The Impact of Soldier Quality On Army Performance

The Army has been very successful in improving its manpower quality over the last several years. Recruits are more likely to have high school diplomas than in any year since the inception of the all-volunteer force; they are also scoring higher on the Armed Forces Qualification Test. Recruiting such personnel is expensive, however; the Army faces increased competition from the civilian labor market, educational institutions, and the other services for a shrinking youth population. In order to justify its manpower requirements, the Army must be able to demonstrate an empirical link between AFQT scores and soldier performance, This study presents evidence on that relationship using data from several sources. The first data set contains written and hands-on tests on several weapons systems from Army training schools. The second data set utilizes the Skill Qualification Tests administered by the Army. The results demonstrate that a statistically significant and positive relationship exists between AFQT scores and performance measures. These findings are consistent across a wide range of military occupational specialties. The results may also be useful in allocating manpower quality to capitalize upon the differential AFQT effects across MOS's.