First-Term Attrition in the Navy: Causes and Proposed Solutions

Abstract

SUMMARYMore than 18% of Navy recruits leave the service within the first 6 months, and more than 37% are discharged before the end of their first term. By reducing the attrition rate, the Navy could slash costs for recruiting, training, equipment, and related expenses. For example, the General Accounting Office estimates that in fiscal year 1996, the joint services lost an investment of $39 million by recruiting and training enlistees who separated before they had completed 6 months of service. The purpose of this research was to identify major individual and organizational factors that cause attrition, and to develop a set of interventions or recommendations for reducing attrition. Interviews were conducted with Navy personnel to determine perceptions of the types of individuals who are most likely to attrite and the organizational factors that increase attrition. Results from the interviews were then combined with other data, including Navy documents such as official instructions and press releases, government technical reports and briefings, media sources such as The Navy Times, and a variety of unofficial Navy surveys and meeting notes that were volunteered by respondents during interviews.The following factors play an important role in boot camp attrition:1. Inadequate preparation for transition from civilian life to recruit training, including incorrect or unclear expectations of military life, and poor civilian physical conditioning and lifestyle. 2. Failure to adapt to recruit training for reasons such as low stress resistance, homesickness, malingering, and immaturity. 3. Discipline problems stemming from disrespect for authority and disobedience of rules and regulations. 4. Medical/physical problems, many of which were not detected during earlier medical exams. 5. Fraudulent enlistment. 6. Screening deficiencies, including failure to detect mental disorders and personality disorder. 7. Drug use.The following factors play an important role in "A" school nonacademic attrition.(Academic attrition was not studied because personnel who attrite for academic reasons typically stay in the Navy).

Women’s smoking history prior to entering the US Navy: a prospective predictor of performance

“…10 Previous research indicates that cigarette smoking in the military has adverse effects on personnel health, performance, physical fitness and attrition. [14][15][16] Numerous studies have concluded that there are negative relationships between smoking and success in combat training among military personnel. [17][18] Smokers tend to exercise less and perform more poorly on military physical fitness tests.…”

Predicting Attrition, Performance, Reenlistment, and Hospitalizations from the Smoking History of Women Prior to Entering the Navy

“…15 Also, most previous studies focused on smoking as a predictor of a single or few outcomes, such as excess training costs or absenteeism, or measured relatively shortterm outcomes of smoking (e.g., attrition during the first year of enlistment). [15][16][17] Little was known about the association of smoking with longer-term personnel outcomes, such as career advancement, disciplinary problems, and reenlistment decisions. Most previous studies have been descriptive, ecological, or based on aggregated data, limiting the ability to make prospective inferences about smoking as a risk factor for subsequent personnel-related outcomes.…”

“…Also, most previous studies focused on smoking as a predictor of a single or few outcomes, such as excess training costs or absenteeism, or measured relatively short-term outcomes of smoking (e.g., attrition during the first year of enlistment) (Klesges, Haddock, & Chang, et al, 2001;Larson & Kewley, 2000;Zadoo, Fengler & Catterson, 1993). Little was known about the association of smoking with longer-term personnel outcomes, such as career advancement, disciplinary problems, and reenlistment decisions.…”

“…Previous research indicates that cigarette smoking in the military has adverse effects on personnel health, performance, physical fitness, and attrition. [14][15][16] Numerous studies have concluded that there are negative relationships between smoking and success in combat training in military personnel. [17][18] Smokers tend to exercise less and perform more poorly on military…”

“…Although smoking in the military decreased dramatically from 1980 to the mid-1990s (Kroutil, Bray, & Marsden, 1994), there was a statistically significant increase from 1998 to 2002, marking the first increase in two decades (Bray, Hourani, & Rae, et al, 2003). Past-month cigarette smoking continues to exceed Healthy People 2010 objectives of 12%, with 33.8% of military personnel smoking in the past month in 2002 (Bray, Hourani, & Rae, et al, 2003).Previous research indicates that cigarette smoking in the military has adverse effects on personnel health, performance, physical fitness, and attrition (Conway & Cronan, 1988;Conway & Cronan, 1992;Klesges, Haddock, Chang, Talcott, & Lando, 2001, Larson & Kewley, 2000. Numerous studies have concluded that there are negative relationships between smoking and success in combat training in military personnel (Blake & Parker, 1991;Zadoo, Fengler, & Catterson, 1993).…”