Reserve/Guard Retention: Moonlighting or Patriotism?

Abstract

Large-scale deployment of U.S. Army Reserve/National Guard (referred to hereafter as the Reserves) units in Operation Desert Storm highlighted the importance of this component in the total military force. In this study, we addressed the problem of turnover intentions of the Reserves, comparing the predictions of moonlighting and patriotism theories. Data from a 1987 U.S. Department of Defense survey were used to estimate retention intention regression equations for officers (n = 7,525) and enlisted personnel (n = 29,783) as a function of economic and attitudinal variables. Results revealed that retention of both groups can be improved by increasing the reservist's secondary wages (i.e., military pay) or by encouraging the spouse to have a more positive attitude toward the Reserves. We found only weak support for the moonlighting theory but significant support for the patriotism theory.