First-Term Attrition in the Navy: Causes and Proposed Solutions

More than 18% of Navy recruits leave the service within the first 6 months, and more than 37% are discharged before the end of their first term. By reducing the attrition rate, the Navy could slash costs for recruiting, training, equipment, and related expenses. The purpose of this research was to identify major individual and organizational factors that cause attrition, and to develop a set of interventions or recommendations for reducing attrition. Interviews were conducted with Navy personnel to determine perceptions of the types of individuals who are most likely to attrite and the organizational factors that increase attrition. Results from the interviews were then combined with other data, including Navy documents such as official instructions and press releases, government technical reports and briefings, media sources such as The Navy Times, and a variety of unofficial Navy surveys and meeting notes that were volunteered by respondents during interviews. Overall results and recommendations are reported separately for boot camp, A" school, and fleet attrition, which together represent the major stages of a Sailor's first term of enlistment.Naval Health Research Center San Diego CA is the author of 'First-Term Attrition in the Navy: Causes and Proposed Solutions' with ISBN 9781423531395 and ISBN 1423531396.