Manning the nuclear submarine force of the 1980's and beyond: an officer study.

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the demand for, and supply of, nuclear qualified submarine officers in the ranks LTJG to CDR during the 19 80's and beyond. Four demand and six supply scenarios are developed and compared to give 24 possible patterns of projected officer shortages and surpluses over the years 1982 to 1997, and in steady state. The relative effectiveness of various accession and lateral entry policies is then examined in an attempt to identify an optimum accession and/or lateral entry program. Finally, the Navy's ability to meet the required accession goals is assessed by studying the projected supply of college graduates qualified to enter the nuclear submarine force. The pattern of shortages and surpluses projected indicates that unless attrition rates can be reduced, it will not be possible to fully man the submarine force with nuclear qualified officers before 1993 without a policy of lateral entry, for example, nuclear engineers working in industry. In the long run, all shortages can be eliminated by a policy of increased accessions.