Time on station requirements: costs, policy change, and perceptions

Abstract

The Department of Defense (DOD) continuously seeks ways to cut costs, and Congress has directed the DOD to reduce permanent change of station (PCS) expenses. One option that may reduce expenses and improve quality of life without sacrificing readiness is to increase time on station (TOS). Accordingly, this project evaluates how Marines feel about the current TOS policy as well as how they would feel if the requirements increased from three to five years. We developed and fielded a survey to capture attitudes about TOS requirements and econometric tools analyzed responses. Our findings show that while 80% reported the current TOS policy adequately supports career development, 67% think longer TOS will improve quality of life and 85% think longer TOS will not sacrifice unit readiness. Moreover, the Marine Corps stands to save $38M annually by increasing its rotation cycle from three to five years. We take these results as evidence that Marines support longer TOS and a change in policy might be beneficial to the institution.