Determinants of nonparticipation in the United States Army Reserve

Abstract

The end of the Cold War generated military budget constraints and downsizing that resulted in the active force having to rely on Reserve component support. Enlisted losses in the USAR, however, have been increasing. For FY 97, approximately 23% of enlisted losses were due to unsatisfactory participation. These losses equate to lost training dollars and decreased force readiness. The objectives of this thesis are to identify the factors that lead to unsatisfactory participation within U.S. Army Reserve units, and recommend changes which should lead to increased participation and force readiness. This study has used a methodology that involved talking to reservists, who left their units, to discuss the reasons and timing of their decisions to depart. An integrated model has been developed as a framework to study the Reserve organizational socialization process. Many identified unmet expectations in training and leadership areas, and many exited because they were unable to resolve these dissatisfactions. Unit leadership exacerbated these problems through little or ineffective attempts to rectify the reservists' problems, as well as inadequate efforts to influence the reservist to return to the unit. Recommendations include: providing new reservists realistic job previews; emphasizing the importance of the first training weekend and the sponsorship program leadership training; expanding the unit retention sergeant's duties to cover the entire scope of the retention process; and publicizing and rewarding "best practices."