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Survey targets reservists at end of contracts

For the past two years, the Selected Marine Corps Reserve has fallen short of its end-strength goal.

To find out why, the Corps has posted an online survey asking members of the SMCR and Individual Mobilization Augmentees what they like and dislike about being in the Reserve.

“We want to see what’s going on,” said Lt. Col. Margery Westerbeck, officer in charge of plans with Reserve Affairs personnel plans and policy at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.

The Corps is authorized to maintain the SMCR at 39,600 Marines, and as much as 3 percent above or below that number is acceptable.

Since fiscal 2007, the numbers have dipped beneath that 3 percent range. In fiscal 2008, for instance, the number dropped to 37,523 and is currently at 37,617, more than 5 percent below the authorization.

Members of the SMCR sign eight-year contracts requiring the Marine to participate in a unit for six years. The Marine has the option at any time during the last two years of that contract to transfer to the Individual Ready Reserve.

Westerbeck said Reserve Affairs is studying how many reservists are opting to transfer to the IRR during the final two years of their contract.

“We have a very fluid manpower population that counts against the reserve end-strength,” Westerbeck said.

The survey, which may be accessed through the Marine Corps Forces Reserve Web site, is designed to gather a variety of information, including deployment history, distance a reservist travels each month to drill, and satisfaction with predeployment training. Participants are also asked rate life in the Reserve — how they feel about their leaders, compensation, deployments, and whether their spouses support them remaining in the Reserve.

The 68-question, confidential survey takes about 20 minutes to complete, Westerbeck said. Reserve Affairs is specifically targeting enlisted Marines who are eligible to re-enlist before Sept. 30, 2010, Westerbeck said, but “we do encourage any drilling reserve Marine to complete the survey.”

To access the survey, a Marine must punch in his unit identification code and reporting unit code. Responses will be taken until July 1, after which time they’ll be processed and analyzed at Marine Corps headquarters. So far, nearly 100 Marines have completed the survey.