Aft and Fore: A Retrospective and Prospective Analysis of Navy Officer Management

Focusing on its ability to meet current and future demands, the Navy recently examined its officer structure and asked RAND to analyze changes in authorizations and inventory, to compare authorizations and inventory and potential gaps in costs related to them, and to estimate personnel requirements for the years 2010 and 2017. Based on their research, the authors determine trends and cycles in officer requirements and inventory as well as the evolution of policy and the management of the officer corps.

Harry Thie (Ph.D., Business Administration, George Washington University, 1977) is a senior operations research analyst at RAND.

Margaret C. Harrell (Ph.D., Cultural Anthropology, University of Virginia) is a social scientist at RAND. Her research at RAND focuses upon military manpower issues and social issues in the military.

Jefferson P. Marquis (Ph.D., June 1997, The Ohio State University, US Military and Diplomatic History) is a research assistant, consultant, and social scientist at RAND.

Jerry Sollinger (PhD., English, University of Pittsburgh) is a communications analyst at RAND.