Research for Continuum of Service

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Compensation and Voluntary Participation in a Continuum of Service
March 1, 2006

The Department of Defense (DoD) is considering ways to increase voluntary participation in the Reserves. One such proposal, the Continuum of Service (CoS), recognizes that people differ in their willingness and ability to accept activation and deployment. DoD asked CNA researchers to examine potential changes to the compensation system that would support voluntary participation in a CoS. Researchers concluded that policy-makers can use compensation tools to effectively implement a CoS, but that across-the-board compensation changes would not encourage participation. They also found no evidence to support the idea that implementing a CoS, or increasing compensation to support a CoS, would significantly increase reserve retention. Researchers say a cost-effective CoS will rely on targeted compensation.

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Retention in the Reserve and Guard Components
April 1, 2004
Policy-makers have proposed replacing the current system of reservist participation with a new model, termed a Continuum of Service. This new paradigm will give reservists the ability to move seamlessly between full- and part-time status, and it relies on enhanced volunteerism by providing more options for participation. A reliance on volunteerism requires provision of adequate incentives. Before making any changes, however, it is important to understand existing manning problems and those that could arise as a result of a Continuum of Service. Therefore, this study analyzes recent data to identify existing, chronic, and potential manning challenges for each Reserve and Guard Component. Most Components have experienced recent increases in retention. This is notable because mobilizations and deployments have increased over this time period. While overall retention is high and rising, there are still certain groups with low retention. Junior enlisted personnel have very low retention, while there is strong evidence that retirement benefits heavily influence retention decisions of senior personnel. The data also provide evidence that retention varies with the strength of one’s civilian earnings opportunities. Finally, it appears that many people work toward their college degrees while in the Reserves but choose to leave after finishing their education.
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