The Dissertation Story: What is the relationship between the Officer Candidate School attrition rate and Officer Training Command, Naval Service Training Command and Navy Recruiting Command leadership intervention

The intervention and mitigation executed by Officer Candidate School (OCS) leadership was assessed to determine if the actions made a difference in 2011 and 2012 attrition rates. The research approach employed a quantitative descriptive analysis of Officer Candidate School attrition employing a case study methodology. The research design involved the collection and analysis of archival data that are routinely collected by Navy Recruiting Command and Officer Training Command production.;The study validated the initial assumption that military accession training attrition is not simply a function of applying a predictive model to recruit and screen individuals. Leadership of training organizations has an inherent responsibility to implement policy and practices designed to reduce attrition of volunteers for military service. Leadership of training organizations cannot abdicate responsibility for students not completing training by simply attributing the losses to inadequate predictive modeling, poor screening and bad selections by recruiting organizations.;The OCS attrition rate was reduced when leadership intervention in the form of realistic job previews, socialization and leadership policy and practices that are informed by mindful understanding of intelligence and capacity of staff and students were combined with predictive modeling techniques designed to screen and select the best applicants.