Women in the Military:
Attrition and Retention
NSIAD-90-87BR: Published: Jul 26, 1990. Publicly Released: Aug 2, 1990.
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Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the comparability of attrition and retention rates for men and women in the military services from fiscal years 1980 through 1988, focusing on: (1) attrition rates for men and women in officer and enlisted grades; (2) the primary separation categories for enlisted men and women during their first enlistment term; and (3) retention rates for men and women in officer and enlisted grades.
GAO found that: (1) the overall attrition loss for enlisted women was 48.6 percent, or 4.5 percent higher than the 44.1 percent rate for men, but the basic pattern of attrition losses for men and women was similar; (2) womens' rates tended to be slightly higher than mens' when measuring the intervening periods of the enlistment terms; (3) attrition losses during the first 6 months were primarily due to inadequate entry-level performance; (4) during the last 6 months mens' attrition rates were generally higher, primarily due to misconduct, drug abuse, or unsatisfactory performance, while women voluntarily left due to pregnancy; (5) womens' officer loss rates were less than 2 percent higher than mens', but the rate difference was greater for each individual service, except the Navy; (6) except for the Army, men tended to have higher officer eligibility rates after the first term, while women had higher officer eligibility rates after the third enlistment; and (7) mens' retention rates after 3 years ranged from 7.9 to 9.9 percent higher than womens', which ranged from 3.9 to 4.4 percent higher after 4 years, and, after 20 years, womens' retention was higher by 3 to 9 percent.
Jan 14, 2021
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Columbia Class Submarine:
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Department of Defense:
Actions Needed to Improve Accounting of Intradepartmental TransactionsGAO-21-84: Published: Jan 14, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 14, 2021.
Jan 12, 2021
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DOD Critical Technologies:
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Dec 10, 2020
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Climate Resilience:
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Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations:
DOD Needs to Address Governance and Oversight Issues to Help Ensure SuperiorityGAO-21-64: Published: Dec 10, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 10, 2020.
Dec 2, 2020
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Navy and Marine Corps:
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Nov 20, 2020
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GAO Audits Involving DOD:
Status of Efforts to Schedule and Hold Timely Entrance ConferencesGAO-21-185R: Published: Nov 20, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 20, 2020.
Nov 19, 2020
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Defense Acquisitions:
Joint Cyber Warfighting Architecture Would Benefit from Defined Goals and GovernanceGAO-21-68: Published: Nov 19, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 19, 2020. -
Defense Intelligence:
Comprehensive Plan Needed to Improve Stakeholder Engagement in the Development of New Military Intelligence SystemGAO-21-57: Published: Nov 19, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 19, 2020. -
Defense Production Act:
Opportunities Exist to Increase Transparency and Identify Future Actions to Mitigate Medical Supply Chain Issues:GAO-21-108: Published: Nov 19, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 19, 2020.
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