Improving Retention under the US Army's Captain Incentive

摘要

The Army is not only fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but also a dogfight to retain one of its most precious resources the mid-grade officers that possess tremendous operational experience The Army implemented the Menu of Incentives Program (MOIP) in September 2007 to spur captains to remain in the service. The Army expected to retain 80% of the officers eligible for the incentives but less than 68% signed up. The program failed to achieve the objectives because the MOIP execution instructions were not published until months after the Active Duty Service Obligation (ADSO) expired for many captains; it was a short-term solution to a long-term problem; and the Critical Skills Retention Bonus (CSRB) was not large enough to entice more officers to take this incentive. The Army could improve the MOIP by starting the next phase of the program before the majority of officers initiate the process to leave the service; by remodeling the CSRB so that it falls more in line with the bonuses offered in the other services; and by immediately contacting those officers that left the service before the MOIP began to ask them to come back to active duty.