Attracting the Best : How the Military Competes for Information Technology Personnel

During the 1990s, the private-sector demand for information technology (IT) workers, escalating private-sector pay in IT, growing military dependence on IT, and faltering military recruiting led to a concern that the military capability was vulnerable to a large shortfall in IT personnel. This report addresses that concern by use of a literature review, field interviews, data analysis, and a dynamic model that, taken together, offer some policy implications for military planners in terms of how to recruit and retain qualified IT personnel.