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Over the past decade, especially, U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) intelligence has had to tailor its organization to meet the evolving demands of the operational environment. This has resulted in a number of ad hoc arrangements, practices, and organizations. A broad review of the organizational design of USMC intelligence examined how to align it efficiently and effectively with current and future missions and functions.

Over the past decade, especially, U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) intelligence has had to tailor its organization to meet the evolving demands of the operational environment. This has resulted in a number of ad hoc arrangements, practices, and organizations. A broad review of the organizational design of USMC intelligence examined how to align it efficiently and effectively with current and future missions and functions.

Presents the results of a short-term review of 27 publicly available manpower studies to discover methods that other organizations could use to make "fiscally informed" manpower decisions. The studies exhibit varying methods for determining manpower requirements; however, the method used may not be as important as other attributes, such as the direct involvement of a senior decisionmaker.

This research frames a strategic approach to reserve joint officer management that addresses the requirements for, and the supply of, joint officers in the reserve component, and also accounts for the unique constraints and challenges involved in joint officer management for reserve active-status list officers. Because the work required of many reservists is becoming increasingly joint, the need for a systematic examination of how reserve active-status list officers are trained and developed in joint matters is becoming more and more urgent-especially given the dramatic increase in the use of the reserve forces. A strategic approach to joint officer management for reserve active-status list officers must assess the need for officers with prior joint knowledge, experience, and acculturation in certain positions as well as their availability. The authors estimate the supply of joint reserve officers and make several recommendations to help implement a strategic approach to reserve component joint officer management.

A 2002 Department of Defense (DoD) report stated that the military services developed or adopted many innovative approaches to unit structures and organization as force size changed and operational tempo increased. The report suggested that organizational concepts leading to a more flexible, capable force must be implemented more broadly to better capitalize on the capabilities and strengths of the reserve components. In particular, such organizational concepts include blending active component (AC) and reserve component (RC) workforces in military units. We define blending as any arrangement or event that brings active and reserve manpower together within organizations for a common purpose. At the organizational level where mission work is actually done, there is interest in workforce integration between the components.

Documentation of an analysis to determine whether the Department of Defense manpower, resources, and personnel systems are aligned to meet military readiness and operational requirements effectively and efficiently.

As a competitive employer in the United States, the Department of Defense (DoD) strives to maintain benefits comparable to those of the public and private sector. Throughout the 1990s, as the state of the economy improved, many companies began offering their employees a variety of extended leave, or "sabbatical, " options to increase morale, meet employees' needs, improve retention rates, and compete with other employers. In response, DoD recently asked RAND to explore the greater use of extended leaves as part of the department's strategic human resource plan. This report looks at the possible use of extended leaves for military officers. In particular, the authors focus on the different kinds of existing civilian leave programs, how the programs might work if implemented in the military, and how such programs could be evaluated. The authors offer recommendations and observations on which extended leave programs would most benefit the military as well as ideas on how to implement such programs.

Congress has recently expressed concern that the current tenure system for developing general and flag officers does not effectively prepare them for handling increasing levels of responsibility and for performing with maximum efficiency at each level of assignment. This report assesses the continued appropriateness of mandatory retirement of general and flag officers after 35 years. It focuses on the value of extending tenure, specifically examining promotions, number of assignment, and career length. The study discusses two types of consequences resulting from such an extension. Systemic results of longer service lead to fewer promotions and fewer rising to the highest grades, but increased stability and experience. Career-path consequences indicate more depth or breadth of experience could result for officers. The appropriateness of continued mandatory retirement after 35 years depends, finally, on objectives. If the objective is rapid career-path movement to positions of responsibility, the 35-year limit accomplishes this. If the goal is more experienced officers and greater stability, removing the limit seems best. Decision makers will need to decide which objective is most important.

This report is a follow-on to MR-470-OSD, Future Career Management Systems for US Military Officers, 1994. It defines a best officer career system, one that satisfies 11 ranked objectives.

At the request of Congress to the Secretary of Defense, RAND undertook a study on the advisability and feasibility of a cadre of officers whose assignments and schooling would be managed so as to ensure a viable career track in which the officers would serve in interagency and international assignments. This report presents the results of the study. It (1) identifies approximately 330 such assignments at the policy level and an additional 1200 positions at the other organizational levels; (2) develops four career management models that are variations of the due-course model--managing leader succession, managing competencies, managing skills, and managing the exception; (3) looks at the feasibility of each career model at the level of the officer personnel management system as a whole and at the level of officer career tracks; and (4) assesses the advisability of the models from the perspective of the individual officer, the interagency and