Soldier Selection: Past, Present, and Future.

Abstract : This Special Report is intended for readers who have an interest in military personnel selection and assignment. It describes a long-term research program--Project A and Building the Career Force--to evaluate and enhance the Army's process of selecting qualified applicants for enlistment and assigning them to the most appropriate jobs. A model of the elements of enlisted job performance is presented. Then findings on the powers and limits of selection and assignment tests, both operational and experimental, are reported. This research shows that it is hard to improve on the power of the operational test battery (the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)) to predict individuals' overall skilled technical performance in the Army, but that experimental tests of temperament add greatly to predicting motivational outcomes such as effort, discipline, and completion of enlistment. Applicants' scores on ASVAB also relate strongly to their performance in combat and in the second tour. An extensive reference list and glossary of terms in selection and assignment are provided. Appendices depict the enlisted career life cycle and give short history of military selection.