U.S. Marine Corps company-grade officer retention

Abstract

This thesis analyzed factors which influenced the retention of male, junior Marine Corps officers who were serving within their initial period of obligated service. A broad social science approach combining organizational and individual behavioral factors was used to model the turnover decision. A multivariate logistic regression model was estimated using these factors to determine their relative importance in explaining differences in the actual retention behavior of these officers. Subsequent models were then estimated to identify and explain differences in the factors affecting the retention between married and single personnel. Data for this study were drawn from a matched file of responses to the 1992 Department of Defense Survey of Officers and Enlisted Personnel and Their Spouses with 1996 follow-up retention information from the Defense Manpower Data Center's Master Loss File. The factors found to influence significantly the sample members' decisions to remain on active duty included: commissioning source; occupational specialty; deployment to Operation Desert Shield/Storm; satisfaction with various intrinsic aspects of life in the Marine Corps; concerns with the force drawdown; whether or not the officer had searched for civilian employment in the last twelve months; whether or not the officer believed that the skills he had acquired in the Marine Corps would be transferable to the civilian market; and the influence on the career decision of the officer's spouse. Finally, recommendations regarding future policy as well as areas for further related research were made