A Historical Review of the Navy’s Enlisted Personnel Distribution Process Leading to MyNavy HR

Abstract

This research is a historical account of the Navy’s enlisted personnel distribution and career management system. Its origins are principally based on conscription policies in preparation for a major theatre war. This has resulted in a labor-intensive system that has been modified only in the margins by numerous information technology add-ons and manual policy injections since the disbandment of the Cold War draft and inception of the volunteer force. Although it has been over 40 years since the volunteer force was implemented, the policies and processes have not changed at the same rate when compared to the advancements in lethality and capability of executing assigned missions in support of the National Defense Strategy. The Navy is operating under a significantly different personnel demographic than the conscription force. The conscription manning and assignment process and how it supports a workforce of volunteers with a significantly larger married workforce, stronger economy, effectively full employment, and other factors must be evaluated. Specifically, there have been only marginal attempts at best to wipe the slate clean. Never has a zero-base volunteer force distribution process been designed and implemented. The notion of a “marketplace” process of assigning Sailors may address a clean slate process. The new process should address the Navy’s evolving occupational jobs and career needs, while also meeting the desires, preferences, and aspirations of individual Sailors. This research identifies the allocation, placement, and distribution process prior to MyNavy HR.