An examination of recruit attrition in the United States Marine Corps

Abstract

Since 1979, the rate of recruit attrition in the United States Marine Corps has continued to increase. This increase in recruit attrition is costly in terms of both time and money. The purpose of this thesis is threefold. First, it provides a general overview of the Marine Corps recruiting and training process. Second, it attempts to compare recruit attrition statistics between the two recruit depots. And third, it attempts to construct a profile of Senior Drill Instructors with low attrition rates and Senior Drill Instructors with high attrition rates. As a result of the study, the authors present recommendations for future recruit attrition studies; a recommendation for the development of uniform definitions and reporting formats for the recruit depots; and finally, a recommendation that Congressional legislation be implemented which would allow military recruiters access to school and police records of potential recruits.