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Deployments Affect Service Members THE ARTS This PDF document was made available from www.rand.org as a public CHILD POLICY service of the RAND Corporation. CIVIL JUSTICE EDUCATION Jump down to document ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT 6 HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research NATIONAL SECURITY POPULATION AND AGING organization providing objective analysis and effective PUBLIC SAFETY solutions that address the challenges facing the public SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY and private sectors around the world. SUBSTANCE ABUSE TERRORISM AND HOMELAND SECURITY TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE Support RAND WORKFORCE AND WORKPLACE Purchase this document Browse Books & Publications Make a charitable contribution For More Information Visit RAND at www.rand.org Learn more about the RAND Corporation View document details Limited Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law as indicated in a notice appearing later in this work. This electronic representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for non- commercial use only. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of our research documents for commercial use. This product is part of the RAND Corporation monograph series. RAND mono- graphs present major research findings that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND monographs undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity. How Deployments Affect Service Members James Hosek, Jennifer Kavanagh, Laura Miller Approved for public release; distribution unlimited The research descibed in this report results from the RAND Corporation’s continuing program of self-initiated independent research. Support for such research is provided, in part, by donors and by the independent research and development provisions of RAND’s contracts for the operation of its U.S. Department of Defense federally funded research and development centers. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hosek, James R. How deployments affect service members / James Hosek, Jennifer Kavanagh, Laura Miller. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. “MG-432.” ISBN 0-8330-3868-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. United States—Armed Forces—Recruiting, enlistment, etc. 2. United States—Armed Forces—Personnel management. 3. Deployment (Strategy) I. Kavanagh, Jennifer, 1981– II. Miller, Laura, 1967– III. Title. UB323.H669 2006 355.1'2940973—dc22 2005029107 The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. R® is a registered trademark. Cover image courtesy of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Reserve Affairs © Copyright 2006 RAND Corporation All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from RAND. Published 2006 by the RAND Corporation 1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 1200 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202-5050 201 North Craig Street, Suite 202, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-1516 RAND URL: http://www.rand.org/ To order RAND documents or to obtain additional information, contact Distribution Services: Telephone: (310) 451-7002; Fax: (310) 451-6915; Email: [email protected] Preface The military operations under way in Iraq and Afghanistan require more-intensive and more-prolonged use of U.S. military power than at any time since the Vietnam War. The commitment of military personnel to these countries has eclipsed the scope and duration of actions in Bosnia, Kosovo, Haiti, Somalia, and Panama. Although greater in scale at its peak, the Gulf War was brief and did not extend into a long period of peacekeeping, reconstruc- tion, and insurgency, and it did not involve urban conflict, suicide bombers, or roadside bombs. The one-third cut in active-duty manpower at the end of the Cold War, from 2.1 million to 1.4 million in uniform, has today resulted in the need for longer and repeated de- ployments, especially for the Army and the Marine Corps, and these deployments have posed challenges for active-duty service members and for their families. We undertook preparation of this monograph with the objective of offering insights into the challenges faced by active-duty service members deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, the resiliency they and their families have shown in coping with these challenges, and the adequacy of defense manpower policy in assisting members and families. The monograph draws on the perspectives of economics, sociology, and psychology; provides a formal model of deployment and retention; reviews published work; reports on the results of focus groups conducted in each of the services; and presents findings from an analysis of survey data. The focus groups and survey data relate to the period from 2003 to early 2004. And, although the circumstances in Iraq and Afghanistan have changed markedly from that time, we believe that many of the monograph’s findings and implications remain relevant. The monograph may be of interest to the military services, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, individual service members and their families, members of Congress and their staff, and the media. It may also interest foreign militaries that have converted to a volunteer system and that want to be informed about the personnel strains caused by a high operating tempo. This monograph results from the RAND Corporation’s continuing program of self- initiated independent research. Support for such research is provided, in part, by donors and by the independent research and development provisions of RAND’s contracts for the opera- tion of its U.S. Department of Defense federally funded research and development centers. This research was conducted within the RAND National Security Research Division (NSRD) of the RAND Corporation. NSRD conducts research and analysis for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the Unified Commands, the defense agencies, the Department of the Navy, the U.S. Intelligence Community, allied foreign governments, and foundations. iii iv How Deployments Affect Service Members For more information on the RAND National Security Research Division, contact the Director of Operations, Nurith Berstein. She can be reached by email at [email protected]; by phone at 703-413-1100, extension 5469; or by mail at RAND, 1200 South Hayes Street, Arlington VA 22202-5050. More information about the RAND Corporation is available at www.rand.org. Contents Preface .................................................................................................iii Figures .................................................................................................ix Tables ..................................................................................................xi Summary............................................................................................. xiii Acknowledgments ................................................................................... xxv CHAPTER ONE Introduction ........................................................................................... 1 Is a Manpower Challenge Indicated? .................................................................. 1 Finding Answers and the Organization of This Monograph........................................... 3 CHAPTER TWO Research Approaches to Deployment and Retention ............................................... 5 Expected-Utility Model of Deployment and Retention ............................................... 5 Expected Utility and Preferred Deployment ........................................................ 6 Implications ......................................................................................... 8 Illustrative Examples................................................................................ 10 Empirical Studies of Retention..................................................................... 11 Sociology: Attitudes Toward Deployments, Family Stresses, and Retention ......................... 14 Small-Group Dynamics and Cohesion............................................................. 15 Combat Motivation ................................................................................ 16 Effects of Operations Other Than War on Morale ................................................ 17 Military-Family Tension ........................................................................... 19 Conclusions ........................................................................................ 21 Psychology: Stress and Performance................................................................... 21 Deployment Stressors .............................................................................. 22 Stress and Performance: A Model and Discussion ................................................. 23 Maladaptive Stress Reactions....................................................................... 25 Moderators ......................................................................................... 27 Conclusion ......................................................................................... 30 Summary .............................................................................................
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