Quantitative analysis of high-quality officer selection by commandant's career-level education board

Abstract

As the Marine Corps seeks to recruit and retain high-quality individuals, the term quality must be defined in order to meet current and future manpower needs. In our research, we identify characteristics and attributes valued by the Marine Corps when selecting high-quality company-grade officers. Selection on Commandant's Career-Level Education Board (CCLEB) serves as a proxy for high quality. Our research finds that factors relating to job experience and job performance are valued more highly than variables associated with training or early career attributes of Marines during the CCLEB selection process. The board places substantial emphasis on job performance, as measured by fitness report value, when selecting Marines for CCLEB. This finding is in line with the intent and goal of the Fitness Report (FITREP) system of identifying high-quality personnel. Seniority, as measured by years of commissioned service, also appears to be a strong predictor of selection outcome. The presence of an updated photograph in a Marine's Official Military Personnel File (OMPF), which can be interpreted as a signal of motivation or ability to follow instructions, shows a significant effect on selection. In addition, our results show The Basic School (TBS) scores, specifically the academic and leadership portions, are an accurate earlier predictor of both performance and selection. The findings in this study provide support in the effort of identifying and measuring the quality of Marine Corps officers.