An analysis of factors that influence reenlistment decisions in the US Army

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze factors that influence first-term reenlistment decisions in the US Army. The data used for this thesis were taken from the US Army Small Tracking File (STF) database and merged with Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) US Army enlisted cohort files. The Army currently categorizes personnel into 10 broad characteristic groups based on gender, education, Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) score category, and enlistment term. The scope of this thesis is limited to soldiers in the first characteristic group, commonly known as "C-Group 1." This characteristic group consists of men who enlist for a 3-year or 4-year term of enlistment, score at least at the 50th percentile on the AFQT, and possess at least a high school diploma. This group accounts for approximately one-third of all enlistees. This thesis specifically examined the demographic background and military experience characteristics of soldiers, eligible for reenlistment, from the 1990, 1991, and 1992 cohorts. Descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation analysis and logistic regression were employed to analyze the data.