Week 1 Assignment

The California Army National Guard continues to struggle with low retention rates.  Taxpayers cannot continue to foot the bill for this massive turnover.  From a strategic standpoint the contribution of the California Army National Guard to state and federal missions is directly impacted by retention of experienced personnel.

Based on my cursory research soldiers leave the California Army National Guard for reasons that fall into two categories: external stressors and poor communication.  The stressors include impacts on families and employers due to the unpredictable nature of deployment activations.  Poor communication can best be described as inconsistent leadership engagement between the first-line leader and the soldier to talk about reenlistment well ahead of their expiration of term of service (ETS). 

Research into this problem could reveal strategies to mitigate the loss of experienced personnel within the ranks of the California Army National Guard thereby improving readiness while saving money.