This report presents in briefing form a summary of the research conducted by the U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI) on Army recruiting and selected recruiting research from other Service laboratories. The briefing is organized around a model of Army recruitment that shows the important factors contributing to successful recruiting. The first section of the briefing outlines and explains the model and the subsequent sections review the research pertinent to each section of the model. The briefing concludes with summaries of the research findings in each area and directions for future research.

"This is an annotated bibliography of research conducted on military recruiting by the U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI), the other U.S. military services, and foreign military organizations. To provide a framework for the research summaries, they are organized around a model of military recruitment showing the important factors contributing to successful recruiting. The model contains the following factors: (1) personnel selection and assessment; (2) training and development; (3) recruiting management and organization; (4) recruiter performance; (3) marketing; (6) youth supply, characteristics, and influencers; (7) propensity; (8) enlistment decisions; and (9) delayed entry programs. One hundred fifty-one reports are summarized, describing recruiting research most relevant to the current U.S. military recruiting environment. It is hoped that the review provides a comprehensive yet concise picture of the research results generated by the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and foreign service recruiting research communities."--DTIC.

Most ARI research on military delinquency has focused on predicting, at the point of entry, those personnel most likely to commit delinquent acts within a fixed time period (e.g., by the end of Basic Combat Training). Across the variety of investigations which focused on various types of delinquency some consistent findings emerge. Component of service (i.e., volunteers vs. draftees) and several closely associated variables--age at entry, level of education, and mental ability--are associated with delinquent acts; such background data and peer ratings provide the best predictors. Attempts to develop a more precise profile of the military delinquent have not been very successful, and programs aimed at rehabilitation of potential delinquents have actually proved counterproductive. All of these outcomes suggest that future research should concentrate more on the context in which delinquency occurs and less on the characteristics of those who commit delinquent acts.

The major Army Research Institute research efforts in the area of drug and alcohol abuse in the Army during the period 1971-January 1975 are summarized: A comprehensive assessment of the Army's drug prevention programs and extensive research on the Social Organizational (S/O) factors that influence drug abuse, including the relationship between drug abuse and company-level leadership. Conceptural models based upon the cumulative data have been developed as part of the continuing research effort.

Recruiting an all-volunteer military is a formidable task. To successfully enlist one eligible recruit, the Army must contact approximately 120 young people. The National Research Council explores the various factors that will determine whether the military can realistically expect to recruit an adequate fighting force-one that will meet its upcoming needs. It also assesses the military's expected manpower needs and projects the numbers of youth who are likely to be available over the next 20 years to meet these needs. With clearly written text and useful graphics, Attitudes, Aptitudes, and Aspirations of American Youth offers an overview of important issues for military recruiters, touching on a number of important topics including: sex and race, education and aptitude, physical and moral attributes, and military life and working conditions. In addition, the book looks at how a potential recruit would approach the decision to enlist, considering personal, family, and social values, and the options for other employment or college. Building on the need to increase young Americans' "propensity to enlist," this book offers useful recommendations for increasing educational opportunities while in the service and for developing advertising strategies that include concepts of patriotism and duty to country. Of primary value to military policymakers, recruitment officers, and analysts, Attitudes, Aptitudes, and Aspirations of American Youth will also interest social scientists and policy makers interested in youth trends.