Bernard D. Rostker
Encyclopedia
Bernard Daniel Rostker was Director of the United States
Selective Service System
from 1977 to 1979; Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)
from 1994 to 1998; Under Secretary of the Army
from 1998 to 2000; and Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
in 2000-2001. Beginning in 1996, he also served as Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense
for Gulf War Illnesses
.
, receiving a B.S.
in 1964. While in college, he participated in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps
, graduating as a Distinguished Military Graduate and being commissioned
as a Second Lieutenant
in the United States Army Reserve
. He next attended Syracuse University
, earning an M.A.
and then a Ph.D.
in Economics
.
In 1968, he joined the Manpower Requirements Directorate of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Systems Analysis as an economist
. Two years later, he joined RAND
as a research economist, becoming Program Director of the Manpower Personnel and Training Program, a program sponsored by the United States Air Force
.
He joined the United States Department of the Navy
in 1977, upon being named Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
In 1979, he became Director of the Selective Service System
, holding this post November 26, 1979 – July 31, 1981. The selective service registration requirement for all U.S. men aged 18–25, had been abolished by President of the United States
Gerald Ford
in 1975, but was reestablished when President Jimmy Carter
signed Proclamation 4771, Registration Under the Military Selective Service Act on July 2, 1980, retroactively re-establishing the Selective Service registration requirement for all 18-26 year old male citizens born on or after January 1, 1960. Rostker thus oversaw the Selective Service Revitalization Plan which registered four million men for selective service. He is the named defendant in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Rostker v. Goldberg
, 453 U.S. 57 (1981), which upheld the constitutionality of requiring only men to register for selective service.
Rostker joined the Center for Naval Analyses
in 1981, becoming Director for the Navy's Management Program. In that capacity he conducted research into the major management
issues facing the United States Navy
.
In 1983, he joined software development
company SRA International
as Director of the Systems Management
Division. He returned to RAND
in December 1984 to help establish the Arroyo Center, the Army's federally funded research and development center for studies and analysis. He served as Program Director of the Force Development and Employment Program and Associate Director of the Center. In January 1990, he shifted to RAND's National Defense Research Institute as Director of the Defense Manpower Research Center.
In October 1994, President Bill Clinton
nominated Rostker as Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)
and Rostker subsequently held this office from October 1994 until October 1998. On November 12, 1996, he was also named Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense
for Gulf War Illnesses
and became responsible for coordinating and overseeing all of the United States Department of Defense
's responses to Gulf War Illnesses.
President Clinton nominated Rostker as Under Secretary of the Army
and he was sworn in on October 26, 1998, while retaining his responsibilities for Gulf War Illness issues. As Under Secretary of the Army, Rostker was the #2 civilian in the United States Department of the Army
; was responsible for assisting the Secretary of the Army in recruiting, organizing, supplying, equipping, training and mobilizing the Army and managing its $64 billion annual budget and more than 1.3 million active duty, National Guard, Army Reserve and civilian personnel; and assumed the duties of acting Secretary of the Army when the Secretary was not available.
After a nomination from President Clinton and confirmation by the United States Senate
, Rostker was sworn in as the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
on May 23, 2000. In that capacity, he was the senior adviser to the United States Secretary of Defense
on recruitment, career development, pay and benefits for 1.4 million active duty
military personnel
, 1.3 million Guard and Reserve
personnel and 725,000 DoD
civilians. He also oversaw the Military Health System
, the Defense Commissary Agency
, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service
, the Department of Defense Education Activity
, and the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute
. He was also responsible for overseeing research on the nation's military readiness. Rostker was replaced by David S. C. Chu
, who was sworn in as Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness on June 1, 2001.
Upon leaving government service, Rostker returned to RAND and his research there has focused on managing the recruitment, retention, and performance of police officers in large city departments; managing the volunteer military
; and reforming the military by lengthening military careers.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Selective Service System
Selective Service System
The Selective Service System is a means by which the United States government maintains information on those potentially subject to military conscription. Most male U.S. citizens and male immigrant non-citizens between the ages of 18 and 25 are required by law to have registered within 30 days of...
from 1977 to 1979; Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)
Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)
The Assistant Secretary of the Navy is a civilian office in the United States Department of the Navy...
from 1994 to 1998; Under Secretary of the Army
United States Under Secretary of the Army
The United States Under Secretary of the Army is the second-highest ranking civilian official of the United States Department of the Army, serving directly under the United States Secretary of the Army...
from 1998 to 2000; and Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
The Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness, or USD is a high-ranking civilian position in the Office of the Secretary of Defense within the United States Department of Defense responsible for advising the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense on recruitment, career development, pay and...
in 2000-2001. Beginning in 1996, he also served as Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense
United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
The Deputy Secretary of Defense is the second-highest ranking official in the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The Deputy Secretary of Defense is appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate...
for Gulf War Illnesses
Gulf War syndrome
Gulf War syndrome or Gulf War illness describes a medical condition that affected veterans and civilians who were near conflicts during or downwind of chemical weapons depot demolition, after the 1991 Gulf War. A wide range of acute and chronic symptoms have included fatigue, musculoskeletal...
.
Biography
Bernard D. Rostker was educated at New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, receiving a B.S.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in 1964. While in college, he participated in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps
Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a college-based, officer commissioning program, predominantly in the United States. It is designed as a college elective that focuses on leadership development, problem solving, strategic planning, and professional ethics.The U.S...
, graduating as a Distinguished Military Graduate and being commissioned
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
as a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the United States Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
. He next attended Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, earning an M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
and then a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
.
In 1968, he joined the Manpower Requirements Directorate of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Systems Analysis as an economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
. Two years later, he joined RAND
RAND
RAND Corporation is a nonprofit global policy think tank first formed to offer research and analysis to the United States armed forces by Douglas Aircraft Company. It is currently financed by the U.S. government and private endowment, corporations including the healthcare industry, universities...
as a research economist, becoming Program Director of the Manpower Personnel and Training Program, a program sponsored by the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
.
He joined the United States Department of the Navy
United States Department of the Navy
The Department of the Navy of the United States of America was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, to provide a government organizational structure to the United States Navy and, from 1834 onwards, for the United States Marine Corps, and when directed by the President, of the...
in 1977, upon being named Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
In 1979, he became Director of the Selective Service System
Selective Service System
The Selective Service System is a means by which the United States government maintains information on those potentially subject to military conscription. Most male U.S. citizens and male immigrant non-citizens between the ages of 18 and 25 are required by law to have registered within 30 days of...
, holding this post November 26, 1979 – July 31, 1981. The selective service registration requirement for all U.S. men aged 18–25, had been abolished by President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
in 1975, but was reestablished when President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
signed Proclamation 4771, Registration Under the Military Selective Service Act on July 2, 1980, retroactively re-establishing the Selective Service registration requirement for all 18-26 year old male citizens born on or after January 1, 1960. Rostker thus oversaw the Selective Service Revitalization Plan which registered four million men for selective service. He is the named defendant in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Rostker v. Goldberg
Rostker v. Goldberg
Rostker v. Goldberg, 453 U.S. 57 , was a decision of the United States Supreme Court holding that the practice of requiring only men to register for the draft was constitutional....
, 453 U.S. 57 (1981), which upheld the constitutionality of requiring only men to register for selective service.
Rostker joined the Center for Naval Analyses
Center for Naval Analyses
CNA's Center for Naval Analyses is a federally funded research and development center for the Navy and the Marine Corps. It also provides research and analysis services to other military and government agencies to help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of U.S...
in 1981, becoming Director for the Navy's Management Program. In that capacity he conducted research into the major management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
issues facing the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
.
In 1983, he joined software development
Software development process
A software development process, also known as a software development life cycle , is a structure imposed on the development of a software product. Similar terms include software life cycle and software process. It is often considered a subset of systems development life cycle...
company SRA International
SRA International
SRA International, Inc. is an information technology services and solutions consulting company incorporated as Systems Research and Applications Corporation in 1976 and beginning operations in 1978. Founded by Dr. Ernst Volgenau, it is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, and employs 7200 people...
as Director of the Systems Management
Systems management
Systems management refers to enterprise-wide administration of distributed systems including computer systems. Systems management is strongly influenced by network management initiatives in telecommunications....
Division. He returned to RAND
RAND
RAND Corporation is a nonprofit global policy think tank first formed to offer research and analysis to the United States armed forces by Douglas Aircraft Company. It is currently financed by the U.S. government and private endowment, corporations including the healthcare industry, universities...
in December 1984 to help establish the Arroyo Center, the Army's federally funded research and development center for studies and analysis. He served as Program Director of the Force Development and Employment Program and Associate Director of the Center. In January 1990, he shifted to RAND's National Defense Research Institute as Director of the Defense Manpower Research Center.
In October 1994, President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
nominated Rostker as Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)
Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)
The Assistant Secretary of the Navy is a civilian office in the United States Department of the Navy...
and Rostker subsequently held this office from October 1994 until October 1998. On November 12, 1996, he was also named Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense
United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
The Deputy Secretary of Defense is the second-highest ranking official in the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The Deputy Secretary of Defense is appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate...
for Gulf War Illnesses
Gulf War syndrome
Gulf War syndrome or Gulf War illness describes a medical condition that affected veterans and civilians who were near conflicts during or downwind of chemical weapons depot demolition, after the 1991 Gulf War. A wide range of acute and chronic symptoms have included fatigue, musculoskeletal...
and became responsible for coordinating and overseeing all of the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
's responses to Gulf War Illnesses.
President Clinton nominated Rostker as Under Secretary of the Army
United States Under Secretary of the Army
The United States Under Secretary of the Army is the second-highest ranking civilian official of the United States Department of the Army, serving directly under the United States Secretary of the Army...
and he was sworn in on October 26, 1998, while retaining his responsibilities for Gulf War Illness issues. As Under Secretary of the Army, Rostker was the #2 civilian in the United States Department of the Army
United States Department of the Army
The Department of the Army is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The Department of the Army is the Federal Government agency which the United States Army is organized within, and it is led by the Secretary of the Army who has...
; was responsible for assisting the Secretary of the Army in recruiting, organizing, supplying, equipping, training and mobilizing the Army and managing its $64 billion annual budget and more than 1.3 million active duty, National Guard, Army Reserve and civilian personnel; and assumed the duties of acting Secretary of the Army when the Secretary was not available.
After a nomination from President Clinton and confirmation by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, Rostker was sworn in as the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
The Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness, or USD is a high-ranking civilian position in the Office of the Secretary of Defense within the United States Department of Defense responsible for advising the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense on recruitment, career development, pay and...
on May 23, 2000. In that capacity, he was the senior adviser to the United States Secretary of Defense
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
on recruitment, career development, pay and benefits for 1.4 million active duty
Active duty
Active duty refers to a full-time occupation as part of a military force, as opposed to reserve duty.-Pakistan:The Pakistan Armed Forces are one of the largest active service forces in the world with almost 610,000 full time personnel due to the complex and volatile nature of Pakistan's...
military personnel
Military personnel
Military personnel is a blanket term used to refer to members of any armed force. Usually, military personnel are divided into branches of service roughly defined by certain circumstances of the deployment of the personnel. Those who serve in a typical large land force are soldiers, making up an...
, 1.3 million Guard and Reserve
Reserve components of the United States armed forces
The reserve components of the United States armed forces are military organizations whose members, generally perform a minimum of 39 days of military duty per year and who augment the active duty military when necessary. The reserve components are also referred to collectively as the Guard and...
personnel and 725,000 DoD
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
civilians. He also oversaw the Military Health System
Military Health System
The Military Health System is the enterprise within the United States Department of Defense responsible for providing health care to active duty and retired U.S. Military personnel and their dependents...
, the Defense Commissary Agency
Defense Commissary Agency
The Defense Commissary Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Defense that operates more than 250 commissaries worldwide...
, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service
Army and Air Force Exchange Service
The Exchange is an agency of the United States Department of Defense. Its dual missions are to provide quality merchandise and services of necessity and convenience to authorized customers at uniform low prices, and to generate reasonable earnings to supplement appropriated funds for the support...
, the Department of Defense Education Activity
Department of Defense Education Activity
The Department of Defense Education Activity is a civilian agency of the United States Department of Defense that manages all schools for military children and teenagers, as well as foreign service children and teenagers, in the United States and also overseas at American military bases worldwide...
, and the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute
Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute
The Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute is a U.S. Department of Defense joint services school located at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, offering both resident and off-site courses in areas including equal opportunity, intercultural communication, and religious, racial, gender, and...
. He was also responsible for overseeing research on the nation's military readiness. Rostker was replaced by David S. C. Chu
David S. C. Chu
David S. C. Chu is an American politician and consultant born New York, NY, May 28, 1944. As of 2009, he was President and CEO of the non-profit Institute for Defense Analyses. From 2001 to 2008, he served as Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness in the George W...
, who was sworn in as Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness on June 1, 2001.
Upon leaving government service, Rostker returned to RAND and his research there has focused on managing the recruitment, retention, and performance of police officers in large city departments; managing the volunteer military
Volunteer military
A volunteer military or all-volunteer military is one which derives its manpower from volunteers rather than conscription or mandatory service. A country may offer attractive pay and benefits through military recruitment to attract volunteers...
; and reforming the military by lengthening military careers.
Publications
- Bernard D. Rostker et al., Recruitment and Retention: Lessons for the New Orleans Police Department, RAND Corporation, 2007
- Bernard D. Rostker, America Goes to War: Managing the Force During Times of Stress and Uncertainty, RAND Corporation, 2007
- Bernard D. Rostker, I Want You! The Evolution of the All-Volunteer Force, RAND Corporation, 2006