A structural equation modeling analysis of naval readiness

The past downsizing of the Department of Defense, the expansion into new operational settings (e.g., peace keeping, drug interdiction), and the terrorist attacks on 9/11/01 have caused some officials to wonder whether the military is adequately prepared for today's threats. Several reports by the Congressional Budget Office and the Defense Science Board have concluded that the readiness of the Armed Forces is still adequate relative to historical levels. This conclusion, however, may be based on a seriously flawed set of measures. This study investigates the feasibility of modeling the readiness process using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results indicate that SEM can reasonably represent the human components of the readiness process, and that future studies on military readiness should adopt this statistical technique. The paper was named the best presentation in Working Group 21 of the Military Operations Research Society Symposium, June 1999.