Are the most suitable personnel selected for the Armed Forces? - a description of the current selection process for the compulsory military service

Norway have gender-neutral conscription (universal conscription), which means that all young men and women are included in the selection process for the compulsory military service. The purpose of the military service is to produce, develop and shape civilian youth into soldiers with the proper military skills. The goal of the two-part selection process is a quality assurance of the Armed Forces personnel. Today, only approximately 10 percent of the entire youth population are selected, and therefore the selection process is even more important than before. A working group was established to study and discuss the present selection process. The main purpose was to elucidate and discuss potential areas of improvement and to give the Norwegian Armed Forces and the defence sector advice and recommendations on recruitment and soldier selection. Although the current selection process works very well, it still has some room for improvement. Only a few people work with selection for the compulsory military service, and the authorities should consider if this is adequate for managing and developing the selection process further. A routine for traceable documentation should be established within the selection system in order to ensure a fair selection and that information on decisions and regulations are distributed. The working group recommends that youth receive information about the Armed Forces at a much earlier stage, maybe as early as in junior high school. The group also recommends an investigation on whether the Armed Forces can improve the criteria in the self-declaration. This can secure personnel with the right competence at an early stage. There is generally a need for more research on the different methods used in the selection process, as well as modernisation of theoretical tests to ensure that men and women are fairly treated. There is a need to examine the conscript requirements. Were they too low or too high? Improved military job requirement analyses could help the Armed Forces optimizing their conscript requirements. One alternative is to carry out analyses for the jobs with the most expensive education only, or the morecomplex positions only. The conscripts carrying out the compulsory military training today are soldiers in good health. Still, approximately 14 percent drop out. Is this something the Armed Forces must accept, or should they consider different measures to prevent adjustment problems, injuries, and loss of motivation? The working group recommends that the Armed Forces’ Joint Medical Services analyses previous data and investigates the changes in motivation during the recruit training school. The group also recommends that the conscripts are educated by experienced personnel, especially during the recruit training. Improvements can contribute to optimize an already good selection process, reduce drop out and ensure that the Norwegian Armed Forces select the most suitable personnel in the service.