Sociologists Brief Senate Audience on Social-Cultural Factors Affecting Military Recruitment and Retention

Military sociologists presented research and data on family and culture as well as the historical context of the Pentagon’s DADT policy

WASHINGTON, DC, MAY 18, 2007—The American Sociological Association held a congressional briefing, hosted by the Senate Judiciary Committee, to present practical social science data and research findings of relevance to U.S. military recruitment and retention today. The purpose of the briefing was to provide timely information pertinent to the news of the day, the reportedly overstretched U.S. military in Iraq. Troops serving unprecedented third and fourth tours has provoked debate about military preparedness among national policymakers in need of useful information to inform federal actions.

At the same time, public controversy over the 14-year-old “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy is re-emerging as increasing numbers of service members disclose sexual orientations in conflict with DADT. According the Department of Defense, 11,000 troops were honorably discharged because of the military’s ban on openly gay service members. As the demand for troop surge heightens, as more and more soldiers are “coming out,” and as families deal with the pressures of longer tours, the military finds itself approaching critical social-cultural crossroads.

ASA’s briefing attracted a packed audience of nearly 40 senate and congressional staff, social science leaders, science policymakers, and federal agency representatives. The briefing, titled “Military Recruitment & Retention: The Impact of Social and Cultural Factors,” featured military sociologist Morten Ender, Associate Professor of Sociology, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership, United States Military Academy at West Point; former Marine Sergeant Brian Fricke, who elected not to re-enlist because of the military’s DADT ban on openly gay personnel; and military sociologist David R. Segal, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Research on Military Organization, University of Maryland.

“This session showcased practical social science findings that provided the audience with useful information applicable to their everyday policy work on Capitol Hill regarding military manpower,” said ASA’s Director of Public Affairs, Lee Herring, who moderated the briefing. Herring indicated that ASA tries to conduct at least one congressional briefing each year either in collaboration with other social science organizations or on its own, depending on the nature of the topic.

The briefing’s sociologist speakers presented social science data and Fricke recounted his personal experience in the military in terms of real-world, day-to-day interactions, personnel attitudes, and unit operations. Segal explained the current state of research affecting homosexuals in the military. He stated that there is “no negative relationship between military unit cohesion and performance. There has not been a single empirical test of the hypothesis that when sexual orientation integration occurs in the military, cohesion is undermined and performance suffers.”

During the briefing, Ender described the effects of the army’s policies and practices on the soldiers and their families. Ender stated, “Soldiers and families in 2004 and 2005 conveyed that the demands of frequent and extended deployments and strain of extra workloads on the non-deployed, will negatively influence retention.” In addition, he said that “families … are increasingly dissatisfied with the length, frequency, and unpredictability of deployments.”