Tour Lengths, Permanent Changes of Station, and Alternatives for Savings and Improved Stability

Abstract

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Improving Precommissioning Assignments and Readiness on the U.S. Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Cutter

“…The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has offered voluntary tour extensions since at least 1980, when Congress authorized the Overseas Tour Extension Incentive Program (Bond et al, 2016). The program offers eligible members of the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy in designated billets an opportunity to extend their overseas tours by 12 months or more.…”

“…From the set of qualified bidders, detailers would select the person who submitted the lowest bid. The selected person would be assigned to the billet and receive monthly incentive pay equal to his or her bid for the duration of the assignment (Bond et al, 2016).…”

“…In some cases, a billet might remain vacant because either no one submitted a bid or the detailer disqualified every bidder. If this were to occur, involuntary assignment might be necessary (Bond et al, 2016).…”

“…Many hospitals allow nurses to bid online for undesirable shifts, and commercial airlines typically employ bidding systems to match crew members with flight schedules (Acour et al, 2007;Campbell, 2012;De Grano, Medeiros, and Eitel, 2009;Gamache et al, 1998;May, Bazzoli, and Gerland, 2006;Sabet, 2005). Similar mechanisms have been used by police departments, prisons, and call centers (Bond et al, 2016). Universities have leveraged bidding systems to address the inverse issue: Students can bid for seats in law and business school courses that are oversubscribed, rather than hard to fill (Krishna and Ünver, 2008;Sönmez and Ünver, 2010).…”

“…From the perspective of the employer or principal (e.g., Navy personnel management), bidding systems provide a mechanism for inferring preferences, determining who has a stronger claim on available assignments, and filling vacancies at the lowest cost. From the perspective of the employee or agent (e.g., sailors), bidding systems provide more flexibility and greater control over assignments (Bond et al, 2016).…”