Increasing Efficiency and Incentives for Performance in the Army's Selective Reenlistment Bonus (SRB) Program

by Beth J. Asch, Michael G. Mattock, Patricia K. Tong, Jason M. Ward

Overview

This report documents research and analysis conducted as part of a project entitled Improving the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Special and Incentive Pays in the Army, sponsored by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. The purpose of the project was to help the Army determine how to best increase incentives for higher performance among enlisted members and to more efficiently achieve Army retention objectives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781977407535
Publisher:	RAND Corporation
Publication date:	11/15/2021
Pages:	124
Product dimensions:	8.36(w) x 10.62(h) x 0.32(d)

Table of Contents

About This Research Report iii

Summary v

Figures and Tables xv

Chapter 1 Introduction 1

Approach 3

Organization of the Report 4

Chapter 2 Insights from Discussions with Service Managers and from the Literature on Restructuring SRBs 5

Discussions with Manpower and Compensation Managers 5

Insights from the Military Manpower Literature on SRB Reform, Performance Incentives, and Promotion Speed 9

Summary 15

Chapter 3 Alternative Courses of Action 17

Chapter 4 DRM, Data, and Simulation Methodology 21

A Brief Overview of the DRM 21

Estimation Methodology 24

Data 25

Model Estimates and Model Fits for 11B 26

Incorporating Performance into the DRM Simulation Capability 27

Summary 31

Chapter 5 Results 33

COAs 1-3 for MOS 11B 33

Changing the YOS Criteria 37

Targeting SRBs to a Single Grade 42

Summary of COA Results for Other MOSs 43

Summary 46

Chapter 6 Conclusions 47

The Army's Current SRB Structure Reduces Performance Incentives 47

Restructuring SRBs Would Improve Performance Incentives Relative to the Current Army Approach 48

Restructuring SRBs to Increase Performance Could Reduce SRB and Personnel Costs per Soldier, But Not Always 49

Does Faster Promotion Speed Indicate Factors Other Than Supply and Demand? 50

Wrap-Up 50

Appendix A A History of Army Reenlistment Bonuses, Evidence on Effectiveness, and Past Reform Proposals 53

History 53

Past Estimates of the Effects of Reenlistment Bonuses on Reenlistment 61

SRB Program Reforms-Existing Evidence and Alternative Reform Proposals 62

Appendix B How Selected MOSs Are Identified in the Data 65

Appendix C Model Estimates and Model Fits for the Other MOSs 71

Model Estimates 71

Model Fits 71

Appendix D Additional Results 77

Single-Grade COAs for MOS 11B 77

MOS 14E COAs 79

MOS 17E COAs 82

MOS 18B COAs 88

MOS 35F COAs 94

MOS 68P COAs 97

Abbreviations 101

References 103