Surface Warfare Officers (SWOs) spend long periods at sea, where they cannot attend to their families or to personal business. This reduces morale and affects retention. The Navy has been exploring ways to allow SWOs more time in home port, and RAND compared the proposed programs’ costs and benefits (though not the direct effects on retention). Of the programs, returns to service and leaves of absence have the most positive effects, although the latter would cost more. These programs offer such benefits as increased morale.
