I__. - International Military Testing Association

1990 ARMY CAREER SATISFACTION SURVEY
Timothy W. Elig’
U.S. Army Research Institute
To help personnel officials prepare for the eventual downsizing of the Army, the Chief of Staff,
Army (CSA) directed that a survey of soldiers be conducted rapidly. “The downsizing of the U.S. Army is
inevitable,” BG Stroup wrote in a memorandum requesting the Army Research Institute (ARI) to conduct a
survey “. . . to determine the attitudes and concerns of our soldiers about the changes that will take place.”
Even as events in Southwest Asia and Operation Desert Shield have dominated the news headlines,
other important events have continued. Discussions about federal budget deficits, the end of the Cold War
era, increased cooperation between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R, and German reunification are also front page
news that lead to speculation about a reduction in the size of U.S. military forces.
Soldiers may feel that their careers are being victimized by their contributions to the successful
conclusion of the Cold War even as they are asked to risk their lives for their country: Many of the soldiers’
concerns about their career and prospects for downsizing may in fact be made worse by recent events that
have fostered even more uncertainty and curtailed the flow of information on the future make-up of the
Army. Thus it is important to understand the morale of the force as it was just prior to Operation Desert
Shield, in order to understand how soldiers are likely to.respond to continuing career uncertainties.
About this Survey
The 1990 Army Career Satisfaction Survey (ACSS) was designed by AR1 to answer several questions
raised by the CSA and by DA personnel policy makers and analysts. Administration costs were paid by
HQDA though the Army Research Office’s Scientific Services Program.
This survey was designed to provide an overview of soldiers’ attitudes, perceptions, and intentions
concerning Army downsizing. While not all of these topics are discussed here, the survey included items on:
career plans and intentions; advice to others on joining the Army; the Army experience as preparation for
civilian jobs; organizational commitment and trust; reactions to European thaw in cold war and to
downsizing; expectations about what a smaller Army would mean and what the Army would be like over the
next live years; soldiers’ sources of information on downsizing and their trust in the sources; specific personal
and family concerns about involuntary separation and resources needed to cope with unexpected separation;
financial and emotional resources for separation; reactions to specific personnel management policies that
could be implemented for downsizing; and propensity to accept “early-outs.”
Thirty thousand soldiers (15,000 in enlisted, 10,000 in commissioned, and 5,000 in warrant ranks)
were surveyed in June and July 1990. The main sample of 28,071 represents soldiers at all ranks countable
toward the active strength of the Army on 31 March 1990, with the following exclusions: a) general officers,
b) soldiers with less than 12 months of service, and c) soldiers in the process of separation or retirement.
Another 1,929 soldiers who had been surveyed in previous efforts were also sent this survey in order to
measure attitude changes over the last four years.
Preliminary results from partial returns were provided to HQ, Department of the Army, in late July
and early August. The final results presented here are based on 17,326 returned surveys from 6,997
‘The findings in this report are not to be construed as an official Department of the Army position, unless SO designated
by other authorized documents.
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