Encouraging Recruiter Achievement: A Recent History of Military Recruiter Incentive Programs

Planners and policymakers concerned with recruiting have seen indications of increased difficulty in meeting recruiting goals. To examine this potential problem, the report reviews, in considerable detail, service by service, the evolution of recruiter incentive plans over the last 15 to 20 years, describing how these plans have changed over time. There is a great deal of variation in incentive plans across services, possibly due to such causes as service culture or changes associated with the drawdown. This variety suggests that the services have been struggling over time to find the best incentive plans to fit their needs.