Author: Harry Thie

Publisher: Rand Corporation

Published: 1994

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13: 9780833015723

Much of current officer personnel legislation was created to address the Cold War and is based on the experiences of World War II in developing a large officer corps. In the post-Cold War environment, with the officer corps at its lowest level since the aftermath of World War II, and with a changing national security and military strategy, Congress in Section 502 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1993 (Public Law 102-484) asked for a fundamental examination of officer management for the period beyond the current drawdown. Congress and the Department of Defense expressed interest in several primary areas to include grade and skill requirements; flows into, within, and out of the services; turnover and stability; career lengths; and promotion. The conclusions reached in this study were based on a broad method of analysis designed to provide analytical information about changes that could be made in the officer career management system. The authors set forth alternative future systems from which needed policies can be selected to address DoD and service objectives for officer careers. The authors also suggested criteria for measuring how well the systems meet the purpose and objectives of officer career management described in this report.