Army, RAND partner to conduct Today’s Soldier Survey online

Courtesy Photo | Children decorate pumpkins during the 2013 Oktoberfest at Fort Rucker, Ala., funded in part by dividends from the Exchange. The Today’s Soldier Survey seeks to find which benefits are valued the most by Soldiers and family members. (Photo by Fort Rucker Public Affairs)  

FORT HOOD, TX, UNITED STATES

11.14.2014

Courtesy Story

Fort Cavazos Public Affairs Office

By Joseph Trebling, Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management Installation Services

FORT HOOD, Texas - The Army and the RAND Corporation are working together to conduct a Soldier-needs assessment survey from September to December at 45 Army installations.

Today’s Soldier Survey is available online to randomly selected active-duty Soldiers who will be notified by email that they have been selected to participate.

Soldiers will be able to respond to questions on problems they and their families have experienced over the past year. The results of this survey will help senior leaders identify the needs of Soldiers and their families, how Soldiers prioritize those needs and how the Army can best address the most pressing unmet needs – whether through Army provided services or community and non-Federal entity partnerships. The survey will end in December 2014.

“The challenges that face Soldiers and families are complex and diverse,” said Gen. Ray Odierno, Army chief of staff. “As Army leaders, we’re asking for input from our Soldiers to help us prioritize resources and services most important to them and to their families. We must ensure that support services are both needed and effective.”

“This survey is a path for Soldiers to help senior Army leaders understand the Soldier’s point of view,” said Dr. Cara Sims, RAND project manager. “We need to understand how Soldiers prioritize problems and how they address those problems.

“Especially in a time of declining resources, the Army wants to be sure it is prioritizing services that are important to Soldiers,” Sims added. “We want to be sure that services are effective in helping Soldiers manage their needs and the needs of their families.”

Traditional Department of Defense and Department of the Army evaluations ask Soldiers and family members about their use of existing on-post programs. This unique survey, however, places the experiences of today’s Soldiers first, asking what types of problems they recently experienced, how they prioritized problems, if they sought help from Army or non-Army resources, and if they ultimately received the support they needed.

“Unchecked problems among Soldiers and their families can grow into time-consuming distractions for them, for units and for commanders,” Sims said. “Unmet needs can negatively affect Soldier and family well-being, as well as unit morale, retention and readiness.”

For more information, visit www.rand.org/surveys/todays-soldier.html.

• Date Taken: 11.14.2014
• Date Posted: 11.14.2014 14:34
• Story ID: 147917
• Location: FORT HOOD, TX, US