0704-xxxx_rbmp_ssb_12.15.2021

SUPPORTING STATEMENT – PART B

B.  COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

1.  Description of the Activity

Section 557 of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) requires DoD to sponsor research to assess existing barriers to ethnic/racial minority and female participation in Special Operations Forces (SOF), pilot/navigator specialties, Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance units, and Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Teams. OSD’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) asked the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) to conduct this research. The Office of ASD Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict (ASD SO/LIC) co-sponsored this study. As part of this research, IDA seeks to conduct focus groups followed by short surveys with operators currently serving in the aforementioned specialties.

This project will use a convenience sample design; the study’s results will thus not be generalizable. Project officers, acting as coordinators in each of the Services, will recruit participants on a voluntary basis to a study that involves responding to open-ended questions discussed in a group format and survey questions completed individually. Topics covered include: recruitment, accession/selection and training, culture and climate, and career progression. Focus groups will be organized by paygrade and by race/ethnicity (White/Caucasian and minority). Focus groups will also be divided by sex (male/female), to the extent possible.

The proposed sample size is 500 Service members. As statistics employed for the survey questions will be limited to certain descriptives (i.e., measures of central tendencies, variabilities, and distributions), no power calculation is applicable.

2.  Procedures for the Collection of Information

1. Statistical methodologies for stratification and sample selection;

A convenience sample will be utilized; project officers from each of the military services will recruit participants on a voluntary basis. Focus groups will be organized by paygrade and by race/ethnicity to ensure that members are among peers, rather than superiors, and at similar career stages, and feel comfortable speaking openly about issues related to race/ethnicity, gender, and their careers.

2. Estimation procedures;

Descriptive statistics: Measures of central tendencies, variabilities, and distributions

3. Degree of accuracy needed for the Purpose discussed in the justification;

N.A.

d.  Unusual problems requiring specialized sampling procedures;

Female Service members are not included or greatly underrepresented in certain studied units.

4. Use of periodic or cyclical data collections to reduce respondent burden.

N.A.

3.  Maximization of Response Rates, Non-response, and Reliability

Discuss methods used to maximize response rates and to deal with instances of non-response.  Describe any techniques used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of responses is adequate for intended purposes.  Additionally, if the collection is based on sampling, ensure that the data can be generalized to the universe under study.  If not, provide special justification.

N.A.

4.  Tests of Procedures

Describe any tests of procedures or methods to be undertaken.  Testing of potential respondents (9 or fewer) is encouraged as a means of refining proposed collections to reduce respondent burden, as well as to improve the collection instrument utility.  These tests check for internal consistency and the effectiveness of previous similar collection activities.

Practice sessions/testing questions will be conducted with Veterans employed by IDA and/or current service members, with 9 or fewer respondents.

5.  Statistical Consultation and Information Analysis

a. Provide names and telephone number of individual(s) consulted on statistical aspects of the design.

N.A.

b. Provide name and organization of person(s) who will actually collect and analyze the collected information.

IDA research team: Dr. Dina Eliezer, COL(R) Joseph Adams, Dr. Amy Alrich, Rachel Augustine, Dr. Dave Cotting, Caroline Earle, Akshay Jain, Anthony Johnson, Dr. Jordan Marcusse, Nigel Mease, Neil Mithal, Heidi Reutter, and Ashlie Williams.

2