Defense Primer: Personnel Tempo (PERSTEMPO)

https://crsreports.congress.gov

Updated June 24, 2024

As a result of the nation’s extended involvement in

contingency operations around the globe, some U.S.

servicemembers have experienced prolonged, recurrent, and

stressful deployments. In addition, preparation for

deployments (e.g., training, exercises, temporary duty

assignments) can incur extended working hours or frequent

travel away from home station. The pace of operations for

individuals is commonly referred to as personnel tempo

(PERSTEMPO) and can affect quality of life, work

satisfaction, and overall morale for members and their

families.

Congress oversees the Department of Defense’s (DOD’s)

PERSTEMPO management, policies and programs. In

addition, congressional actions to authorize force size (i.e.,

end-strength) can affect the number of personnel available

for deployment. Appropriated funds for military pay and

benefits (including leave and morale programs) may

compensate troops for time spent away.

Background and Definitions

During the mid-1990s, though the nation was not engaged

in major conflict, a combination of force drawdowns and

increased deployments in support of peacetime missions

(e.g., peacekeeping and humanitarian operations) put stress

on servicemembers, particularly those in high-deploying

specialty units. A 1996 Government Accountability Office

report (GAO/NSIAD-96-105) found that DOD did not have

consistent goals or policies for managing personnel tempo

(see Table 2).

Recognizing a need to more accurately measure the pace of

operations on military personnel, in the National Defense

Authorization Act for 2000 (FY2000 NDAA, P.L. 106-65),

Congress first added a statutory definitions for deployment

and high-deployment thresholds, and authorized additional

compensation for exceeding thresholds (10 U.S.C. §991 and

37 U.S.C. §436). This law also required the Under

Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to

develop standardized terminology and policies for

PERSTEMPO and operating tempo (OPTEMPO), and to

track and report on these categories (10 U.S.C. §136(d)).

10 U.S.C. §991, as amended, includes a waiver authority

for “national security” reasons. Shortly after the September

11, 2001, attacks, a Deputy Secretary of Defense

memorandum invoked this waiver authority to indefinitely

suspend high-deployment thresholds. As operations in

Afghanistan and Iraq intensified, many raised concerns that

individuals within certain military occupational specialties

were experiencing both lengthy and frequent deployments.

While the PERSTEMPO measures captured deployment

duration, they did not adequately capture the down time, or

dwell time, servicemembers had between deployments.

In 2007, DOD established deploy-to-dwell (D2D) and

mobilization-to-dwell (M2D) planning objectives for the

active and reserve components, respectively. In the FY2012

NDAA (P.L. 112-81), Congress established a statutory

definition of dwell time and provided the authority for the

SECDEF to modify this definition with congressional

notification. DOD has periodically issued policy updates to

change this definition and to provide separate definitions

for the active and reserve components (see Table 2 for a

timeline of selected events).

Definitions take into account a broad range of activities that

keep servicemembers away from home (Table 1).

Activities not included as deployment events, include, for

example, military duties extending beyond normal working

hours but conducted at the member’s home duty station,

also known as the permanent duty station.

Table 1. Statutory Definitions and Thresholds

Term

Definition

PERSTEMPO

The amount of time servicemembers are

engaged in their official duties at a

location or under circumstances that

make it infeasible for a member to

spend off-duty time in the housing in

which the member resides.

OPTEMPO

The rate at which units are involved in

all military activities, including

contingency operations, exercises, and

training deployments.

Deployed or in a

deployment*

Any day on which, pursuant to orders,

the member is performing service in a

training exercise or operation at a

location or under circumstances that

make it impossible or infeasible for the

member to spend off-duty time in the

housing in which the member resides

when on garrison duty at the member’s

permanent duty station or homeport.

High

deployment

threshold

One-year: 220 days deployed out of the

previous 365 days. Two-year: 400 days

deployed out of the previous 730.

Dwell time*

The time a regular member of the

armed forces or unit spends at the

permanent duty station or home port

after returning from deployment.

Sources: 10 U.S.C. §991 and 10 U.S.C. §136(d).

Notes: Contingency operations are as defined in 10 U.S.C.

§101(a)(13)(B). *DOD policy (DODI 1336.07, Table 1) further

defines PERSTEMPO events. DOD has also defined dwell time

differently in policy documents for certain time periods or purposes.

Defense Primer: Personnel Tempo (PERSTEMPO)

https://crsreports.congress.gov

Table 2. Timeline of Selected PERSTEMPO Actions

1995-2023

Year

Selected Actions

1995

Congress calls for improved DOD management of

PERSTEMPO. (P.L. 104-106 §565)

1999

Congress requires enhanced management of deployed

personnel through the establishment of PERSTEMPO

definitions, policies, thresholds, data collection, and

compensation. (P.L. 106-65 §§586 & 923)

2001

On October 8, 2001, DOD invokes national security

waiver and indefinitely suspends high-deployment per

diem thresholds in response to 9/11 attacks.

2003

Congress amends high-deployment thresholds,

authorizes a high-deployment monthly allowance in

place of per diem (P.L. 108-136 §541) and increases

minimum Family Separation Allowance. (P.L. 108-11

§1316)

2007

DOD establishes D2D and M2D planning objectives.

(SECDEF memorandum, “Utilization of the Total

Force”, Jan.19, 2007)

2011

Congress establishes dwell definition, and repeals

annual PERSTEMPO reporting requirements, but

requires PERSTERMPO data collection and

recordkeeping. (P.L. 112-81 §522)

2013

DOD issues policy restating D2D goals and

thresholds. (“Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel

& Readiness) Deployment-to-Dwell, Mobilization-to-

Dwell Policy Revision”, Nov. 1, 2013)

2019

Congress requires the Secretary concerned establish

specific and measurable thresholds to monitor

PERSTEMPO for affected members when waivers are

revoked. (P.L. 116-92 §507)

2021

DOD issues updated policy lengthening the D2D

goals and thresholds. (DTM-21-005, Aug. 16, 2021,

with update on Oct. 13, 2022)

Source: CRS derived from multiple sources.

High-PERSTEMPO Compensation

Congress has sought to incentivize better DOD

management of PERSTEMPO and to compensate affected

troops by authorizing certain allowances. The FY2000

NDAA (P.L. 106-65), as amended, authorized a high-

deployment monthly allowance of up to $1,000 (at the

discretion of the Secretary concerned) for each month that

an active component servicemember is deployed for (1) 191

or more consecutive days, or (2) 401 or more days out of

the preceding 730 days. Reserve component members are

eligible for the allowance when (1) under a call to active

duty for more than 30 days that is the second (or later) such

call for the same contingency operation; or (2) for a period

of more than 30 days, if such period begins within one year

after the date on which the member was released from

previous service of more than 30 days on active duty (37

U.S.C. §436).

Deployed servicemembers may also receive other

compensation while deployed (e.g., hostile fire and

imminent danger, sea duty pay). These special and

incentive pays largely depend on the geographic location of

the operation and the nature of servicemember’s

assignment.

Beginning with the Uniformed Services Pay Act of 1963

(P.L. 88-132), Congress has authorized a Family Separation

Allowance (FSA) to compensate for added expenses that

result from family separation. This law entitles uniformed

servicemembers who are separated from their families due

to certain duty assignments for a period of 30 days or more

to an FSA not less than $250 per month and not more than

$400 per month (37 U.S.C. §427).

PERSTEMPO Tracking and Reporting

The Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) maintains a

centralized database of all PERSTEMPO events. The

Secretaries of the Military Departments and the

Commandant of the Coast Guard are responsible for

reporting PERSTEMPO events to DMDC. A 2018 GAO

study (GAO-18-253) found DOD did not have complete or

reliable PERSTEMPO data, and has recommended better

quality control processes. GAO has documented that DOD

implemented these recommendations by issuing revised

policy guidance.

High-PERSTEMPO Impacts

In general, research has found associations between

deployment frequency and duration, and decreased military

spouse well-being (e.g., depression and anxiety), increased

child problematic behaviors, and negative effects on parent-

child and member-spouse relationships. On the other hand,

while many members express dissatisfaction with increased

deployments, there is not a preponderance of evidence to

suggest that has a significant effect on

continuation/retention rates. There is some evidence that

deployments increase military family savings, potentially

reflecting their eligibility for additional compensation.

Relevant Statute

10 U.S.C. §§136 & 991

37 U.S.C. §§427 & 436

Other Resources

Department of Defense Instructions:

• DODI 1336.07, Management of Personnel Tempo

• DODI 1235.12, Accessing the Reserve Components

Reports

RAND Corporation, Assessment of Deployment- and

Mobilization-to-Dwell Policies for Active and Reserve Component

Forces, July 20, 2023.

GAO, Military Readiness: Clear Policy and Reliable Data Would

Help DOD Better Manage Service Members' Time Away from

Home, GAO-18-253, April 25, 2018

Kristy N. Kamarck, Analyst in Military Manpower

IF11007

Defense Primer: Personnel Tempo (PERSTEMPO)

https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF11007 · VERSION 12 · UPDATED

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