Institutional Motives for Serving in the U.S. Army National Guard: Implications for Recruitment, Retention, and Readiness

The present study extended recent investigations of the motivations of American youth and active-duty soldiers to serve in the military. Unlike previous studies, this study employed a sample of reservists and examined their reasons for joining. Consistent with recent studies, institutionally-motivated soldiers were more likely to plan to remain in military service, would report for duty so they did not let their buddies and family down, and believed in the mission and service to the country. In contrast, materially-motivated soldiers were less likely to remain in reserve military service if deployed overseas, more likely to report for duty to meet contractual obligations and to avoid disciplinary actions, but less likely to report to serve the country. These factors have implications for the level of commitment and combat readiness of soldiers, in particular Army reservists, who are increasingly relied on for national defense strategy.