Retention and the US Army Officer in Europe

: Increasingly high numbers of Junior Officers are choosing to leave the U.S. Army at the end of their military obligation (Naylor,2000). High rates of deployments, a strong economy, and frustrations with leadership have all been cited as explanations for the relatively low rate of retention (Naylor, 2000; Skelton, 1999). As part of a larger two-year study on the effects of the pace of operations on soldiers in the U.S. Army Europe, the current study examines the relationship between work environment and the career decisions of Junior Officers. Lieutenants were surveyed and interviewed about different factors affecting their career decisions. A majority of the lieutenants reported they were either undecided (28.7%) or planning to leave the military at the completion of their enlistment (24.1%). Over one-third (35.3%) indicated they would stay until obligation or retirement from the military. Gender, marital status and race were not significantly different across careen decision category. Officers deciding to stay in the military were significantly older, however, than those officers intending to leave even after controlling for years in service. The principle reasons reported by officers for leaving the military were long work hours, expected deployments and the high frequency of military training exercises. The majority of the junior officers stated that helping others and travel and adventure were reasons to stay in the military. Results further suggested that factors such as leadership and monetary incentives were not major issues for officers in making career decisions. These preliminary results suggest that higher operational demands are associated with the decision of Junior Officers to leave the military.