The recruitment, training, and retention of enlisted clinical specialists continues to be a major concern for the Army. At present there are six training programs for these specialists: initial entry training at the Academy of Health Sciences; civilian contract training by local civilian institutions; an educational service agreement with St. Phillips College in San Antonio, Texas; exportable training programs through the Academy of Health Sciences and U.S. Army Reserve Forces schools; the Specialized Training for Army Readiness (STAR) program; and the Army Civilian Acquired Skills Programs.

The STAR program is designed specifically to recruit clinical specialists and increase their skill qualification. The STAR program uses accredited civilian community colleges and technical schools throughout the country to provide advanced individual training rather than having soldiers attend traditional Army schools. This program has proven to be an exceptional recruiting tool. There were 56 soldiers who enlisted in the program for FY89 and 297 in FY90.

Women in the Army

The number of women officers, NCOs, and enlisted personnel continues to increase due to the varied opportunities and assignments offered in today's Army. Women are provided full and equal opportunity to pursue appropriate careers and are assigned in all skills and positions except those closed under the Army's Direct Combat Exclusion Policy. Presently 86 percent of the enlisted military occupational specialties, 91 percent of

Women fill essential positions in today's Army.

the warrant officer specialties, and 96 percent of the commissioned officer specialties are open to women. Women represent 11.4 percent of the Active Component (AC) (12,500 officers and 71,000 enlisted), 18.2 percent of the USAR (22,000 officers and 88,100 enlisted), and 7.1 percent of the ARNG (3,707 officers and 28,000 enlisted).

Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) Screening Program

Federal law requires continuous screening of the IRR. The Army's IRR screening program conducts individual soldier screenings at mobilization stations, USAR centers, and U.S. Army recruiting stations during the soldier's birth month. During FY90, 37,132 IRR completed screening. Of those screened, 2,396 (6.4 percent) transferred to troop units, and 29 were ordered to active duty. This transfer of soldiers to troop units has had a very positive effect in increasing the personnel fill of the units concerned. The Army's method of screening the IRR, developed over the last 3 years, continues to be an efficient method to ensure maximum participation on mobilization and to maintain adequate and current personnel records.

Current Concerns

Four personnel management issues are of particular concern to the Army: initiatives to improve and manage the officer corps; junior officer accession and development; the ability to recruit quality soldiers in a highly competitive marketplace; and maintenance of our long-standing policy that single parents and dual military couples remain fully deployable and available for assignment worldwide.

In a period in which the Army must shape a smaller

force, we need flexibility to manage the reduction if we are to shape a quality officer corps for the future. While the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act has improved management of our active officers, it requires some changes to adapt it to current requirements. At the same time, the Army needs congressional action to facilitate Our management of warrant officers and reserve officers. These issues are discussed in detail in Chapter VIII.

A second area concerns matters affecting junior officer accessions and the United States Military Academy (USMA). First, the active duty service obligation (ADSO) for service academy graduates was increased from 5 to 6 years with the passage of the FY90 National Defense Authorization Act. This will apply to all USMA entrants after December 31, 1991.

This increase will adversely impact the Army's ability to attract quality applicants, especially minorities and women, for attendance at the USMA. As the ADSO does not even begin until 4 years after the applicants must decide to apply to USMA, we believe many applicants will view the ADSO as a greater commitment than they are willing to make. They are young people making a 10year commitment. Furthermore, the number of high school graduates is declining, creating more competition between the private and public sectors for young people with leader potential.

Second, the FY91 Authorization Act mandates a reduction in the size of the Corps of Cadets. The language suggests a phased cutback in the number of new cadets appointed, beginning in the summer of 1991. It specifies that no more than 1,000 cadets per year may be appointed by 1995. With annual admissions limited to 1,000, normal attrition will reduce the size of the Corps 30 percent below its current authorized level. This constitutes a reduction of 1,300 cadets. The Army opposes a cut of this magnitude. The Secretary of Defense directed, and the Army supports, a Corps size of 4,000 cadets by 1995. (This is a 10 percent reduction from current authorizations.) This reduction will enable USMA to operate at near capacity (which is efficient), and it sustains the proportion of highquality lieutenants that USMA contributes to annual accessions, especially minorities and women.

Third, the FY91 National Defense Authorization Act also requested a report on the desirability of commissioning all 2nd lieutenants in the reserves, regardless of their active duty obligation. The Army strongly opposes such a change in procedure. It would put at risk the historic commitment between the Army and our most promising new accessions -- ROTC Distinguished Military Graduates and USMA graduates. Regular Army accessions traditionally have been the nucleus of the career force. In the impending era of smaller forces, the Army must preserve our ability to attract and retain

quality volunteers for career service as officers in the Regular Army.

Finally, the Army strongly supports legislation to allow USMA the authority to confer a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Leader Development for selected Army officers who serve as company tactical officers at USMA. Congressional authorization to confer the MA degree on program graduates will significantly enhance USMA's ability to attract quality officers for this academically rigorous, 48 credit hour program. This program will significantly reduce civil schooling and permanent change of station costs, while concurrently allowing USMA to advance its extensive field work in the area of leader development and more effectively accomplish its purpose and mission.

A third area of concern is our continuing ability to recruit quality young people. Although advertising is being funded only at FY84 levels, the Army is striving to improve the quality of accessions. Additional resource cuts in the face of already tough budgetary reductions, compounded by an increasingly difficult recruiting environment, will have a profound impact on the quality of the force the Army is able to build over the next few years. A loss of visibility in the marketplace now will be even more costly to regain in the future. Advertising and advertising resources must remain constant to maintain public awareness for both applicants and those who influence applicants. In light of steadily rising media and production costs, continued funding at FY84 levels means the Army will get significantly less exposure for our money and fewer marketing opportunities.

Since advertising supports more than just Regular Army enlistments, reduced dollars mean less advertising support for Army specialized programs, which promote officer accessions via the Reserve Officer Training Corps, USMA, and Officer Candidate School. Less advertising support also adversely impacts on nursing, physician, lawyer, chaplain, Special Forces, warrant officer, and reenlistment programs.

According to two RAND Corporation studies released last year, empirical results show that advertising in a given month has a significant and immediate effect on the number of quality enlistments. One of the studies suggests that Army advertising is a very effective means of increasing the flow of quality recruits into the service.

A final area of concern is the maintenance of the Army's policy on single parents and dual military couples. Proposals to change this policy to prevent single parents or dual military couples with children from serving in the Operation Desert Storm theater would seriously weaken our combat capability by removing key personnel from

our deployed units and by undermining unit cohesion and esprit de corps. It also would break faith with our single parents and dual military couples and with their fellow soldiers who depend on them daily.

For years, single parents and dual military couples have understood the duty and obligations they have voluntarily assumed. They are well aware that these obligations may place them in harm's way and that risk is inherent in military service. In spite of that potential danger, they have served well and honorably and have demonstrated a willingness and ability to meet both their obligations as soldiers and as parents. Any legislation that attempts to limit their ability to serve would not be in the best interests of the Army, the individual soldiers affected, or the units in which they serve.

The Army is, therefore, opposed to any change in policy during Operation Desert Storm because of the negative consequences that would result

The Civilian Work Force

Nearly one-fourth of the Army is composed of highly qualified and motivated Department of Army civilians, whose efforts contribute significantly to readiness and mission accomplishment. In the future, civilians may make up an even greater percentage of the Army's work force, comprising the majority of the positions in acquisition management, research and development, base operations, and logistics. The Army is committed to continuing the investment we have made in building a trained and ready civilian force.

The Future for the Army Civilian

Civilians are an integral part of the Total Force, and the planned build-down of the Army to a smaller, capable force will affect directly the number of civilians the Army employs. The Army estimates that significant civilian reductions, both in CONUS and overseas, will be required during the next 5 years as a result of reshaping the force; implementation of management efficiencies, such as the Defense Management Review and Army Management Review directives; and base realignments and closures.

Cuts of the size anticipated will require reductionin-force procedures that will involuntarily separate some civilian employees. Less severe actions, such as curtailment of non-mission essential training, travel, and overtime; full or partial freezes on hiring; and release of temporary employees will be used prior to taking actions that adversely affect the pay or jobs of permanent civilian employees. The reduction actions will reflect great care, sensitivity, and compassion for each affected employee.

Systems are in place and being developed to assist those employees who will be affected by the Army's reductions. Long-standing programs, such as the DOD Priority Placement Program, will place many of our people who face separation into other jobs. The new Army Career and Alumni Program will assist departing civilians and their family members to move into new careers. Intensive counseling will make employees aware of their options and, if they must be released, assist them in seeking new employment. The Army can now use funds from the Operations and Maintenance, Army, appropriation to provide transition assistance by contractor services in locations not serviced by ACAP assistance centers.

Concurrent with reduction actions, the Army must continue programs to recruit and retain a quality civilian force with the needed skills to support the requirements of the evolving Army. The smaller civilian force must have the right mix of skills to meet Army requirements, such as those necessitated by Operation Desert Storm. The Army will continue to use all possible means to attract quality candidates. The Army has implemented the Intern Intake Survey that will produce a profile of past and current career interns based on a variety of quality measures. This survey will use the types of information (e.g., educational and cognitive test score data) that have been used successfully by the military to track the quality of the force and will link those measures to performance, progression, and retention data. Implementation of the survey began in May 1990 and will continue each year. The Intern Intake Survey will produce data over time that will help us adjust recruitment practices to ensure we hire quality people.

civilians to fill the positions of military members diverted to support deployments, such as Operation Desert Storm. In critical occupations, such as nuclear medical technicians, nurses, pharmacists, and doctors, the FY89 voluntary loss rates among service members ranged from 11 to 18 percent. The Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act of 1990 provides for the establishment of a marketsensitive GS pay system that supports the recruitment, retention, and mobility of quality employees. The Army is working with DOD and the Office of Personnel Management to implement the new system.

Managing Civilians to Budget (MCB)

MCB is a major Army initiative in support of civilian personnel modernization. Under MCB, managers have the authority to build their civilian organizational structure and redistribute resources to maximize mission accomplishment. They operate under a budget limit rather than traditional personnel controls, such as end strength, average grade, and high-grade ceilings for civilian positions.

MCB increases financial flexibility and strengthens the accountability of supervisors for the cost of their organizational structure and personnel decisions. MCB also builds the fiscal accountability necessary to manage the proposed changes to the civilian personnel system, such as market-sensitive pay and simplified classification.

After three years of test and evaluation, the Army has announced MCB implementation for CONUS activities in FY91, with overseas activities to follow in FY92. As the Army moves into a future of smaller budgets and fewer people, the increased flexibility of MCB will be of even greater importance.

Integration of the Civilian Work Force in the Army Personnel Proponent System

The quality of the total civilian work force is being enhanced through the Army Personnel Proponent System. Under the system, a single agency is identified to monitor every civilian occupation. The agency sets the career pattern and oversees policy for progression within the occupation from entry until separation. Proponents are the focal point for information; for example, proponents can provide data on critical skills needed to support mobilization and deployment.

A pilot program was conducted in FY90 with 14 proponents representing 29 groups of related occupations, known as career fields. During the pilot, proponents demonstrated the benefits of long-range management by improving force structure, training, and professionalism within their assigned career fields.

With the reshaping of the Army and the conversion of key sustaining base positions to civilian slots, life-cycle personnel management of the civilian work force becomes even more essential. Furthermore, savings can be realized from the program through standardization, retention of quality employees, and better management of functions common to the military and civilian work forces.

Army-wide implementation will begin in FY91, and objectives for FY92/93 include establishment of Army Civilian Training, Education, and Development System (ACTEDS) professional development requirements for the non-career program work force (See Chapter VII).

Quality of Life

The Army quality of life effort is a collection of policies, programs, and actions to improve the living and duty environments of the Total Army family. The ultimate goal of our efforts is to foster individual readiness and commitment. The crisis in Saudi Arabia, the force drawdown, and base realignment and closure actions have underscored the pivotal role quality of life programs play in maintaining readiness. Congressional support is critical if we are to provide sufficient funds for our quality of life programs to enable the Army to take adequate care of our soldiers, civilians, and families.

The ACOE program is neither burdensome nor costly; it works because it taps the boundless reservoir of energy, enthusiasm, and ingenuity of all community members. As we shape the Army to meet our strategic responsibilities in the years ahead, the ACOE program will assume greater significance. ACOE makes an unambiguous, cost-effective contribution to promoting and sustaining a quality, ready force. Without question, quality of life is a readiness issue.

Facilities

The Army's six fundamental imperatives are supported by the foundation of Army facilities infrastructure. Quality facilities attract, motivate, and help retain good people. Dilapidated and inadequate facilities diminish productivity, adversely affect morale, and ultimately undermine our warfighting readiness.

The Army's facilities strategy commits resources to maximize the use of current facilities, meet regulatory and environmental guidance, and concentrate revitalization resources on a reduced facilities base. Reducing the facilities base as our force structure decreases is critical to having the required revitalization resources available to maintain the remaining facilities for our force. The successful execution of this strategy requires the Army to fully fund the Annual Recurring Requirements of the reduced facilities base. Since 1987, the Army has not been able to do this. This gap between requirements and resources has caused the Backlog of Maintenance and

The Army's revitalization program covers the repair and maintenance of our infrastructure.

Repair (BMAR) to increase dramatically. BMAR is a leading indicator of facilities deterioration and the increasing maintenance and repair costs of the Army's infrastructure. To reverse this trend, our goal is to program a prudent level of funding for facilities revitalization and to practice fiscal and facilities discipline.

Operation, maintenance, and repair of the Army's infrastructure also is an integral part of the Army's revitalization strategy. Major maintenance and repair projects, such as building renovations; interior electrical, heating, ventilation, and plumbing upgrades; road repairs; and exterior utilities improvements are critical parts of real property maintenance activities (RPMA). These activities contribute to revitalization by extending the life of Army facilities. These projects cannot be considered discretionary. With the overall Army revitalization cycle at 150+ years for FY92/93, they are critically important. Delay simply means further deterioration and higher ultimate costs.

The Military Construction Army (MCA) budget provides a foundation for maintaining our remaining installations. MCA funds construction that replaces uneconomically reparable World War II era motor pools, manpower-intensive warehouses, and obsolete scientific laboratories. The near-term funding levels of this program are relatively high as a result of construction projects for disposal and depot support facilities for the chemical demilitarization program. The Army recognizes that we will have a significantly smaller forward-deployed force