Military Personnel: Perceptions of Retention-Critical Personnel
Are Similar to Those of Other Enlisted Personnel (28-JUN-01,
GAO-01-785).
This report reviews the Department of Defense's 1999 broad-based
survey of active duty personnel to help shed light on why
servicemembers in critical occupational areas might be leaving
the military. From comparing the responses of retention-critical
personnel against other enlisted personnel, GAO concluded that
personnel in retention-critical occupations are not being
''pushed out'' of the military by their experiences at a greater
rate than other enlisted personnel. Rather, to the extent they
possess marketable skills, it is more likely they are being
''pulled out'' of the military by more attractive civilian
opportunities. Comparing retention-critical personnel against
other enlisted personnel, GAO observed that the expectations and
experiences of personnel serving in retention-critical
occupations were, in general, similar to those of other enlisted
personnel. Personnel in retention-critical occupations were
generally as satisfied with military life as were other enlisted
personnel and each group's career intentions were similar. Nearly
half of both retention-critical and other enlisted personnel were
satisfied with the military way of life. Perceptions of civilian
life for those serving in retention-critical occupations were
mixed. Overall, most enlisted personnel had a positive perception
about work-related opportunities and the quality of life
available in the civilian world. Those in retention-critical
occupations that had highly marketable skills, such as
electronics equipment repairers, were especially optimistic about
their opportunities for civilian employment.
-------------------------Indexing Terms-------------------------
REPORTNUM: GAO-01-785
ACCNO: A01268
TITLE: Military Personnel: Perceptions of Retention-Critical
Personnel Are Similar to Those of Other Enlisted Personnel
DATE: 06/28/2001
SUBJECT: Military personnel
Personnel management
Job satisfaction surveys
Attrition rates
Military recruiting
Quality of life
Enlisted personnel
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GAO-01-785
Report to the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on Military
Personnel, Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives
United States General Accounting Office
GAO
June 2001 MILITARY PERSONNEL
Perceptions of Retention- Critical Personnel Are Similar to Those of Other
Enlisted Personnel
GAO- 01- 785
Page i GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel Letter 1
Appendix I Objectives, Scope, and Methodology 16
Appendix II Comments From the Department of Defense 25
Appendix III Electronic Equipment Repairers 26
Appendix IV Communications and Intelligence Specialists 41
Appendix V Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers 56
Appendix VI Contacts and Staff Acknowledgements 71
Tables
Table 1: Retention- Critical Occupations Identified by DOD and the Services,
Organized by Occupational Area and Occupational Group 5 Table 2: Top Five
Reasons Cited by Enlisted Personnel for Staying
In or Leaving the Military 11 Table 3: Retention- Critical Occupations
Identified by DOD and the
Services, Organized by Occupational Area and Occupational Group 19 Table 4:
Air Force Retention- Critical Occupations 20 Table 5: Army Retention-
Critical Occupations 21 Table 6: Marine Corps Retention- Critical
Occupations 22 Table 7: Navy Retention- Critical Occupations 23 Table 8:
Description of Retention- Critical Electronic Equipment
Repair Occupational Groups 27 Table 9: Description of Retention- Critical
Communications and
Intelligence Occupational Groups 42 Contents
Page ii GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
Table 10: Description of Retention- Critical Electrical and Mechanical
Equipment Repair Occupational Groups 57
Figures
Figure 1: Expectations Upon Entry of Personnel 6 Figure 2: Experiences of
Enlisted Personnel 8 Figure 3: Satisfaction and Retention Intentions of
Enlisted
Personnel 10 Figure 4: Perceptions of Enlisted Personnel About The Civilian
World 14 Figure 5: Electronic Equipment Repairers' Career Intent on Entry 28
Figure 6: Electronic Equipment Repairers' Perceptions of Military
Life Compared to Expectations at Entry 29 Figure 7: Number of Hours
Electronic Equipment Repairers
Reported Working During Previous Workweek 30 Figure 8: Number of Months
Electronic Equipment Repairers Were
Away from Home During Previous 12 Months 31 Figure 9: Electronic Equipment
Repairers' Perceptions of Unit
Staffing Preparedness 32 Figure 10: Electronic Equipment Repairers'
Perceptions of Unit
Preparedness Regarding Parts and Equipment 33 Figure 11: Electronic
Equipment Repairers' Perceptions of Civilian
Work Opportunities 34 Figure 12: Electronic Equipment Repairers' Perceptions
of Civilian
Life Being Better than Military Life 35 Figure 13: Electronic Equipment
Repairers' Perceptions of Military
Life Being Better than Civilian Life 36 Figure 14: Electronic Equipment
Repairers' Overall Satisfaction
with Military Life 37 Figure 15: Electronic Equipment Repairers' Career
Intent 38 Figure 16: Electronic Equipment Repairers' Top Five Reasons for
Staying in the Military 39 Figure 17: Electronic Equipment Repairers' Top
Five Reasons for
Leaving the Military 40 Figure 18: Communications and Intelligence
Specialists' Career
Intent on Entry 43 Figure 19: Communications and Intelligence Specialists'
Perceptions of Military Life Compared to Expectations at Entry 44 Figure 20:
Number of Hours Communications and Intelligence
Specialists Reported Working During Previous Workweek 45
Page iii GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
Figure 21: Number of Months Communications and Intelligence Specialists Were
Away from Home During Previous 12 Months 46 Figure 22: Communications and
Intelligence Specialists'
Perceptions of Unit Staffing Preparedness 47 Figure 23: Communications and
Intelligence Specialists'
Perceptions of Unit Preparedness With Regard to Parts and Equipment 48
Figure 24: Communications and Intelligence Specialists'
Perceptions of Civilian Work Opportunities 49 Figure 25: Communications and
Intelligence Specialists'
Perceptions of Civilian Life Being Better than Military Life 50 Figure 26:
Communications and Intelligence Specialists'
Perceptions of Military Life Being Better than Civilian Life 51 Figure 27:
Communications and Intelligence Specialists' Overall
Satisfaction With Military Way of Life 52 Figure 28: Communications and
Intelligence Specialists' Career
Intent 53 Figure 29: Communications and Intelligence Specialists' Top Five
Reasons for Staying in the Military 54 Figure 30: Communications and
Intelligence Specialists' Top Five
Reasons for Leaving the Military 55 Figure 31: Electrical and Mechanical
Equipment Repairers' Career
Intent on Entry 58 Figure 32: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers'
Perceptions of Military Life Compared to Expectations at Entry 59 Figure 33:
Number of Hours Electrical and Mechanical Equipment
Repairers' Reported Working During Previous Workweek 60 Figure 34: Number of
Months Electrical and Mechanical Equipment
Repairers Were Away from Home During Previous 12 Months 61 Figure 35:
Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers'
Perceptions of Unit Staffing Preparedness 62 Figure 36: Electrical and
Mechanical Equipment Repairers'
Perceptions of Unit Parts and Equipment Preparedness 63 Figure 37:
Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers'
Perceptions of Civilian Work Opportunities 64 Figure 38: Electrical and
Mechanical Equipment Repairers'
Perceptions of Civilian Life Being Better than Military Life 65 Figure 39:
Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers'
Perceptions of Military Life Being Better than Civilian Life 66
Page iv GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
Figure 40: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers' Overall
Satisfaction with Military Way of Life 67 Figure 41: Electrical and
Mechanical Equipment Repairers' Career
Intent 68 Figure 42: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers' Top
Five Reasons for Staying in the Military 69 Figure 43: Electrical and
Mechanical Equipment Repairers' Top
Five Reasons for Leaving the Military 70
Page 1 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
June 28, 2001 The Honorable John M. McHugh Chairman The Honorable Vic Snyder
Ranking Minority Member Subcommittee on Military Personnel Committee on
Armed Services House of Representatives
Widespread reports of flagging military morale raise an important question:
is dissatisfaction with the military way of life driving highly trained
individuals out, or are they being lured away by more favorable civilian
opportunities? In recent years, the Department of Defense (DOD) has become
increasingly concerned about its ability to retain enough personnel to
fulfill its missions and is particularly concerned about retaining personnel
who possess specialized skills. Human capital management is not only a
problem for DOD, but as we have reported, it is also an area of concern
throughout the federal government today. 1 Overall, the military reports
that it is meeting its aggregate retention goals, but DOD leaders remain
concerned that they are significantly challenged in their efforts to compete
with the private sector for individuals with specialized skills.
In response to your request, we analyzed the results of DOD's 1999
broadbased survey of active duty personnel 2 to help shed light on why
servicemembers in critical occupational areas might be leaving the military.
We helped the Department design this survey and previously testified before
the Subcommittee on the results of our preliminary analysis. 3 This analysis
revealed that more military personnel are satisfied than dissatisfied with
the military way of life. Following our testimony, the Subcommittee asked us
to use the final survey data to more closely
1 Major Management Challenges and Program Risks: Department of Defense
(GAO- 01- 244, Jan. 2001) and Human Capital: Managing Human Capital in the
21st Century (GAO/ T- GGD- 00- 77).
2 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel: Administration, Datasets, and
Codebook
(Defense Manpower Data Center, Arlington VA, December 2000). 3 Military
Personnel: Preliminary Results of DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Members
(GAO/ T- NSIAD- 00- 110, Mar. 8, 2000).
United States General Accounting Office Washington, DC 20548
Page 2 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
examine the responses of personnel serving in retention- critical
occupations and compare them to those of other enlisted personnel. We
focused our analysis on three areas: (1) what were the expectations and
experiences of enlisted personnel, (2) how satisfied were they with military
life and what were their career intentions, and (3) what were their
perceptions of civilian work opportunities and quality of life. We defined a
difference to be both significant and meaningful if the responses of
retention- critical personnel and other enlisted personnel differed by � 7
percentage points.
To address these objectives, we worked closely with each of the four
services to determine what occupations they consider "retention- critical"
because of their impact on readiness. Identifying occupations that are
retention- critical proved difficult because each service defines the term
differently. Ultimately, they identified 64 occupations that were of
concern. We grouped the occupations into three broad occupational areas-
electronic equipment repairers, communications and intelligence specialists,
and electrical and mechanical equipment repairers. These broad areas include
specific jobs like sonar equipment repairers, radio and radar repairers, air
traffic controllers, and aircraft and automotive mechanics. Combined, the
services employ about 300,000 retention- critical enlisted personnel in
these three broad areas. This represents about 29 percent of the entire
enlisted force. We compared the perceptions of the personnel in these
retention- critical occupations to those of other enlisted personnel. 4
Details on our objectives, scope, and methodology are in Appendix I.
We conclude from our analysis, comparing the responses of retentioncritical
personnel against other enlisted personnel, that personnel in retention-
critical occupations are not being "pushed out" of the military by their
experiences at a greater rate than other enlisted personnel. Rather, to the
extent they possess marketable skills, it is more likely they are being
"pulled out" of the military by more attractive civilian opportunities.
4 Throughout this report, we use specific terms to describe the enlisted
populations we analyzed. Use of the terms "all" or "entire" enlisted
personnel refer to analysis of the entire enlisted force, including those in
retention- critical occupations. The term "retention- critical personnel"
refers to only those servicemembers that were identified by the services as
being "retention- critical." Use of the term "other enlisted personnel"
refers to all enlisted personnel minus personnel from the retention-
critical occupational area we are discussing. The 1999 Active Duty Survey
results were projected to each of these groups and are representative of
those populations. Results in Brief
Page 3 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
Comparing retention- critical personnel against other enlisted personnel, we
observed that the expectations and experiences of personnel serving in
retention- critical occupations were, in general, similar to those of other
enlisted personnel. Nearly three- quarters of retention- critical personnel,
as well as all other enlisted personnel, indicated that military life was
either better than or about what they had expected before they joined.
However, we found some pockets of differences within the retention- critical
occupational areas in comparison to other enlisted personnel regarding their
experiences in the military. For example, compared to other enlisted
personnel, those serving in electrical and mechanical equipment repair
occupations- one of the retention- critical occupational areas- raised more
concerns about their unit's preparedness with regard to staffing, and spare
parts and equipment problems. The experiences of personnel in the other two
retention- critical occupation areas were not significantly different from
those of other enlisted personnel with regard to their unit?s preparedness.
Personnel in retention- critical occupations were generally as satisfied
with military life as were other enlisted personnel and each groups career
intentions were similar. Nearly half of both retention- critical and other
enlisted personnel were satisfied with the military way of life. About
onethird were dissatisfied. Likewise, at the time they responded to the
survey, roughly half of both retention- critical and other enlisted
personnel planned to stay in the military for 20 or more years. When asked
to recall what their career intentions were before they entered the
military, around 50 percent of both retention- critical and other enlisted
personnel recalled being unsure about whether or not they would make the
military a career.
Perceptions of civilian life for those serving in retention- critical
occupations were mixed. Overall, most enlisted personnel had a positive
perception about work- related opportunities and the quality of life
available in the civilian world. Those in retention- critical occupations
that had highly marketable skills, such as electronics equipment repairers
were especially optimistic about their opportunities for civilian
employment. According to officials from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this
belief is difficult to quantify but is probably accurate. DOD affirmed these
conclusions in a recent report that cited a robust economy and keen civilian
sector competition for employees to fill high- technology positions as some
of the causes for DOD's human resources challenges. 5 This report
5 The Defense Science Board Task Force on Human Resources Strategy, February
2000.
Page 4 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
cited evidence that the quality and capability of the force was beginning to
erode from record highs in the mid- 1990s. For example, the report noted
that, while the overall quality of recruits remained well above the minimum
standards, a decline in quality was evident and needed to be reversed,
particularly in a number of unidentified critical skill specialties.
We are not making any recommendations in this report. During the early and
mid- 1990s, when the military reduced personnel levels, retention was not a
primary concern. However, DOD and Congress have long recognized that some
servicemembers, particularly those in certain technical areas, can be
difficult to retain. 6 In 1998, DOD raised concerns about retention overall
and about the quality and readiness of its forces. In testimony before the
Senate Armed Services Committee in September 1998, the members of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff testified that retention rates had declined force- wide and
within specific critical occupations. In response to these concerns,
Congress increased military pay across- the- board and repealed legislation
that lowered retirement benefits for some military personnel. 7 In the last
quarter of fiscal year 2000, the services reported they were generally
successful in retaining more personnel at the aggregate level but were still
concerned about readiness in selected critical skill areas. 8
To determine which occupations were of greatest concern, we asked DOD and
each of the services to identify and prioritize occupations they deemed
retention- critical due to their impact on force readiness. In response, the
services identified 64 service- specific occupations as retention- critical.
To make comparisons between the different service occupations possible, we
used DOD's occupational coding scheme to organize each of the service
occupations into broader occupational groupings. 9 For example, each of the
services identified radio and radar
6 Military Personnel: Systematic Analyses Needed to Monitor Retention in Key
Careers and Occupations (GAO/ NSIAD- 00- 60, Mar. 8, 2000). 7 National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000, title VI, P. L. 106- 65.
8 DOD Quarterly Readiness Report to the Congress, July- September 2000. 9
DOD's Occupational Conversion Index organizes service specific occupations
into similar occupational groupings, making it possible to compare these
occupations across all the services. Enlisted occupations are divided into
10 occupational areas, and 69 occupational groups. Our analysis was
conducted primarily at the occupational area level. Background
Page 5 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
repair personnel as a retention- critical occupation. Using DOD's
occupational coding scheme, radio and radar repairers fall within the
electronic equipment repair occupational area. All of our analyses were
conducted at this occupational area level. By organizing the service
occupations into their respective groups and ultimately into occupational
areas, we were able to consolidate the services' list of 64 retention-
critical occupations into 16 occupational groups and then further into three
occupational areas (see table 1).
Table 1: Retention- Critical Occupations Identified by DOD and the Services,
Organized by Occupational Area and Occupational Group
Occupational area Occupational group
Electronic equipment repairers Radio/ radar repairers
Fire control electronic systems (nonmissile) personnel
Missile guidance, control and checkout personnel
Sonar equipment repairers
Other electronic equipment repairers Communications and intelligence
specialists
Radio and radio code operators
Sonar operators
Radar and air traffic controllers
Signal intelligence/ electronic warfare personnel
Intelligence personnel
Combat operations controllers Electrical and mechanical equipment
repairers
Aircraft and aircraft related repairers
Automotive repairers
Wire communications repairers
Power generating equipment repairers
Precision equipment repairers Source: DOD Occupational Conversion Index.
In a November 2000 report to Congress, DOD acknowledged that the services
had shortages in some critical skill areas. 10 Although concerned, DOD
indicated it was working with each service to prioritize the use of
available personnel and planned to continue focusing on pockets of retention
problems within critical skill areas. DOD officials attribute retention
problems in certain occupations to factors such as the growth of civilian
job opportunities, the negative impact of increasing military operations,
and servicemembers' concerns over benefits and quality- of- life conditions.
10 DOD Monthly Readiness Report to the Congress, November 2000.
Page 6 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
The expectations and experiences of personnel serving in retentioncritical
occupations were similar to those of other enlisted personnel (see fig. 1).
We examined data from DOD's 1999 Active Duty Survey, which asked respondents
to recall their expectations upon entry and how their experiences met these
expectations.
Figure 1: Expectations Upon Entry of Personnel
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Most enlisted personnel did not intend to make the military a career when
they joined. Nearly half (47 percent) were unsure of their career intentions
when they first joined the military. About one- quarter (26 percent)
indicated they had planned to leave at the end of their initial obligation.
Another one- quarter (27 percent) planned to remain in the military until
retirement. Those serving in retention- critical occupations reported
similar career expectations when they first joined the military.
Historically, the services have reported having a difficult time keeping
personnel beyond their first term of enlistment. Although 27 percent
reported wanting to stay for at least a 20 years, the DOD Actuary has found
that only about 16 percent of the enlisted force actually do stay that long.
Expectations and
Experiences of Retention- Critical Personnel Were Similar to Other Enlisted
Personnel
Expectations of Military Life Upon Entry
Page 7 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
In responding to survey questions about whether military life was better or
worse than expected when they first joined, more than 70 percent of all
enlisted personnel indicated military life was better than they expected or
about what they expected when they first joined. Conversely, nearly 30
percent of all enlisted personnel, including those in retention- critical
occupations, indicated that life in the military was worse than they
expected when they first joined. Again, the responses of those in
retentioncritical occupations were similar to those of other enlisted
personnel.
To compare personnel in retention- critical occupations to other enlisted
personnel, we developed profiles using survey questions from DOD's 1999
Survey of Active Duty Personnel. These profiles made it possible to compare
the responses of retention- critical personnel in each occupational area
against those of other enlisted personnel. By doing these comparisons, we
could identify differences in the expectations and experiences between
enlisted personnel serving in retention- critical occupations and other
enlisted personnel. To measure expectations, we analyzed survey questions
regarding what enlisted servicemembers' recalled their career intentions
were when they first entered the military. We also analyzed their responses
to survey questions about whether military life had met the expectations
they had when they first entered military service. Figure 1 shows no
significant differences between personnel serving in retention- critical
occupations and other enlisted personnel regarding their career intent and
their expectations for what military life would be like when they first
entered the military. We defined a significant and meaningful difference to
exist between the responses of retention- critical personnel and other
enlisted personnel if their responses differed by � 7 percentage points.
The experiences of retention- critical personnel varied somewhat by
occupational area, but overall, they were generally similar to the
experiences of other enlisted personnel. To measure enlisted servicemembers'
experiences, we analyzed their responses to DOD survey questions about
issues that reflect some of the top concerns that have been raised by
servicemembers and service leadership in recent years. The survey asked (1)
how many hours servicemembers reported working during their last full
workweek, (2) how much they had been deployed during the previous 12- month
period, (3) how well their units were staffed, and (4) how well their units
were equipped. These issues were cited in a recent report to Congress as
exacerbating retention problems within certain critical occupations. Our
analysis of the survey data revealed that although some areas of concern
exist within one retention- critical Experiences in Relation to
Expectations Experiences Were Mixed
Page 8 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
occupational area, these concerns are not as serious in the other two
retention- critical occupational areas. For instance, more personnel serving
in electrical and mechanical equipment repair occupations reported staffing
and parts and equipment concerns compared to other enlisted personnel (see
fig. 2), but the concerns of those in the other two retentioncritical
occupational areas were similar to those of other enlisted personnel.
Figure 2: Experiences of Enlisted Personnel
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Enlisted personnel in retention- critical occupations reported working
roughly the same number of hours as did other enlisted personnel. Concerns
have been prevalent in recent years that servicemembers work longer hours
because there are fewer staff and workloads have increased. Overall, most
servicemembers reported working long hours; nearly half (47 percent)
reported they worked 51 hours or more during their last full workweek, and
nearly one quarter (23 percent) reported working 61 or more hours.
Those serving in retention- critical occupations deployed at roughly the
same rate as did other enlisted personnel. In recent years, DOD and others
have raised concerns about the increasing number of deployments and the toll
these deployments are taking on military personnel. About 19 percent of the
entire enlisted force reported being away from home for 5 or more Time at
Work and Away
from Home
Page 9 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
months during the 12 months prior to completing the survey. 11 Excessive
time away from home is believed to have a negative impact on servicemembers'
overall satisfaction and thus retention intent. The survey data revealed
that personnel away from home for more than 5 months during the previous 12
months were more likely to be dissatisfied than were those away for 1 month
or less. 12
Relative to other enlisted personnel, a higher percentage of electrical and
mechanical equipment repair personnel (44 percent) reported their units were
poorly staffed. Overall, more than one- third (37 percent) of all enlisted
personnel reported staffing problems in their unit. Recent readiness reports
show that staffing shortages adversely impacted unit readiness. In one
readiness report to Congress, the Air Force reported that retention
shortfalls created an experience imbalance in some key skill areas. 13 The
same report indicated that although mission- capable rates for aircraft
stabilized, the Air Force was concerned that "low retention of experienced
maintenance personnel could cause these rates to once again decline or
remain at low levels."
Parts and equipment shortfalls were of greater concern to personnel serving
in retention- critical electrical and mechanical equipment repair
occupations. Forty- five percent voiced concerns about parts and equipment
problems compared to 34 percent of other enlisted personnel. To gauge the
readiness impact of parts and equipment shortages, the survey asked
respondents to rate their unit's preparedness regarding parts and equipment
from well prepared to poorly prepared. While a significantly higher
proportion of those personnel serving in electrical and mechanical equipment
repair occupations raised concerns compared to other enlisted personnel,
more than one- third of all enlisted personnel rated their units'
preparedness as poor regarding parts and equipment.
11 This represents the cumulative length of time they were away from their
permanent duty station because of their military duties during the previous
year. 12 Military Personnel: Preliminary Results of DOD's 1999 Survey of
Active Duty Members (NSIAD/ T- GAO- 00- 110, Mar. 8, 2000). 13 DOD Monthly
Readiness Report to Congress September and October 2000. Resource Shortfalls
Page 10 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
Overall, satisfaction with military life and intent to stay in the military
among retention- critical personnel was similar to that expressed by other
enlisted personnel. More enlisted personnel (46 percent) indicated that they
were satisfied with the military way of life than were dissatisfied (30
percent). Personnel in retention- critical occupations were as likely as
other enlisted personnel to plan for a full 20- year military career. Nearly
half (49 percent), of all enlisted personnel indicated that they expected to
serve for 20 years or more (see fig. 3).
Figure 3: Satisfaction and Retention Intentions of Enlisted Personnel
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Nearly half (46 percent) of all enlisted personnel were satisfied with the
military way of life, one- third (30 percent) were dissatisfied, and about a
quarter (23 percent) were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied. Close to 50
percent of all enlisted personnel, indicated that compensation was the
primary reason for staying in and for leaving the military.
In addition to a question about overall satisfaction with the military way
of life, DOD's survey asked 37 questions concerning satisfaction with
specific aspects of life in the military. These questions asked
servicemembers to rate their satisfaction with issues such as basic pay,
health care, leadership, and deployments, among others. In addition to
expressing their level of satisfaction with each survey item, servicemembers
identified their first and second reasons for staying/ considering staying
or leaving/ considering leaving the military from the list of 37 aspects of
military life. Satisfaction and
Career Intentions Were Similar
Satisfaction With Military Way of Life
Reasons for Staying and Leaving the Military
Page 11 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
To simplify our analysis and gain a broader perspective for the areas of
greatest concern to servicemembers, we used a statistical procedure called
"factor analysis" to consolidate the 37 items into a number of overarching
factors. 14 We analyzed the top 10 factors including: compensation, military
life, workload, personal health care, assignment stability, career
progression, deployments, family friendliness, family health care, and co-
location of military spouse. For all enlisted personnel, compensation was
identified as both the top reason to stay and the top reason to leave the
military. The compensation factor comprised several types of military pay,
including: basic pay, special and incentive pay, bonus/ continuation pay,
retirement pay, housing allowance, subsistence allowance, and cost of living
adjustments. Of the various types of compensation, basic pay was the top
reason cited by enlisted personnel to either stay in or leave the military.
Some of the other reasons to stay included assignment stability, military
life, workload, and career progression. The top five reasons for staying in
or for leaving the military can be found in table 2.
Table 2: Top Five Reasons Cited by Enlisted Personnel for Staying In or
Leaving the Military Occupational Area Reasons for staying Percent Reasons
for leaving Percent
All enlisted personnel 1. Compensation 2. Assignment stability 3. Military
life 4. Workload 5. Career progression
45 33 26 15 14
1. Compensation 2. Military life 3. Workload 4. Career progression 5.
Assignment stability
51 31 23 18 14 Electronic equipment repairers 1. Compensation
2. Assignment stability 3. Military life 4. Workload 5. Career progression
49 33 26 16 15
1. Compensation 2. Military life 3. Workload 4. Career progression 5.
Assignment stability
57 29 23 17 14 Communications and intelligence specialists 1. Compensation
2. Assignment stability 3. Military life 4. Career progression 5. Workload
49 35 29 16 13
1. Compensation 2. Military life 3. Workload 4. Career progression 5.
Assignment stability
51 35 22 17 16
14 Factor analysis is a statistical technique whose purpose is data
reduction. It is used to group a large number of similar individual items
into a smaller number factors based on the pattern of answers by individual
respondents. In this case, we combined the first and second reasons that
servicemembers cited for both staying and for leaving the military.
Page 12 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
Occupational Area Reasons for staying Percent Reasons for leaving Percent
Electrical and mechanical equipment repairers 1. Compensation
2. Assignment stability 3. Military life 4. Workload 5. Career progression
47 33 25 16 14
1. Compensation 2. Military life 3. Workload 4. Career progression 5.
Assignment stability
53 28 25 15 14 Source: GAO factor analysis of DOD survey data.
The overall responses of retention- critical personnel to the individual
items that comprise the broader categories shown in table 2 were also
similar to those of other enlisted personnel. Of the 37 aspects of military
life that comprise these broader categories, the top 5 reasons for staying
in or leaving the military were generally similar for all enlisted
personnel. Basic pay (included as an element of the broader compensation
category) was cited as the top reason for both staying in and for leaving
the military. Job security, retirement pay, job enjoyment, and medical care
for family also appeared in the top five reasons for staying in the military
for both retention- critical and other enlisted personnel. For all enlisted
personnel the amount of family time, quality of leadership, amount of job
enjoyment, and deployments, were cited as top reasons for leaving. More
detailed information about the top reasons retention- critical personnel
stay in and leave the military may be found in occupational appendices III
through V.
The intent of those in retention- critical occupations to remain in the
military for a 20- year career was virtually the same as for other enlisted
personnel. In response to one question asking how many total years of
service they expected to have when they finally left the military, nearly 50
percent of all enlisted personnel indicated they planned to stay in the
military for 20 years or more. Personnel in all three retention- critical
occupational areas had similar career intentions. Unlike personnel in
civilian occupations, military personnel are not vested in their retirement
plan until they have served 20 years or more. This creates a disincentive
for servicemembers to leave the military. As a servicemember moves closer to
retirement, the lure of an attractive civilian job may not be enough to
cause them to be willing to forfeit all retirement credit garnered to that
point. Intent to Make the Military
a Career
Page 13 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
In recent years, DOD and others have cited the strong U. S. economy as a
main reason why military personnel, especially those in retention- critical
occupations, leave the military. Overall, enlisted personnel tend to
perceive that many aspects of civilian life are attractive (see fig. 4).
Seventy percent of the enlisted force believed their quality of life would
be better as a civilian than as a military member. Over 70 percent believed
they could make an easy transition into a civilian occupation and nearly 60
percent thought that the civilian labor market offered many options.
According to officials from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this belief is
difficult to quantify but probably accurate, since the training and
documented work history of these personnel make them very attractive to
civilian employers. These employers tend to be very positive toward former
military personnel, and it is likely that these personnel have an advantage
over their civilian counterparts.
Personnel in some retention- critical occupation areas were more confident
that they could do well in the civilian world compared to other enlisted
personnel. Electronic equipment repairers were more optimistic about jobs in
the civilian world compared to other enlisted personnel or to personnel in
the other two retention- critical occupation areas. About three- quarters of
the electronic equipment repairers believed the quality of civilian life
would be better, their skills would transfer easily, and it would be easy
for them to find a civilian job. Electrical and mechanical equipment
repairers were about as optimistic as other enlisted personnel regarding
jobs in the civilian world.
The perceptions of personnel serving in retention- critical occupations were
mixed. To the extent they have marketable skills, the perceptions of those
in retention- critical occupations were equally or more positive than other
enlisted personnel. Some felt that translating their skills directly into a
civilian occupation would be difficult. For instance, those serving in
communications and intelligence occupations were much less positive about
their ease of transition and ability to find a civilian job than were other
enlisted personnel. This may be because the occupational area is made up of
several occupations that may not have direct civilian counterparts. Sonar
and electronics warfare specialists, for example, may not have a direct
translation of their skills into a civilian occupation. Unfortunately, it
was not possible for us to fully examine the responses of personnel in these
individual occupation groups to assess their specific perceptions of
civilian life. Perceptions of
Civilian Work Opportunities and Civilian Life Were Mixed
Page 14 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
Figure 4: Perceptions of Enlisted Personnel About The Civilian World
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Asked about more specific aspects of civilian life, most enlisted personnel
believed that the amount of personal family time, total compensation, number
of hours worked in a week, and general quality of life would be better in
the civilian world. In addition, most enlisted personnel also believed
promotion opportunities would be better in the civilian world. However,
almost half of all enlisted personnel viewed vacation time, education
opportunities, and health care as being better in the military.
We provided a draft of this report to the Office of the Secretary of Defense
for comment. The Department concurred with our report. In addition, the
Department indicated it is important that the retention- critical
occupations provided by the services be viewed as a "snapshot in time," and
the occupations cited in our report represent those that were deemed
retention- critical at the time of submission to GAO. According to DOD,
these career fields, along with their priority order, periodically change as
a result of many factors. The full text of the Department's comments appears
in Appendix II. Agency Comments
and Our Evaluation
Page 15 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
The Department also suggested some technical changes, which we incorporated
as appropriate.
Appendix I contains our objectives, scope, and methodology. Appendix II
contains DOD's comments on this report. Appendixes III, IV, and V provide a
detailed analysis of the survey responses for each occupational area.
We are sending copies of this report to appropriate congressional
committees; the Honorable Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense; and
David S. C. Chu, Under Secretary of Defense, Personnel and Readiness. Copies
will also be made available to other interested parties upon request.
If you or your staff have any questions about this report, please contact me
at 202- 512- 5559. A list of additional contacts and staff acknowledgments
is in appendix VI.
Derek B. Stewart Director Defense Capabilities and Management
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology
Page 16 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
Reliable assessments of military climate are essential for congressional
policymakers as they consider the quality- of- life proposals offered by the
Department of Defense (DOD). Our analysis of DOD's retention- critical
occupations relied on such a survey. To obtain this data, we worked with the
Department to design the 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel. It was mailed
in the fall of 1999 to a stratified, random sample of over 66,000 military
personnel. DOD provided the final survey data to us in late 2000. We
performed our work between September 2000 and June 2001 in accordance with
generally accepted government auditing standards. Technical details about
the survey and our analysis of retention- critical occupations follow.
Our objective in assessing retention- critical occupations was to determine
if there were any significant differences between the responses of
retention- critical enlisted personnel and other enlisted personnel. We
defined a significant and meaningful difference as a � 7 percent difference
between the responses of retention- critical personnel and other enlisted
personnel. Our analysis focused on three areas: (1) what were the
expectations and experiences of enlisted personnel, (2) how satisfied were
they with military life and what were their career intentions, and (3) what
were their perceptions of civilian work opportunities and quality of life.
DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel helped us identify differences in
these areas.
This report refers to the enlisted population in three different ways: all
enlisted personnel, retention- critical personnel, and other enlisted
personnel. The first, all enlisted personnel, is comprised of the entire
enlisted force and refers to the projected responses of the entire enlisted
population. The second, "retention- critical" personnel, refers to only
those personnel whose service identified their occupation as retention-
critical. The third, "other enlisted personnel," refers to those enlisted
personnel that were not a part of the specific retention- critical
occupation area analyzed. For example, our analysis of electronic- equipment
repairers compared the responses of personnel within this retention-
critical occupation area to the responses of all "other enlisted personnel,"
which included the responses of personnel in the other two retention-
critical occupation areas. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and
Methodology
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology
Page 17 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
The active duty survey is a recurring survey that DOD last administered in
1992. When the Department learned that the Subcommittee on Military
Personnel had asked us to administer a separate survey to military
personnel, the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense (Force Management
Policy) offered to allow us to include questions on the survey DOD was
already planning to conduct. We then worked with DOD staff to refine the
survey instrument and address additional content areas. The survey was
pretested and refined at Navy bases around Jacksonville, Florida; Pope Air
Force Base, Fayetteville, North Carolina; and the U. S. Marine base at
Quantico, Virginia. Time constraints prevented additional pretesting with
Army and Coast Guard personnel beyond that already conducted by DOD on an
earlier version of the survey.
The sample of 66,040 military members was drawn from a May 1999 population
of 1,419,269 active duty DOD and U. S. Coast Guard personnel who were below
the rank of admiral or general and had at least 6 months of service. The
sample was stratified on five variables: service; pay grade; gender;
location; that is, inside or outside the continental United States; and
marital status. DOD survey experts used response rates from prior surveys to
adjust the sample for groups with differing expected rates of survey
completion. Also, the sample was designed to provide varying levels of
precision for numerous subgroups (e. g., + 3 percentage points for each
service or pay grade group and + 5 percentage points for senior officers in
the Army).
As of January 2000, DOD had received 37,119 surveys between the start of the
survey administration and the end of the fielding period. Some surveys were
eliminated because they (1) had been returned blank, (2) were duplicates
from the same individual, or (3) came from respondents who had left active
duty before the fielding period ended. DOD computed a weighted response rate
of 51 percent. The Department used a contractor to administer the survey. We
did not test the contractor's procedures or validate the data provided to
us. We did review DOD's and its contractor's quality control procedures for
a similar large survey.
Data were weighted to reflect the population of interest. The weights
reflected (1) the probability of selection for that servicemember, (2) a
nonresponse adjustment to minimize bias arising from differential response
rates among demographic subgroups, and (3) a post Development of
DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel
Sample Construction Survey Administration Weighting Responses
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology
Page 18 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
stratification factor for September 1999- the month in which the
questionnaire was first distributed.
DOD assumed that nonrespondents would have answered like respondents- an
often- used assumption in survey methodologies. There is some risk of
nonresponse bias, but it would take elaborate and timeconsuming work to test
for this bias. In recent years, both military and civilian surveys have
experienced decreased response rates. Although weighting can adjust for the
differing sampling rates and response rates within the sampling cells, it
cannot adjust for possible differences between those who do and those who do
not respond to a survey. However, the active duty survey is the only source
of DOD- wide information for many issues, and it is far more reliable than
anecdotal information or information generated by smaller, nonrepresentative
samples.
To obtain a list of retention- critical occupations, we asked each of the
services to identify occupations they considered retention- critical because
of their impact on readiness. The services identified a total of 64
occupations deemed retention- critical. Since each service uses a unique
occupational coding scheme, we used DOD's Occupational Conversion Index 1 to
convert groups of service occupation codes into a common set of occupation
codes that make it possible to compare similar occupations across all the
services. Although the work performed within these occupations may differ
from service to service, the skills they require are similar enough to make
comparisons possible. For example, DOD's index makes it possible to group
all personnel who do radio and radar repair work into a single occupation
area. We organized all 64 occupations into their respective occupational
groups, then further consolidated these 16 groups into 3 occupational areas.
The DOD coding scheme is organized into three levels of detail: an aggregate
level (one- digit) called an "occupational area," a middle level (two-
digits) called an "occupational group," and a more detailed level (three-
digits) called an "occupational subgroup." Since DOD's survey was not
specifically designed to gather information about military occupations, our
analysis focused predominantly on the occupational area because a more
detailed analysis would have limited the precision of our results.
Conducting our analysis at the occupational area level provided a large
1 Occupational Conversion Index: Enlisted/ Officer/ Civilian, Mar. 1997
(DOD1312. 1- 1). Identifying RetentionCritical
Personnel
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology
Page 19 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
enough sample size to make our analysis more precise. The occupations
identified by each of the services as retention- critical are shown in table
3.
Table 3: Retention- Critical Occupations Identified by DOD and the Services,
Organized by Occupational Area and Occupational Group
Occupational area Occupational group
Electronic equipment repairers Radio/ radar repairers
Fire control electronic systems (nonmissile) personnel
Missile guidance, control and checkout personnel
Sonar equipment repairers
Other electronic equipment repairers Communications and intelligence
specialists
Radio and radio code operators
Sonar operators
Radar and air traffic controllers
Signal intelligence/ electronic warfare personnel
Intelligence personnel
Combat operations controllers Electrical and mechanical equipment
repairers
Aircraft and aircraft- related repairers
Automotive repairers
Wire communications repairers
Power generating equipment repairers
Precision equipment repairers Source: DOD Occupational Conversion Index.
The Air Force identified 21 occupations (see table 4) considered
retentioncritical, however, it normally does not classify its occupations as
retentioncritical. Rather, efforts are made to retain all personnel
regardless of specialty. To this end, the Air Force sets aggregate
reenlistment goals based on years of service rather than occupation. For
example, the Air Force currently wants to retain 55 percent of its first
term, 75 percent of its second term, and 95 percent of its career enlisted
personnel. According to Air Force officials, these reenlistment goals are
used because they represent historically observed levels during "good" force
sustainment periods. Air Force
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology
Page 20 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
Table 4: Air Force Retention- Critical Occupations Priority DOD occupation
code Air Force specialty code Occupation
title
1. E22 1C1X1 Air traffic control 2. E25 1C2X1 Combat control 3. E20 1A3X1
Airborne communications 4. E20 3C2X1 Communications- computer
systems control 5. E05 1T2X1 Pararescue 6. E22 1A4X1X Air battle management
system 7. E23 1N3XXX Crypto linguist 8. E24 1N0X1 Intelligence applications
9. E22 1C6X1 Space systems operation 10. E25 1C4X1 Tactical air command and
control 11. E24 1N1X1 Intelligence imagery analysis 12. E23 1N4X1 Signals
intelligence analyst 13. E55 1N5X1 Electronic signals intelligence
exploitation 14. E42 1W0X1X Weather 15. E10 2A1X4 Airborne surveillance
radar
systems 16. E60 2A5X2 Helicopter maintenance 17. E19 2A5X3C Bomber avionics
systems 18. E60 2A6X1B Aerospace prop, turboprop
and turboshaft 19. E60 2A6X3 Aircrew egress system 20. E10 2E1X1 Satellite
wide- band telemetry
systems 21. E66 3E0X2 Electrical power production
Source: U. S. Air Force.
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology
Page 21 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
The Army identified 12 occupations it considered retention- critical (see
table 5). 2 They define retention- critical as an occupation with historic
staffing shortfalls that are 10 percent below an Army average by grade and
occupation.
Table 5: Army Retention- Critical Occupations Priority DOD occupation
code Army
occupation code Occupation title
1. E25 13F Fire support specialist 2.
E04 13P Multiple launch rocket system
operations/ fire direction specialist 3.
E20 31F Network switching systems operator- maintainer 4.
E10 31S Satellite communications systems operator- maintainer
5. E10 35M Radar repairer 6. E61 63B Wheeled vehicle mechanic 7. E60 67T
Helicopter repairer 8. E82 77F Petroleum supply specialist 9. E55 92Y Unit
supply specialist 10. E22 93C Air traffic control operator 11. E24 96B
Intelligence analyst 12. E23 98G Voice interceptor
Source: U. S. Army.
As shown in table 6, the Marine Corps identified 13 occupations it
considered retention- critical. The Marine Corps defines retention- critical
2 As of May 9, 2001 the Army revised its retention- critical priority list
to reflect a new top 10 list of retention- critical occupations. According
to an Army official, this revision reflects changes brought about by the
recent Army transformation efforts. The revised list of occupations included
infantry, forward support specialists, Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS)
operators/ fire direction specialists, firefinder radar operators, patriot
missile operators, petroleum supply specialists, food service, special
forces, air traffic control operators, and voice interceptors. Four
occupations were included in our original analysis, these were MLRS,
petroleum supply specialists, air traffic controllers, and voice
interpreters. Eight occupations did not appear on the Army's revised
retention- critical occupations list, these were: fire support specialists,
network switching systems operatormaintainer, satellite communications
systems operator- maintainer, radar repairer, wheeled vehicle mechanic,
helicopter repairer, unit supply specialist, and intelligence analyst. Army
Marine Corps
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology
Page 22 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
occupations based upon each occupation's strategic importance and the
difficulty it has retaining personnel in the occupation.
Table 6: Marine Corps Retention- Critical Occupations Priority
DOD occupation code Marine Corps
occupation code Occupation title
1. E10 6463 Radar test station technician 2. E10 2823 Technical controller
3. E10 6032 Fixed wing aircraft flight
engineer 4. E24 0211 Counterintelligence specialist 5. E24 0251
Interrogator/ debriefertranslation specialist 6. E60 6035 Aircraft power
plants test cell
operator, fixed wing 7. E10 2834 Satellite communications
technician 8. E10 2832 Multi- channel equipment
technician 9. E43 2336 Explosive ordnance disposal
technician 10. E83 5821 Criminal investigator 11. E24 7314 Unmanned arial
vehicle
operator 12. E05 7372 First navigator 13. E20 7382 Airborne radio
operator/ loadmaster Source: U. S. Marine Corps.
The Navy identified 18 occupations as retention- critical (see table 7). It
defines retention- critical as any occupation filled significantly below
authorized levels, traditionally hard to fill, difficult to train, strategic
due to the skills required, and having the greatest number of opportunities
in the private sector. Navy
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology
Page 23 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
Table 7: Navy Retention- Critical Occupations Priority DOD occupation
code Navy rating Occupation title
1. E66 33xx Nuclear propulsion plant operators and supervisors 2. E21 17xx
(EW)
78xx (AW) Electronic warfare
technicians and systems operators 3. E23 92xx (CTI)
91xx (CTR) Cryptologic technicians
4. E10, E11, E12 11xx (FC) 11xx 13xx (FT)
Fire controlmen 5. E13 04xx (STG) (STS) Sonar technicians 6. E10, E19 14xx
15xx (ET) 66xx 79xx (AT)
Nonnuclear electronics technicians
7. E22 69xx (AC) Air traffic control 8. E43 53xx Divers 9. E19, E67, E62
47xx (IC) Interior communications
technicians 10. E60 AME Aviation structural mechanics
- safety equipment Source: U. S. Navy.
We compared the survey responses of personnel serving in retentioncritical
occupations to those of other enlisted personnel. Significant and meaningful
differences were judged to exist if percentages between the groups varied by
at least � 7 percentage points. Each occupational profile was comprised of
the same set of survey questions. To ensure that our analysis represented
only the responses of retention- critical personnel, we limited our review
to responses from personnel whose service identified their occupation as
retention- critical. For example, although all the services have personnel
who serve in missile guidance control and checkout occupations- as defined
by DOD's Occupational Conversion Index- only the Navy identified personnel
in this occupation as retention critical and only the responses of Navy
personnel were analyzed.
Since DOD's survey was not designed specifically for an occupational
analysis, the amount of detail we could provide in many occupational groups
was limited. By consolidating the responses of the occupational Assessing
RetentionCritical
Personnel
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology
Page 24 GAO- 01- 785 Military Personnel
groups into three larger occupational areas, we were able to obtain a large
enough sample size to ensure our results were representative of that area.
As a result, we were able to obtain a precision level of � 5 percent for
most survey items.
Appendix II: Comments From the Department of Defense Page 25 GAO- 01- 785
Military Personnel
Appendix II: Comments From the Department of Defense
Appendix III: Electronic Equipment Repairers Page 26 GAO- 01- 785 Military
Personnel
Electronic equipment repairers' expectations and experiences were similar to
those of other enlisted personnel, as were their levels of satisfaction and
retention intentions. Significantly more of these personnel had positive
perceptions of their civilian opportunities compared to other enlisted
personnel. More of them believed that both their general quality of life and
compensation would be better in the civilian world and that they could
easily find jobs if they left the military. Most believed their military
skills would easily transfer into a civilian occupation. This set of beliefs
leads to the conclusion that these personnel are being pulled out of the
military rather than pushed out, as some have thought.
Within the, electronic equipment repairer occupational area, the services
identified retention- critical occupations that fit within five DOD
occupation groups. 1 These occupational groups were radio and radar repair;
fire control electronic systems (nonmissile); missile guidance, control and
checkout; sonar equipment repair; and other electronic equipment repair
occupations. Personnel in these occupational groups perform a variety of
maintenance and repair services on electronic equipment, including radio,
radar, navigation, weapons, and computers, among other things.
Table 8 describes each occupation and provides details about the number of
survey respondents, including the size of the enlisted population their
responses were projected to represent. Some occupation groups are common
across all the services, but not all the services identified the same
occupation groups as being retention- critical. Our analysis included only
the responses of personnel whose occupation groups were identified as
retention- critical. Personnel that work within the same occupation group,
but whose service did not identify that group as retention- critical were
excluded from our analysis. The occupations described in table 8 are only
those that each service identified as retention- critical.
1 The electronic equipment repair occupational area is comprised of eight
occupational groups: radio and radar repair; fire control electronic
systems; missile guidance, control and checkout; sonar equipment; nuclear
weapons equipment, automated data processing computers; teletype and
cryptographic equipment; and other electronic equipment. Appendix III:
Electronic Equipment
Repairers
Appendix III: Electronic Equipment Repairers Page 27 GAO- 01- 785 Military
Personnel
Table 8: Description of Retention- Critical Electronic Equipment Repair
Occupational Groups Occupational group Service Number of
respondents Projected population Occupation description
E10 Radio and radar repairers
Army Air Force Marines Navy
266 230 107 234 837
21,980 16,690
5,899 19,399 63,968
Repairs fixed and mobile radios; air traffic and tracking radar;
communication, navigation, and electronic countermeasure gear.
E11 Fire control electronic systems (non- missile) repairers
Navy 37 37
2,847 2,847
Maintains and repairs electronic fire control and bomb navigation equipment,
excluding missile and underwater fire control equipment. E12 Missile
guidance, control and checkout
Navy 90 90
7,290 7,290
Specializes in guidance control and checkout equipment for guided and
ballistic missiles.
E13 Sonar equipment repairers
Navy 77 77
6,019 6,019
Specialists in underwater detection and fire control systems, oceanographic
equipment, and related antisubmarine gear. E19 Other electronic equipment
repairers
Air Force Navy
91 30 121
6,007 2,167 8,174
Specializes in working with training devices, inertial navigation systems,
and electronic instruments.
Total 1,162 88,298
Source: DOD
The survey asked servicemembers to recall what their career intentions were
when the first entered the military. The career intentions of those serving
in electronic equipment repair occupations, upon entering the military, were
basically the same as other enlisted personnel (see fig. 5). As with other
enlisted personnel, electronic equipment repairers were mostly unsure (50
percent) about their career intentions when they first joined the military.
The remaining personnel were fairly evenly split between those who intended
to remain until retirement and those who intended to serve their initial
obligation and leave. Expectations
Appendix III: Electronic Equipment Repairers Page 28 GAO- 01- 785 Military
Personnel
Figure 5: Electronic Equipment Repairers' Career Intent on Entry
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Electronic equipment repairers perceptions about how the military had met
their expectations when they entered were similar to those of other enlisted
personnel (see fig. 6). When asked how military life met the expectations
they had when they first joined the military, around 40 percent of both
electronic equipment repairers and other enlisted personnel indicated that
life in the military was better than expected. About 30 percent indicated
military life was about what they expected. Roughly 30 percent indicated
military life was worse than expected.
22 27
50 47
28 26
0 10
20 30
40 50
Active duty until retirement
Not sure Complete obligation and leave Percent
Electronic equipment repairers Other enlisted personnel
Appendix III: Electronic Equipment Repairers Page 29 GAO- 01- 785 Military
Personnel
Figure 6: Electronic Equipment Repairers' Perceptions of Military Life
Compared to Expectations at Entry
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
The experiences of those working in electronic equipment repair occupations
were about the same as those for other enlisted personnel. They worked about
as many hours, were away from home about as much, and reported their units
were about as prepared regarding staffing and parts and equipment as other
enlisted personnel. Experiences
39 42 32 30 30 28
0 10
20 30
40 50
Better than expected About what expected
Worse than expected Percent
Electronic equipment repairers Other enlisted personnel
Appendix III: Electronic Equipment Repairers Page 30 GAO- 01- 785 Military
Personnel
Overall, electronic equipment repairers reported working about the same
number of hours as did other enlisted personnel. Over 40 percent reported
working 51 hours or more during their previous workweek. About onequarter
indicated they worked 61 hours or more during their last full workweek (see
fig. 7).
Figure 7: Number of Hours Electronic Equipment Repairers Reported Working
During Previous Workweek
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Concerns have been raised in recent years that military personnel are away
from home excessively. Electronic equipment repair personnel were away from
home for roughly the same amount of time as other enlisted personnel.
Overall, about one- fifth of both electronic equipment repairers (22
percent) and other enlisted personnel (19 percent) reported being away from
home a total of 5 months or more during the previous year. 2
2 Servicemembers were asked to report the total length of time they were
away home because of their military duties. To calculate the total length of
time away, servicemembers were asked to add up all the nights they were away
from their permanent duty station during the previous 12 months. Time at
Work and Away
from Home
20 16
38 38 21
24 9 11 12 12 0 10
20 30
40 50 Percent
Electronic equipment repairers Other enlisted personnel 40 or less 41 - 50
51 - 60 61 - 70 71 or more
Appendix III: Electronic Equipment Repairers Page 31 GAO- 01- 785 Military
Personnel
Nearly half of each group reported they had been away for 1 month or less
during the previous 12 months (see fig. 8).
Figure 8: Number of Months Electronic Equipment Repairers Were Away from
Home During Previous 12 Months
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Concerns about having enough personnel were about the same for electronic
equipment repairers as for other enlisted personnel. Nearly 40 percent of
both the electronic equipment repairers and other enlisted personnel
reported their unit's preparation was poor regarding staffing preparedness
(see fig. 9). Resource Shortfalls
46 46 31
35 22
19 0 10
20 30
40 50 Percent
0 to < 1 month 1 to < 5 months 5 or more months Electronic equipment
repairers Other enlisted personnel
Appendix III: Electronic Equipment Repairers Page 32 GAO- 01- 785 Military
Personnel
Figure 9: Electronic Equipment Repairers' Perceptions of Unit Staffing
Preparedness
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Parts and equipment preparedness has also been a major concern during recent
years. Overall, more than one- third of other enlisted personnel indicated
that parts and equipment preparedness was poor in their unit. Electronic
equipment repairers provided a similar assessment (see fig. 10).
34 36 29 27
37 37 0 10
20 30
40 50
Well Neither Poor Percent
Electronic equipment repairers Other enlisted personnel
Appendix III: Electronic Equipment Repairers Page 33 GAO- 01- 785 Military
Personnel
Figure 10: Electronic Equipment Repairers' Perceptions of Unit Preparedness
Regarding Parts and Equipment
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey Of Active Duty Personnel.
A higher percentage of electronic equipment repairers were optimistic about
their job prospects in the civilian sector compared to other enlisted
personnel (see fig. 11). Significantly more electronic equipment repairers
indicated they had a good idea of they types of civilian jobs that would be
available to them and what these jobs would pay. A higher percentage also
thought it would be easy to find a civilian job and that their skills would
easily transfer. According to the Bureau for Labor Statistics Occupational
Outlook Handbook, this occupational area is expected to grow between 10 and
20 percent during the next 7 years. Much of this growth is expected to occur
because of the increasing demand for sophisticated telecommunications
equipment. Although projections vary depending on the occupational
specialty, overall job prospects for those in electronic equipment repair
occupations appear to be good. Overall, other enlisted personnel were also
optimistic about their ability to find and transition into a civilian job.
Perceptions of
Civilian Opportunities
33 36
29 28 38
36 0 10
20 30
40 50
Well Neither Poor Percent
Electronic equipment repairers Other enlisted personnel
Appendix III: Electronic Equipment Repairers Page 34 GAO- 01- 785 Military
Personnel
Figure 11: Electronic Equipment Repairers' Perceptions of Civilian Work
Opportunities
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Figure 12 shows those areas where enlisted personnel saw civilian life as
being better than military life. However, there were two significant
differences between electronic equipment repairers and other enlisted
personnel. More electronic equipment repairers indicated that total
compensation and general quality of life would be better in the civilian
world than in the military.
*Little experience will transfer to civilian job *Easy to find a
civilian job *Good idea of civilian pay
Good idea of ci vi li an job availability
13 29
73 57
74 67
82 76
02040 60 80 Electronic equipment repairers Other enlisted personnel Percent
* GAO identified a significant difference
Appendix III: Electronic Equipment Repairers Page 35 GAO- 01- 785 Military
Personnel
Figure 12: Electronic Equipment Repairers' Perceptions of Civilian Life
Being Better than Military Life
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Figure 13 shows four categories where electronic equipment repairers
indicated military life was better than civilian life. Vacation time, health
care benefits, education and training opportunities, and a sense of
accomplishment were all seen as better in the military than in the civilian
world. The only significant difference between the perceptions of electronic
equipment repairers and other enlisted personnel was in regard to the amount
of vacation time. A significantly higher percentage of the electronic
equipment repairers indicated that vacation time was better in the military.
52 46
63 59
66 71
77 69
82 72 82
81 02040 60 80100 Retirement benefits
Promotion opportunities Hours worked per week
*General quality of life *Total compensation
Amount of personal/ family time
Percent Electronic equipment repairers Other enlisted personnel * GAO
identified a significant difference
Appendix III: Electronic Equipment Repairers Page 36 GAO- 01- 785 Military
Personnel
Figure 13: Electronic Equipment Repairers' Perceptions of Military Life
Being Better than Civilian Life
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Overall, electronic equipment repair personnel were generally as satisfied
with the military way of life as were other enlisted personnel (see fig.
14). While nearly 45 percent of both groups indicated they were satisfied
with the military way of life, another one- third indicated they were
dissatisfied. Satisfaction and
Career Intentions
38 41
45 46
49 53
71 64
02040 60 80100 Electronic equipment repairers Other enlisted personnel
Percent Sense of
accomplishment/ pride Educati on and
training opportuniti es Health care
benefits *Vacation time
* GAO identified a significant difference
Appendix III: Electronic Equipment Repairers Page 37 GAO- 01- 785 Military
Personnel
Figure 14: Electronic Equipment Repairers' Overall Satisfaction with
Military Life
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Forty- five percent of electronic equipment repairers indicated they expect
to serve 20 years or more before leaving the military. Figure 15 shows the
career intentions of servicemembers based upon how many years of service
they believed they would have in when they leave or retire from military
service. Retention Intention
43 47
22 24 35
30 0 20
40 60
Satisfied Neither Dissatisfied Percent
Electronic equipment repairers Other enlisted personnel
Appendix III: Electronic Equipment Repairers Page 38 GAO- 01- 785 Military
Personnel
Figure 15: Electronic Equipment Repairers' Career Intent
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Electronic equipment repairers' reasons for remaining in the military were
similar to those of other enlisted personnel. Basic pay, job security,
retirement benefits, job enjoyment, and medical care for family were all
cited as top reasons for staying in the military. As with other enlisted
personnel, basic pay appeared as the top reason for both staying in and
leaving the military. There were no significant differences between the
responses of electronic equipment repairers and other enlisted personnel in
the 5 categories measured (see fig. 16). Reasons for Staying and
Leaving
45 49
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 Percent expecting to stay in the military for 20 years or more Electronic
equipment repairers Other enlisted personnel Years
Appendix III: Electronic Equipment Repairers Page 39 GAO- 01- 785 Military
Personnel
Figure 16: Electronic Equipment Repairers' Top Five Reasons for Staying in
the Military
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Electronic equipment repairers' reasons for leaving the military were
similar to those of other enlisted personnel. The top five reasons for
leaving the military included basic pay, amount of personal and family time,
deployments, quality of leadership, and job enjoyment (see fig. 17). There
were no significant differences between the responses of electronic
equipment repairers and other enlisted personnel.
5 5
7 7
10 9
14 15
21 20
010 20 30 Percent Medical care for family
Job enjoyment Retirement
pay Basic
pay Job security
Electronic equipment repairers Other enlisted personnel
Appendix III: Electronic Equipment Repairers Page 40 GAO- 01- 785 Military
Personnel
Figure 17: Electronic Equipment Repairers' Top Five Reasons for Leaving the
Military
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel. Job
enjoyment Quality of
leadership Deployments
Basic pay
6 6
7 8 7
6 8
8 35
30 0 10203040
Electronic equipment repairers Other enlisted personnel Percent Personal and
family time
Appendix IV: Communications and Intelligence Specialists Page 41 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
The expectations, experiences, satisfaction and retention intentions of
personnel working in communications and intelligence occupations were
generally similar to those of other enlisted personnel. However,
proportionally fewer of the communications and intelligence specialists had
positive perceptions about civilian work opportunities than did other
enlisted personnel. This likely reflects the diverse nature of the
occupational area. While air traffic controllers have a clear civilian
counterpart, sonar equipment operators may not have any comparable civilian
occupations. Because of this, the results for some occupations within this
occupational area may be less positive than for others.
Within the communications and intelligence occupational area, the retention-
critical occupations identified by the services fit within six occupation
groups. These occupation groups were radio and radio code, sonar, radar and
air traffic control, signal intelligence/ electronic warfare, intelligence,
and combat operations control. 1 Personnel in these occupation groups are
responsible for operating and monitoring radio, radar, sonar and
communications and intelligence consoles, among other types of duties. They
also gather and interpret photographic, electronic and documentary
intelligence.
Table 9 describes each occupation and provides details regarding the number
of survey respondents and the size of the population their responses are
projected to represent. Some occupation groups are common across all the
services, but not all the services identified the same occupation groups as
being retention- critical. Our analysis was conducted using only the
responses of personnel whose occupation groups were identified by their
service as retention- critical. Personnel that work within the same
occupation group, but whose service did not identify that group as
retention- critical were excluded from our analysis. The occupations
described in table 9 are only those that each service identified as
retention- critical.
1 The communications and intelligence occupation area is comprised of seven
occupational groups: radio and radio code, sonar, radar and air traffic
control, signal intelligence/ electronic warfare, intelligence, combat
operations control and communications center operations. Appendix IV:
Communications and
Intelligence Specialists
Appendix IV: Communications and Intelligence Specialists Page 42 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Table 9: Description of Retention- Critical Communications and Intelligence
Occupational Groups DOD Occupation group Service Number of
respondents Projected population Occupation description
E20 Radio and radio code specialists
Army Air Force Marines
14 45 77 136
1,001 3,372 5,023 9,396
Operates radio, radio teletype, and visual communications equipment.
E21 Sonar specialists
Navy 31 31
2,428 2,428
Specializes in the operation of sonar and related detection equipment. E22
Radar and air traffic control specialists
Army Air Force Navy
17 85 132 234
990 5,245 10,163 16,398
Operates surveillance, target acquisition and tracking radars, fire
distribution devices, and air traffic control visual and electronic
navigational aids.
E23 Signal intelligence/ electronic warfare specialists
Army Air Force Navy
123 123
98 344
10,554 8,248 7,252 26,054
Intercepts, translates, and analyzes foreign communications, and operates
electronic countermeasures equipment.
E24 Intelligence specialists Army
Air Force Marines
101 49 25 175
6,814 3,552 1,458 11,824
Gathers, receives, and analyzes non- signal intelligence data, interrogates
prisoners, other language translators and interpreters, image
interpretation, and specializes in counterintelligence and investigative
activities. E25 Combat operations control specialists
Army Air Force
166 39 205
12,392 2,999 15,391
Specializes in forward area tactical operations and intelligence and in
command post control activities.
Total 1,125 81,491
Source: DOD.
The expectations of those serving in communications and intelligence
occupations were similar to those of other enlisted personnel. The survey
asked servicemembers to recall what their career intentions were when they
first entered the military. The career intent of communications and
intelligence personnel when they entered the military was virtually the same
as for other enlisted personnel. Figure 18 shows that communications and
intelligence personnel were mostly unsure (50 percent), as were other
enlisted personnel, about their career intentions when they first joined the
military. The remaining personnel were fairly evenly split between those who
intended to remain until retirement and those who intended to serve their
initial obligation and leave. Expectations
Appendix IV: Communications and Intelligence Specialists Page 43 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 18: Communications and Intelligence Specialists' Career Intent on
Entry
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
The perceptions of communications and intelligence specialists about how
military life compared to the expectations they had when they entered were
similar to those of other enlisted personnel (see fig. 19). When asked how
military life met the expectations they had when they first joined the
military, around 40 percent of both communications and intelligence
specialists and other enlisted personnel indicated that life in the military
was better than what they expected. About 30 percent indicated military life
was about what they expected. Nearly 30 percent indicated military life was
worse than expected.
24 27 50
47 26 26 0 20
40 60
Active duty until retirement
Not sure Complete obligation and leave Percent
Communications and intelligence specialists Other enlisted personnel
Appendix IV: Communications and Intelligence Specialists Page 44 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 19: Communications and Intelligence Specialists' Perceptions of
Military Life Compared to Expectations at Entry
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
The experiences of communications and intelligence specialists were about
the same as other enlisted personnel. They reported working as many hours,
being away from home as much, and that their units were as prepared with
regard to staffing and parts and equipment as did other enlisted personnel.
Overall, communications and intelligence specialists and other enlisted
personnel reported working long hours. Roughly 45 percent reported working
51 hours or more during their previous workweek. About onefifth of each
group indicated they worked 61 or more during their last full workweek.
Significantly fewer communications and intelligence specialists reported
working 61 hours or more, compared to other enlisted personnel (see fig.
20). Experiences
Time at Work and Away from Home
39 42
32 30 29 28
0 10
20 30
40 50
Better than expected About what expected Worse than expected Percent
Communications and intelligence specialists Other enlisted personnel
Appendix IV: Communications and Intelligence Specialists Page 45 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 20: Number of Hours Communications and Intelligence Specialists
Reported Working During Previous Workweek
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Concerns have been raised in recent years that military personnel are away
from home excessively. Communications and intelligence specialists reported
being away from home as much as other enlisted personnel. About one- quarter
of the communications and intelligence specialists and one- fifth of all
other enlisted personnel reported being away from home for a total of 5
months or more during the previous year. 2 More than 40 percent of each
group reported they had been away for 1 month or less (see fig 21).
2 Servicemembers were asked to report the total length of time they were
away home because of their military duties. To calculate the total length of
time away, servicemembers were asked to add up all the nights they were away
from their permanent duty station during the previous 12 months.
18 16
42 37
24 23 8
11 8
12 0 10
20 30
40 50
40 or less 51- 60 71 or more Percent
41- 50 61- 70 Communications and intelligence specialists Other enlisted
personnel
Appendix IV: Communications and Intelligence Specialists Page 46 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 21: Number of Months Communications and Intelligence Specialists Were
Away from Home During Previous 12 Months
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Concerns about having adequate numbers of personnel were about the same for
communications and intelligence personnel as for other enlisted personnel.
Forty percent of the communications and intelligence specialists and 36
percent of other enlisted personnel reported their unit's preparation was
poor regarding staffing preparedness (see fig. 22). Resource Shortfalls
43 47
33 35 24
19 0 10
20 30
40 50 Percent
0 to < 1 month 1 to < 5 months 5 or more months Communications and
intelligence specialists Other enlisted personnel
Appendix IV: Communications and Intelligence Specialists Page 47 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 22: Communications and Intelligence Specialists' Perceptions of Unit
Staffing Preparedness
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Parts and equipment preparedness have also been a major concern during
recent years. About one- third (36 percent) of the communications and
intelligence personnel and a similar percentage of the other enlisted
personnel indicated their unit's parts and equipment preparedness was poor
(see fig. 23).
34 36 26 28
40 36
0 10
20 30
40 50 Percent
Well Neither Poor Communications and intelligence specialists Other enlisted
personnel
Appendix IV: Communications and Intelligence Specialists Page 48 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 23: Communications and Intelligence Specialists' Perceptions of Unit
Preparedness With Regard to Parts and Equipment
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
A significantly smaller percentage of communications and intelligence
specialists were optimistic about their job prospects in the civilian sector
compared to other enlisted personnel (see fig. 24). Fewer indicated they
knew what civilian jobs would be available to them, and they were less
positive than other enlisted personnel about how easy it would be to find a
civilian job. Compared to other enlisted personnel, a smaller proportion
thought their skills would transfer easily into a civilian job. This is
likely due to the diverse nature of the occupations that comprise this
group. From air traffic controllers to sonar operators and intelligence
specialists, this occupational area is comprised of a wide variety of
occupations, some of which are very specialized and may not have a direct
match in the civilian economy. For example, occupations such as radar and
sonar operators may not have direct civilian counterparts, thus, making
comparisons difficult. Accordingly, it is understandable why perceptions of
personnel in this group could be less optimistic compared to those of other
enlisted personnel. Perceptions of
Civilian Opportunities
37 36 27 28
36 36 0 10
20 30
40 50
Well Neither Poor Percent
Communications and intelligence specialists Other enlisted personnel
Appendix IV: Communications and Intelligence Specialists Page 49 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 24: Communications and Intelligence Specialists' Perceptions of
Civilian Work Opportunities
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Figure 25 shows the areas where enlisted personnel saw civilian life as
being better than military life. Communications and intelligence specialists
viewed several aspects of civilian life as being better than military life.
The amount of personal/ family time, total compensation, general quality of
life, hours worked per workweek, promotion opportunities and retirement
benefits were all seen as being better in the civilian world. The responses
of communications and intelligence specialists were generally similar to
those of other enlisted personnel. The only significant difference was with
regard to the number of hours worked per week. Fewer communications and
intelligence specialists thought that the hours worked per week in the
civilian world would be better than in the military.
41 27
51 59
63 68
70 78
02040 60 80100 Communications and intelligence specialists Other enlisted
personnel Percent *Little experience will
transfer to civilian job *Easy to find
a civilian job *Good idea of
civilian job availability Good idea of
civilian pay * GAO identified a significant difference
Appendix IV: Communications and Intelligence Specialists Page 50 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 25: Communications and Intelligence Specialists' Perceptions of
Civilian Life Being Better than Military Life
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Figure 26 shows the areas where enlisted personnel saw some aspects of
military life as being somewhat better than civilian life. Communications
and intelligence specialists viewed several aspects of military life as
being better than life in the civilian world. Many indicated that vacation
time, health care benefits, education and training opportunities and a sense
of accomplishment were somewhat better in the military than they would be in
the civilian world. However, the only significant difference between
communications and intelligence specialists and other enlisted personnel was
with regard to education and training opportunities. Fewer communications
and intelligence personnel indicated that education and training
opportunities would be better in the military than in the civilian world.
51 46
58 59
63 71
74 69
75 73
80 82
020 40 6080100 Percent Retirement
benefits Promotion
opportunities General quality
of life Amount of personal/ family time
Total compensation
*Hours worked per week
Communications and intelligence specialists Other enlisted personnel * GAO
identified a significant difference
Appendix IV: Communications and Intelligence Specialists Page 51 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 26: Communications and Intelligence Specialists' Perceptions of
Military Life Being Better than Civilian Life
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
The satisfaction and career intentions for those working in communications
and intelligence occupations were about the same as for other enlisted
personnel. Nearly half (47 percent) of the communications and intelligence
specialists were satisfied with the military way of life. On the other hand,
one- third (33 percent) were dissatisfied with military life (see fig. 27).
Satisfaction and
Career Intentions
41 40 39
46 51
52 67
64 020 4060 80 Percent Sense of accomplishment/ pride
*Educati on and trai ning opportuni ti es
Vacati on time
Health care benefits
Communications and intelligence specialists Other enlisted personnel * GAO
identified a significant difference
Appendix IV: Communications and Intelligence Specialists Page 52 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 27: Communications and Intelligence Specialists' Overall Satisfaction
With Military Way of Life
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Nearly 45 percent of communications and intelligence specialists indicated
that they expect to serve 20 years or more before they leave the military. A
similar percentage of other enlisted personnel held the same expectation.
Figure 28 shows the career intentions of servicemembers based the number of
years of military service they believed they would have when they leave or
retire from the military. Retention Intention
47 46 20
24 33
30 0 10
20 30
40 50
Satisfied Neither Dissatisfied Percent
Communications and intelligence specialists Other enlisted personnel
Appendix IV: Communications and Intelligence Specialists Page 53 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 28: Communications and Intelligence Specialists' Career Intent
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Communications and intelligence personnel cited similar reasons for
remaining in the military compared to other enlisted personnel. Basic pay,
job security, retirement benefits, job enjoyment, and future advancement
were cited as top reasons for staying in the military (see fig. 29). As with
all other enlisted personnel, basic pay appeared as the top reason for both
staying in and for leaving the military. Overall, there were no significant
differences between the responses of communications and intelligence
specialists and other enlisted personnel. Reasons for Staying and
Leaving
44 49
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 Percent expecting to stay in the military for 20 years or more
Communications and intelligence specialists Other enlisted personnel Years
Appendix IV: Communications and Intelligence Specialists Page 54 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 29: Communications and Intelligence Specialists' Top Five Reasons for
Staying in the Military
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
For both groups, the top five reasons for leaving the military included
basic pay, quality of leadership, amount of personal and family time, job
enjoyment, and deployments (see fig. 30). There were no significant
differences between the responses of communications and intelligence
specialists and other enlisted personnel.
5 4
8 9
9 7
15 15
21 20
010 20 30 Communications and intelligence specialists Other enlisted
personnel Percent Future
advancement Job
enjoyment Retirement
pay Basic
pay Job security
Appendix IV: Communications and Intelligence Specialists Page 55 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 30: Communications and Intelligence Specialists' Top Five Reasons for
Leaving the Military
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel. 6
6 7
6 8
8 10
8 30
31 010 2030 40 Percent Deployments
Job enjoyment Personal and
family time Basic
pay Quality of leadership
Communications and intelligence specialists Other enlisted personnel
Appendix V: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers Page 56 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
The expectations, experiences and retention intentions of personnel serving
in electrical and mechanical equipment repair occupations were generally
similar to those of other enlisted personnel. However there were some
significant differences. For example, a greater percentage of retention-
critical personnel in this occupation area raised preparedness concerns
attributed to staffing, and parts and equipment shortfalls compared to other
enlisted personnel. More of them were aware of what a civilian job would pay
and believed their skills would transfer easily to a civilian job. On the
other hand, these personnel were about as likely as other enlisted personnel
to plan for a 20- year or more career in the military.
Within the electrical and mechanical equipment repair occupation area, the
retention- critical occupations identified by the services fit within five
occupation groups. 1 These personnel serve in aircraft and aircraft related
repair, automotive repair, wire communications repair, power generating
equipment repair, and precision equipment repair occupations. These
personnel are responsible for repair and maintenance of electrical,
mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic equipment.
Table 10 describes each occupation and provides details about the number of
survey respondents, including the size of the enlisted population their
responses were projected to represent. Some occupation groups are common
across all the services, but not all the services identified the same
occupation groups as being retention- critical. Our analysis was conducted
using only the responses of personnel whose occupation groups were
identified by their service as retention- critical. Personnel that work
within the same occupation group, but whose service did not identify that
group as retention- critical were excluded from our analysis. The
occupations described in table 10 are only those that each service
identified as retention- critical.
1 The electrical and mechanical equipment repair occupation area is
comprised of nine occupational groups: aircraft and aircraft related repair,
automotive repair, wire communications repair, missile mechanical and
electrical repair, armament and munitions, shipboard propulsion, power
generating equipment, precision equipment, and other mechanical and
electrical equipment repairers. Appendix V: Electrical and Mechanical
Equipment Repairers
Appendix V: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers Page 57 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Table 10: Description of Retention- Critical Electrical and Mechanical
Equipment Repair Occupational Groups Occupation group Service Number of
respondents Projected population Occupation description
E60 Aircraft and aircraft related repairers
Army Air Force Marines Navy
153 578 127 346 1,204
10,502 41,911
8,071 29,075 89,559
Repairs aircraft engines, electrical systems, structural components and
surfaces, and launch equipment.
E61 Automotive repairers
Army 380 380
26,926 26,926
Repairs construction equipment and other wheeled and tracked vehicles. E62
Wire communications repairers
Navy 29 29
2,612 2,612
Repairs and specializes in the installation and maintenance of telephones,
switchboards, and central office and related interior communications
equipment. E66 Power generating equipment repairers
Air Force Navy
26 198 224
1,536 14,792 16,328
Repairs nuclear power reactors and primary electric generating plants.
E67 Precision equipment repairers
Navy 10 10
892 892
Repairs optical and other precision instruments and office machines.
Total 1,847 136,317
Source: DOD.
The survey asked servicemembers to recall what their career intentions were
when they first entered the military. The career intent of electrical and
mechanical equipment repairers when they first entered the military was
virtually the same as for other enlisted personnel (see fig. 31). As with
other enlisted personnel, electrical and mechanical equipment repairers were
mostly unsure (47 percent) about their career intentions when they first
joined the military. The remaining survey respondents were evenly split
between those who intended to remain until retirement and those who intended
to serve their initial obligation and leave. Expectations
Appendix V: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers Page 58 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 31: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers' Career Intent on
Entry
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
The survey responses of electrical and mechanical equipment repair personnel
were generally similar to those of other enlisted personnel with regard to
their perceptions of military life at entry (see fig. 32). When asked how
military life had met the expectations they had when they first joined,
around 40 percent of both electrical and mechanical equipment repairers and
other enlisted personnel indicated military life was better than expected.
About 30 percent indicated that military life was about what they expected.
Roughly 30 percent indicated military life was worse than expected.
28 27 47 47
25 26 0 10
20 30
40 50
Active duty until retirement
Not sure Complete obligation and leave Percent
Electrical and mechanical equipment repairers Other enlisted personnel
Appendix V: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers Page 59 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 32: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers' Perceptions of
Military Life Compared to Expectations at Entry
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Overall, the experiences of those personnel serving in electrical and
mechanical equipment repair occupations were mixed. They worked about the
same number of hours and were away from home about as much as other enlisted
personnel; however, a higher percentage of electrical and mechanical
equipment repair personnel indicated preparedness concerns regarding both
staffing and parts and equipment, compared to other enlisted personnel. In
both areas, nearly 50 percent of the electrical and mechanical equipment
repairers reported that their units were poorly prepared.
Figure 33 shows how many hours electrical and mechanical equipment repairers
and other enlisted personnel reported working during their last full
workweek before filling out the survey. Over 50 percent reported working 51
hours or more during their previous workweek. They also raised more staffing
and parts and equipment concerns than other enlisted personnel (see figs. 35
and 36). However, these problems do not appear to Experiences
Time at Work and Away from Home
37 42
32 30 31 28
0 10
20 30
40 50
Better than expected About what expected Worse than expected Percent
Electrical and mechanical equipment repairers Other enlisted personnel
Appendix V: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers Page 60 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
have affected the number of hours they worked compared to other enlisted
personnel. About one- fourth of each group indicated they worked 61 hours or
more during their last full workweek (see fig. 33).
Figure 33: Number of Hours Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers'
Reported Working During Previous Workweek
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Concerns have been raised in recent years that military personnel are away
from home excessively. Electrical and mechanical equipment repair personnel
reported being away from home at roughly the same rate as other enlisted
personnel. Overall, about one- fifth of both electrical and mechanical
equipment repair personnel (22 percent) and other enlisted personnel (19
percent) reported being away from home for a total of 5 months or more
during the previous year. 2 Nearly half reported they had been away for 1
month or less. Figure 34 shows the total number of months that
servicemembers reported being away from home during the previous 12 months.
2 Servicemembers were asked to report the total length of time away home
because of their military duties. To calculate the total length of time
away, they were asked to add up all the nights away from their permanent
duty station during the previous 12 months.
Electrical and mechanical equipment repairers Other enlisted personnel 14 16
35 38
27 23
11 11 13 12 0 10
20 30
40 50
41- 50 40 or less 51- 60 61- 70 71 or more Percent
Appendix V: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers Page 61 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 34: Number of Months Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers
Were Away from Home During Previous 12 Months
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Compared to other enlisted personnel, a greater percentage of electrical and
mechanical equipment repairers raised concerns about staffing preparedness.
Nearly 45 percent of the electrical and mechanical equipment repairers
indicated their unit's preparedness was poor regarding how they were staffed
compared to 36 percent for other enlisted personnel (see fig. 35). Resource
Shortfalls
Electrical and mechanical equipment repairers Other enlisted personnel 43
47 35 34
22 19
0 10
20 30
40 50
0 to < 1 month 1 to < 5 months 5 or more months Percent
Appendix V: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers Page 62 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 35: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers' Perceptions of
Unit Staffing Preparedness
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Parts and equipment preparedness has been a major concern during recent
years. Figure 36 shows that a greater percentage of electrical and
mechanical equipment repair personnel (45 percent) rated their unit's parts
and equipment preparedness as poor compared to other enlisted personnel (34
percent).
Electrical and mechanical equipment repairers Other enlisted personnel 27
37 29 27
44 36
0 10
20 30
40 50
*Well Neither *Poor Percent
* GAO identified a significant difference
Appendix V: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers Page 63 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 36: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers' Perceptions of
Unit Parts and Equipment Preparedness
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Electrical and mechanical equipment repairers were generally as optimistic
about their job prospects in the civilian sector as were other enlisted
personnel (see fig. 37). However, compared to other enlisted personnel, a
higher percentage of electrical and mechanical equipment repairers believed
they knew what a civilian job would pay and that their experience would
transfer easily into a civilian job. Perceptions of
Civilian Opportunities
Electrical and mechanical equipment repairers Other enlisted personnel 27
37 28 28
45 34
0 10
20 30
40 50
*Well Neither *Poor Percent
* GAO identified a significant difference
Appendix V: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers Page 64 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 37: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers' Perceptions of
Civilian Work Opportunities
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Figure 38 shows the areas where electrical and mechanical equipment
repairers saw civilian life as being better than military life. Overall,
they were similar to other enlisted personnel regarding the aspects of
civilian life they viewed as being better than military life.
Electrical and mechanical equipment repairers Other enlisted personnel
16 29
64 58
74 66
82 76
020 40 60 80100 Good idea of civilian
job availability Percent *Good idea of
civilian pay Easy to find a civilian job
*Little experience will transfer to civilian job
* GAO identified a significant difference
Appendix V: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers Page 65 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 38: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers' Perceptions of
Civilian Life Being Better than Military Life
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Figure 39 shows the areas where electrical and mechanical equipment
repairers viewed military life as being better than civilian life. There
were no significant differences between the responses of electrical and
mechanical equipment repairers and other enlisted personnel regarding the
areas of military life that were seen as better than civilian life.
El ectrical and mechanical equipment repairers Other enli sted personnel
50 46
62 58
73 69
74 70
77 73 85
81 020 40 6080100 Amount of personal
family time Total compensati on
Hours worked per week
General quality of life
Promotion opportuniti es
Retirement benefi ts
Percent
Appendix V: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers Page 66 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 39: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers' Perceptions of
Military Life Being Better than Civilian Life
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Electrical and mechanical equipment repairers were about as optimistic as
other enlisted personnel with regard to their civilian job prospects.
Civilian opportunities for two of the occupations that comprise this
occupational area are projected to be good over the next several years.
Civilian aircraft and automotive mechanic occupations are both projected to
grow between 10 and 20 percent. The optimism of retention- critical aircraft
mechanics may be tempered somewhat by the recent economic downturn since,
according to the Bureau for Labor Statistics, aircraft mechanics can be
vulnerable to layoffs during times of recession. Civilian mechanical repair
occupations will likely do well regardless of an economic downturn. The
Bureau for Labor Statistics projects that there will be more job openings
for civilian automotive mechanics and service technicians than for most
other occupations.
The satisfaction and career intentions of those serving in electrical and
mechanical equipment repair occupations were about the same as those of
other enlisted personnel. Their satisfaction with the military way of life
was about the same as reported by other enlisted personnel. For both groups,
over 40 percent indicated they were satisfied with the military way of life
and about one- third indicated they were dissatisfied (see fig. 40).
Occupational outlook
Satisfaction and Career Intentions
39 41
47 53 48
45 65
64 010 2030405060 70
El ectrical and mechani cal equipment repai rers Other enlisted personnel
Percent Vacat i on
time Educati on and training opportunities
Health care benefits
Sense of accomplishment/ pride
Appendix V: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers Page 67 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 40: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers' Overall
Satisfaction with Military Way of Life
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Half of the electrical and mechanical equipment repairers and about half of
the other enlisted personnel indicated they expect to serve 20 years or more
in the military before they leave. Figure 41 shows the career intentions of
servicemembers based upon the number of years of service they believed they
would have when they leave military service. Retention Intention
42 47
23 23 35
30 0 10
20 30
40 50
Satisfied Neither Dissatified Electrical and mechanical equipment repairers
Other enlisted personnel Percent
Appendix V: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers Page 68 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 41: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers' Career Intent
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Electrical and mechanical equipment repair personnel cited similar reasons
for remaining in the military compared to other enlisted personnel. Basic
pay, job security, retirement benefits, job enjoyment, and medical care for
their family were cited as top reasons for staying in the military (see fig.
42). As with other enlisted personnel, basic pay appeared as the top reason
for both staying in and for leaving the military. Overall, there were no
significant differences between the responses of electrical and mechanical
equipment repairers and other enlisted personnel in the five categories
measured. Reasons for staying and
leaving
50 48 0 10
20 30
40 50
60 Percent expecting to stay in the military for 20 years or more Electrical
and mechanical equipment repairers Other enlisted personnel Years
Appendix V: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers Page 69 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 42: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers' Top Five Reasons
for Staying in the Military
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel.
Electrical and mechanical equipment repair personnel and other enlisted
personnel cited similar reasons for leaving the military. The top five
reasons for leaving the military included basic pay, amount of personal and
family time, deployments, quality of leadership, and amount of retirement
pay (see fig. 43). There were no significant differences between the
responses of electrical and mechanical equipment repairers and other
enlisted personnel.
5 5
6 7
11 9
16 15
20 20
0 102030 Percent Basic
pay Job security
Retirement pay Job enjoyment
Medical care for family
Electrical and mechanical equipment repairers Other enlisted personnel
Appendix V: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers Page 70 GAO- 01-
785 Military Personnel
Figure 43: Electrical and Mechanical Equipment Repairers' Top Five Reasons
for Leaving the Military
Source: DOD's 1999 Survey of Active Duty Personnel. Electrical and
mechanical equipment repairers
Other enlisted personnel 5
5 7
8 8
6 9
8 32
31 010 2030 40 Percent Basic pay
Deployments Quality of leadership
Retirement pay
Appendix VI: Contacts and Staff Acknowledgements Page 71 GAO- 01- 785
Military Personnel
William E. Beusse 202- 512- 3517 Kurt A. Burgeson 404- 679- 1834
In addition to those named above, Aisha A. Mahmood, Jack E. Edwards, John H.
Pendleton, Nancy L. Ragsdale, Maria- Alaina I. Rambus, Matthew W. Ullengren,
and Gerald L. Winterlin made important contributions to this report.
Appendix VI: Contacts and Staff
Acknowledgements GAO Contacts Acknowledgements
(702073)
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