July 26, 2019Updated January 16, 2020
Defense Primer: Active Duty Enlisted Retention
Retention
The term retention refers to the rate at which military
personnel voluntarily choose to stay in the military after
their obligated term of service has ended (as determined by
their enlistment contract). Imbalances in the retention rate
can cause problems within the military personnel system. A
common retention concern is that too few people will stay
in, thereby creating a shortage of experienced leaders,
decreasing military efficiency, and lowering job
satisfaction. This was a particular concern from 2004 to
2009, as the stress of major combat deployments to Iraq and
Afghanistan raised concerns about the willingness of
military personnel to continue serving. The opposite
concern may also occur at times, particularly during force
drawdowns: that too many people will stay in, thereby
decreasing promotion opportunities and possibly requiring
involuntarily separations to prevent the organization from
becoming “top heavy” with middle- and upper-level leaders
or to comply with end-strength limitations. Each of these
imbalances can also have a negative impact on recruiting by
making the military a less -attractive career option.
Congressional Role
The Constitution provides Congress with broad powers
over the Armed Forces, including the power “To raise and
support Armies” and “To provide and maintain a Navy.” In
the exercise of this authority, Congress has historically
shown great interest in maintaining military retention rates
sufficient to sustain a fully manned and capable military
workforce. Through its oversight powers, Congress
monitors the performance of the Executive Branch in
managing the size and quality of the military workforce.
disability separation and retirement (Title 10, U.S. Code,
Chapter 61) and punitive discharge for criminal activity
(Title 10, U.S. Code, Chapter 45).
Retention Goals and Results
Table 1 lists active duty enlisted retention goals and results
for FY2016-FY2018FY2017-FY2019. The data are broken out by Service
and retention zones, which are established by each Service
to reflect important phases in the military career lifecycle.
For example, a soldier coming to the end of his or her first
enlistment after serving for four years in the Army would
be in the Army’s Initial Term retention zone; a similarly
situated sailor would fall into the Navy’s Zone A retention
zone.
The Service retention zones listed in Table 1 are defined as
follows:
Army Retention Zones
Initial Term: serving in first enlistment, regardless of
length
Mid-career: second or subsequent enlistment with less
than 10 years of service
Career: second or subsequent enlistment with 10 or
more years of service
Navy Retention Zones
Zone A: up to six years of service
Zone B: six6 years of service to under 10 years of service
Congress influences retention rates in a variety of ways,
including authorizing and funding:
Zone C: 10 years of service to under 14 years of service
Overalloverall compensation levels, particularly in light of their
Marine Corps Retention Zones
their competitiveness with private-sector compensation;
Qualityquality-of-life initiatives that enhance servicemember
and family member satisfaction with a military career;
Retentionretention programs that provide for dedicated career
counselors; and
Retentionretention incentives, such as re-enlistmentreenlistment bonuses.
More broadly, congressionally established personnel endstrength levels can influence each Service’s retention goals.
For example, if Congress were to substantially increase the
end-strength for a Service, that Service will generally
require a greater number of new recruits, higher rates of
retention among current servicemembers, or some
combination of the two. Congress also establishes criteria
that affect eligibility for continued service, such as
First term: serving in first enlistment
Subsequent: second or subsequent enlistment, with less
than 18 years of service
Air Force Retention Zones
Zone A: 17 months to under six6 years of service
Zone B: Six6 years of service to under 10 years of service
Zone C: 10 years of service to under 14 years of service
Congressional interest in retention typically increases when
a Service fails to meet its goal for one or more retention
zones by about 10% or more, and particularly if the
shortfall continues over several years. Additionally, even if
a Service is meeting its goals by retention zones, Congress
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Defense Primer: Active Duty Enlisted Retention
may nonetheless focus on retention shortfalls within
specific occupational specialties (for example, health care
professions or special operations).
The perceived cause of any such shortfalls is often of
interest to Congress as well. For example, was the shortfall
related to congressionally directed end-strength increases,
which necessitated higher retention goals? Was it due to
more attractive compensation packages in the privatesector? Was it due to decreased job satisfaction? The
perceived cause can affect interpretations of the shortfalls’
significance and the options for remedying them.
Table 1. Retention Goals and Results
Active Component Enlisted Personnel, FY2016-FY2018
FY2016FY2017-FY2019
FY2017
Service/
Retention
Category
Goal
Achieved
FY2017FY2018
Percent
of Goal
Goal
Achieved
FY2018FY2019
Percent
of Goal
Goal
Achieved
Percent
of Goal
Army
Initial
19,317
21,275
110%
22,881
22,035
96%
20,318
21,295
105%
Mid-Career
18,667
21,300
114%20,253
20,525
101%
Mid-Career
23,440
23,149
99%
21,412
22,389
105%
Career
11,617
12,594
108%19,430
19,702
101%
Career
13,879
12,983
94%
11,220
12,197
109%
Zone A
14,007
15,382
110%10,833
11,105
103%
Zone A
14,367
14,417
100%
14.360
16,998
118%
Zone B
6,950
7,744
111%18,798
20,978
112%
Zone B
7,155
8,297
116%
7,708
9,732
126%
Zone C
3,872
4,521
117%8,065
9,121
113%
Zone C
3,989
5,696
143%
6,905
6,908
100%
First
4,957
5,244
106%4,888
5,834
119%
First
6,378
6,131
96%
5,087
5,064
99%
Subsequent
6,715
6,458
96%5,584
5,498
98%
Subsequent
7,090
6,785
96%
5,513
6,121
111%
Zone A
14,935
15,874
106%6,209
6,124
99%
Zone A
13,775
17,261
125%
16,330
18,693
115%
Zone B
10,012
11,167
112%16,330
21,233
130%
Zone B
10,683
9,983
93%
8,823
10,437
118%
Zone C
6,524
9,133
140%8,823
11,820
134%
Zone C
7,818
8,317
106%
6,997
8,160
117%
6,997
9,008
129%
Navy*
Marine Corps
Air Force*
Source: Department of Defense.
Note: *The Navy and Air Force also have a Zone D and Zone E, which are not displayed above. Navy Zone D is 14 to 20 years of service, and
Zone E is more than 20 years of service. Air Force Zone D is 14 years to under 18 year of service and Zone E is 18 years to under 20 years of
service.
Relevant Statutes
DOD Instruction 1304.29, Administration of Enlistment
Bonuses, Accession Bonuses for New Officers in Critical
Skills, Selective Reenlistment Bonuses, and Critical Skills
Retention Bonuses for Active Members
Title 10 U.S. Code, Chapter 31
Title 10 U.S. Code, Section 115
Other Resources
DOD Instruction 1332.45, Retention Determinations for
Non-Deployable Service Members
DOD Instruction 1308.3, DOD Physical Fitness and Body Fat
Programs Procedures
Lawrence Kapp, Specialist in Military Manpower Policy
IF11274
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Defense Primer: Active Duty Enlisted Retention
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