FOREWORD

A wide range of programs has been initiated by the Department of Defense in the past several years to strengthen the quality and experience level of the military force. This report on trends in enlistments, reenlistments and personnel quality has been prepared to aid in appraising the effectiveness of these programs.

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Authority to Raise Induction Standards (P.L.85-564, July 1958)

ADMINISTRATIVE

Improved Enlistment and Retention Standards

Early Releases of Low-Potential Personnel

Retraining and Education Programs

I. ENLISTMENT TRENDS

Army Enlistments Up Sharply

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The trend in regular Army enlistments provides a significant indicator of the military manpower recruitment market, since -- unlike the other Services the Army has been in a position to accept all qualified applicants for regular enlistment without quota limitations.

Between FY 1957 and FY 1959, regular Army enlistments of nonprior service personnel rose more than 60%, as shown in the upper panel of the opposite chart. This was a major factor in the reduction of Army inductions from 179,000 in FY 1957 to 113,000 during the past fiscal year.

In the other military Services, as shown in the lower panel of the chart, recruitment has been adequate to meet requirements for new personnel throughout this period. Enlistment trends in these Services have, therefore, been governed by year-to-year changes in intake requirements rather than by recruitment capability.

Longer-Term Enliste es Account for

an Increased Percent of New Intakes

Another measure of improved recruitment capability is the increase in the proportion of new recruits in each Service signing up under longer-term enlistment contracts. The opposite chart shows, for each Service, the percentage of these longer-term enlistments in relation to total new enlisted intakes from all sources (regular enlistments, reserves, draftees).

Between FY 1957 and FY 1959, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps all significantly increased the proportion of longer-term regular enlistees. The improvement has been particularly sharp in the case of the Marine Corps which recruited 80% of its new personnel for four-year terms in FY 1959 as contrasted to only 8%, two years earlier.

In the Air Force, virtually all new enlistments were for four-year terms throughout this period, except for a small number of three-year enlistments of women.