaluation of how future conflicts might unfold. The recommendations should provide insights into how leaders can influence will to fight in both allies and adversaries. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

 [PDF format, 154 pages].

Resources Required to Meet the U.S. Army’s Enlisted Recruiting Requirements under Alternative Recruiting Goals, Conditions, and Eligibility Policies

Resources Required to Meet the U.S. Army’s Enlisted Recruiting Requirements under Alternative Recruiting Goals, Conditions, and Eligibility Policies. RAND Corporation. David Knapp et al. July 12, 2018

 The purpose of this research is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the Army’s use of recruiting resources and policies. A theoretical model was estimated based on the Army’s recruiting experience. Using this model, a tool was created for the Army’s use in assessing alternative courses of action and optimizing resource levels and mix under alternative enlisted accession goals, labor market conditions, and recruit eligibility policies. Understanding how recruiting resources and recruit eligibility policies work together as a system under varying recruiting requirements and environments is critical for decision makers who want to use their limited resources to efficiently and effectively achieve the Army’s accession requirements. The recruiting resource model developed in this report considers the relationship among the monthly level and mix of recruiting resources, recruit eligibility policies, accumulated contracts, and training seat targets. It models how these factors combine to produce monthly accessions and the number of enlistment contracts at the fiscal year’s end that are scheduled to access in the following fiscal year. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

 [PDF format, 148 pages].