Discusses initial steps that the Department of Defense (DoD) should take in developing a department-wide strategic plan to achieve greater diversity within its active duty and civilian leadership. Key questions include how diversity will be defined, how progress toward diversity will be measured, and how DoD leaders will hold themselves and others accountable for such progress. Includes a summary of findings from the 2007 DoD Diversity Summit.

Are there feasible alternatives to the present "up-or-out" policy for U.S. military officers? Most military officers are subject to a policy known as "0up-or-out," which requires separation from service if they are not promoted or selectively continued within a certain period of time or when they encounters established grade/tenure limits. RAND considered a range of potential substitutes for, or modifications of, the existing policy and recommends that the Department of Defense implement four demonstration projects to establish the relative value of specific policy alternatives and requirements.