Essential Guide to Military Desertion and AWOL: Overview, Review of Professional Literature for Commanders, DoD Instruction on Unauthorized Absence, Army Regulation, Navy Rules

Multiple official reports and documents are reproduced in this unique ebook guide to the issue of military desertion, AWOL, and unauthorized absence (UA). One is the report of an Army study of Absence Without Leave (AWOL) and prolonged absence (which the Army defines as desertion) as a way of developing more focused efforts to lessen the impact of these chronic problems for the Army. Specifically, the Army wanted to learn what is known about prevention, apprehension, and rehabilitation of deserters. This is the first report to provide policy makers and field commanders with the findings from that study: a quick summary of what is known about the topics of Absence Without Leave (AWOL) and desertion, based on research during the last 30 years. Although the problem of AWOL/desertion is fairly constant, it tends to increase in magnitude during wartime - when the Army tends to increase its demands for troops and to lower its enlistment standards to meet that need. It can also increase during times, such as now, when the Army is attempting to restrict the ways that soldiers can exit service through administrative channels.

What We Know About AWOL and Desertion: A Review of the Professional Literature for Policy Makers and Commanders * Department of Defense Instruction Number 1325.02 - SUBJECT: Desertion and Unauthorized Absence (UA) * Navy Absentee Collection and Information Center * Army Regulation 630-10

Prior to entry, deserters are somewhat different from other soldiers (i.e., they tend to be less educated, lower aptitude, to be from broken homes, and to have engaged in delinquent behavior). In the Army, they are more likely to be younger, lower in rank, and in combat-related military occupational specialties. Their reasons for leaving tend to center around family, personal or financial problems and/or an inability to adjust to Army life. The desertion is more likely to occur when there is an opportunity to leave (i.e., when the soldier is in transit, on leave, or convalescing). Attempts to prevent Absence Without Leave (AWOL) (and possibly desertion) led to increases in AWOL rates through some sort of scapegoating or self fulfilling prophecy mechanism that was associated with the "treatment" (i.e., leaders were attempting to reduce AWOL behavior via efforts to counsel soldiers who were identified as being high risk trainees). Initial interviews with unit leaders suggest that among "Dropped from Rolls" soldiers, the best candidates for reintegration into the unit are those who left for a "good" reason (e.g., an unresolved family problem), returned voluntarily, were gone less than a year and wanted to "soldier" even in the face of stiff punishment for their past mistakes. Unfortunately, this type of deserter is in short supply. Furthermore, too little time has passed to tell whether these characteristics are indeed predictive of success.

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