Defense Organizational Climate Survey

About the Survey

The Defense Organizational Climate Survey (DEOCS) is a Congressionally mandated unit-level climate survey that is available to all military commanders and Department of Defense (DoD) civilian organization leaders. The survey collects information on unit climate, harassment and discrimination, diversity and inclusion, and other aspects of organizational climate.

Over 1 million people take the DEOCS annually, including military members serving on active duty or in the Reserve/National Guard, Service Academy students, and DoD civilians. The DEOCS has been collected continuously since it began as the Military Equal Opportunity Climate Survey (MEOCS) in 1990. The survey has undergone a number of updates to the content and scope to reflect the needs of the Department and the Services. For more information on the most recent update to the DEOCS, see the report here: https://www.opa.mil/research-analysis/quality-of-work-life/workplace-climate/defense-organizational-climate-survey-deocs-redesign-phase-1-overview-report/

Although massive in breadth, the survey is also incredibly localized in its impact. The DEOCS is typically fielded after a change in command and annually thereafter. Within a week, results of the survey are reported directly to each commander and their supervisor, providing leaders with real-time unit-specific survey data. Because results are reported at the unit level, the impact of the data for leaders and Service members is incredibly personal and is often the only mechanism for Service members to provide their command with completely confidential feedback.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the DEOCS an official, approved DoD survey?

In accordance with DoD Instruction 8910.01, all data collection for the DoD must be licensed and show that license as an RCS with an expiration date. The RCS for this survey is DD-P&R-2338, expiring on January 31, 2024.

How will my answers be used?

The information gathered from the DEOCS will be used by commanders, Equal Opportunity Advisors (EOA), Command Climate Specialists (CCS), survey administrators, and other leaders to assess the unit, organization, Military Service Academy (MSA), or MSA Preparatory School climate. Based on the DEOCS results, commanders, leaders, and their support teams will develop a targeted action plan to address any emerging and current problematic issues with the overall goal of improving their command climate.

Are my DEOCS answers private?

All your individual answers will be protected and kept private. Your personal data will be held in a secure system that protects against interception of data and unauthorized access. No one in your unit will be able to identify your answers on the DEOCS. All data will be reported in the aggregate, and no individual data will be reported. To ensure your privacy, groups or subgroups with fewer than five participants will not be reported. For example, commanders and leaders will not be able to see responses to questions where fewer than five people responded to them. Additionally, if only two women complete a DEOCS in your unit, women-only results will never be shown to your leaders, only overall results with men and women combined, if more than five participants respond. Finally, please do not provide any personally identifying information in the short-answer questions.

Do I have to answer all the questions?

No, it is not necessary to answer every question. You can skip any question that you prefer not to answer.

Will I ever see the results of the survey?

Commanders and leaders are encouraged to share their DEOCS results with their members. Results are made available to your leadership and survey administrator shortly after the DEOCS closes. Additionally, some findings may be published by OPA or in professional journals or presented at scientific conferences.

Can I withdraw my answers once I have started the survey?

If you wish to withdraw your answers, please contact the Survey Processing Center 72 hours before your survey closes, by sending an email to DEOCS@datarecognitioncorp.com or calling toll-free 1-833-867-5674. Please include your name and PIN.