Eunice C. Wong

This study compares the behavioral health of racial/ethnic minority, women, and sexual minority service members to their majority group peers and examines minority-majority group differences in the military versus civilian population. Understanding whether minority group service members experience differences in behavioral health can assist the Department of Defense in targeting its efforts to improve force readiness.

A RAND study examined programs to address sexual harassment, sexual assault, unlawful discrimination, substance abuse, suicide, and hazing. This report discusses findings, then makes recommendations for the Office of the Secretary of Defense to better understand the relationships among these problematic behaviors and its oversight and coordination of programs to address those behaviors.

This report presents an independent implementation evaluation of the Re-Engineering Systems of Primary Care Treatment in the Military (RESPECT-Mil) Program, a system of care designed to screen, assess, and treat PTSD and depression among active duty service members in Army primary care settings. Analyses were based on existing program data used to monitor fidelity across clinics, as well as discussions with key stakeholders.

Since 1987, the Air Force has used the Strength Aptitude Test (SAT), a test of physical strength, to screen and classify enlisted personnel into career specialties. In this study, RAND evaluated the usefulness, validity, and fairness of the SAT, focusing on implementation of the SAT at military entrance processing stations and the process for setting strength requirements for career fields.

The Air Force relies on the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) as part of its officer selection process. Despite concerns about the test, the authors conclude that it is a good selection test that predicts important Air Force outcomes and is not biased against minorities or women. The Air Force would not benefit by replacing the AFOQT with the SAT, although other valid selection tools could be used to complement the AFOQT.