Troop Morale Survey

Blackfive has the results of a December 2003 survey of troop morale done for the Army. From the Summary:

Subject: Follow-Up Report on Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)

This is a follow-up to the preliminary report on OIF dated 14 Dec 2003. Attached the tables of the OIF survey we conducted in December when in theater. The responses of our soldiers are much more positive than those usually reported in the media. Some highlights are given below.

1. The morale of the soldiers was higher than anticipated. In fact, junior enlisted and NCOs report almost identical morale as their WWII counterparts. ! Not the officers though.

2. The survey data reinforce the interview data given in the preliminary report. Namely, reserve components had markedly lower morale than the active duty, BUT, the survey data show that RC lower morale is mainly due to the perception they are treated as second-class members of the Army, NOT with the mission itself. This, in a sense, is good news because the problem is fixable. A listing of RC perceptions were covered in the preliminary report.

3. Compared to surveys conducted in earlier deployments in Haiti, Bosnia and Kosovo, the OIF soldiers are more optimistic about what their mission will accomplish.

4. A significant percentage report that OIF had made them more religious and regularly attended religious services. The role of the chaplaincy is central to troop morale and one that ought be supported further

You may want to head on over there and check out the full report. It's unlikely that you'll see any of it on the evening news. Interesting reading - not sure what explains the gap in officer morale.

The reenlistment figures were interesting. Right now none of the services are having any trouble making their new enlistment goals, but if I'm not mistaken, no one can get out because of stop-loss. It will be interesting to see if these figures for the Army reflect lasting dissatisfaction or just temporary frustration.

The Army and National Guard in particular have ridden their people hard - the Marines brought everyone home as quickly as they could. Even if they had to send many of them back for a second deployment, they got to come home and spend some time with friends and family and get some R&R. The Army, on the other hand, extended many of their units - some were told they were going over for relatively short periods and have now been over there well over a year. While they are dedicated and selfless professionals, they are also human - they get tired and frustrated.

- Cassandra