Measuring the Impact of Military Personnel Investment on Training Readiness

Full-time support (FTS) refers to Title 32 Active Guard Reserve and Active Duty Operational Support personnel responsible for day-to-day operations that ensure Army National Guard individual and unit readiness. We analyzed the effect of additional FTS on collective training and found that additional FTS accelerates the planning process and, on a lag, boosts assessed readiness on mission essential tasks. In addition, we found that higher level units reallocate FTS from more ready companies to less ready companies. We estimated a structural model that supports counterfactual predictions, which can be leveraged to more efficiently allocate personnel resources, and, ultimately, determine a viable and cost-effect component mix.