Yes! While perspectives of members who have left the Coast Guard in the past 10 years, within the first 20 years of service are a focus, responses from individuals who served at any time, for any length of time, will facilitate essential comparisons with and provide valuable context for those findings.

Yes! While the RAND 2018 focus groups and surveys distributed to USCGA staff and reservists by previous USCGA capstone teams have contributed to this study, you need to complete this survey for your experience to be reflected in the findings.

The 2019 USCG RAND study investigated issues that impact retention in the Coast Guard via focus groups with active-duty women and women in extended active duty (EAD) and Active Duty Operational Support (ADOS) positions. This work identified many factors that influence women’s tenure in the Coast Guard, many of which apply to all members. The current project extends the RAND study by soliciting experiences with the retention factors identified in the RAND focus groups from all Coast Guard members – those of all genders, members who have left the Coast Guard as well as those currently serving, reservists as well as active-duty members. Taking a survey approach enables comparisons among retention factors and between members of different groups (by gender, between enlisted members and officers, across rates/specialties, by tenure) that can help leaders prioritize various retention efforts.

The items in this survey are based on the findings of the 2019 RAND women’s retention study. While some questions, such as those related to breastfeeding or berthing, apply only to women, the vast majority of findings from the RAND study are not gender specific. Basing the current study on the findings of the RAND study informs policy recommendations that make the Coast Guard more inclusive for all members, while ensuring attention to those that impact women, who leave the Coast Guard at higher rates than men.

This study is being conducted by cadets at the Coast Guard Academy under the direction of their faculty advisors. While key takeaways will be shared with senior Coast Guard leaders, this is not an official U.S. Coast Guard survey and data collected will not be distributed beyond the Academy. The study has been approved by the USCGA Institutional Research Board and the Department of Homeland Security Privacy Office.

Yes! We are trying to get the word out to everyone who is serving or has served on active duty or in the Reserve. Please contact cgretention@uscga.edu for sample email invitations and social media posts.

This project is the product of the dedicated efforts of three successive teams of capstone cadets.

The 2020-21 team included LTJG Bridget Boyle, LTJG Luke Childress, LTJG Brenna Farrington, LTJG Mary Ellis Goins, LTJG Sabrina Hackett, and LTJG Zach Stone.

The 2021-22 team included ENS Lauryn Banks, ENS Matthew Fritz, ENS Ariyanna Jurkowski, and ENS Georgia Parker.

The 2022-23 team is grateful for the previous teams’ work that has made this year’s study possible.