An Evaluation of Department of Defense Comments on a Critical Report

A September 1977 report on enlisted career force management pointed out many management improvements that have been made in the military services and the Department of Defense (DOD) to correct enlisted career force imbalances and prevent them from recurring. However, action needs to be taken to bring the career force into balance with enlisted force objectives earlier than the 7- to 10-year timeframe planned by DOD. The report recommended developing ways to measure the effectiveness of enlisted career force objectives on a cost-benefit basis and discussed the use of such measurements.

DOD did not concur with the recommendation that management policies be established to expedite bringing the enlisted career inventory into agreement with the objective force profile. The agency pointed out that each individual has a valid job commensurate with his or her grade and skill level, and none is surplus to the total requirements of the service. DOD also did not agree that the Navy utility model should be used on an interim basis. The utility measures developed by the Navy are not transferable to other services, are only approximate measures of benefits, and possess other shortcomings. The recommendation separately promotes the utility concept, its application, and the costing methodology developed by the Navy. DOD deferred comment on the recommendation that Congress enact legislation authorizing readjustment pay for enlisted personnel who are involuntarily separated until the President's Commission on Military Compensation makes its final report.