Selection and Classification in the U.S. Military

Military recruiting, assignment, and training of young, unskilled people is an investment; the underlying purpose of the personnel selection and job classification process is to reduce the risk that an investment will be made in persons who are unable to perform their duties. Officer selection research repeatedly supports the importance of stress tolerance and physical fitness for effective officer performance, and US Military Academy research has demonstrated that grit and hardiness are important predictors of performance of West Point graduates. Distinct from the civilian sector, the military has a completely closed personnel system; this means that the services fill personnel vacancies with members who are already employed within their ranks. Selection as a warrant officer is highly competitive and only available to those who meet rank and length-of-service requirements in the enlisted force. However, standards should be guided by empirical evidence of the relationship between recruit quality and the required level of performance.