U.S. Department of Defense Experiences with Substituting Government Employees for Military Personnel: Challenges and Opportunities

The Director, Total Force Planning and Requirements, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Personnel and Readiness (OUSD[P and R]), asked the RAND Corporation to undertake a study titled Facilitating Military-to-Civilian Conversions. The objective of this research project was to identify the primary impediments to converting military positions to government civilian positions and to recommend changes to statutes, policies, and/or business practices that would facilitate these conversions. The project also examined past experiences with converting military positions and the research literature to identify lessons that could be used to inform future efforts. The RAND team identified a number of opportunities for improving both policies and business practices in order to facilitate military-to-civilian conversions and motivate greater use of this force management tool, should that be the departments goal. This research should be of interest to Department of Defense personnel involved with manpower planning, civilianization, and managing the trade-offs between military and civilian personnel. It should also be of interest to the makers of laws and policies that govern performance of work by military service members, civilian personnel, and contractors. The research was sponsored by OUSD(P and R) and conducted within the Forces and Resources Policy Center of the RAND National Defense Research Institute,a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the United Combatant Commands, the Navy, the Marine Corps, the defense agencies, and the defense Intelligence Community.