As part of a project to improve the quality of survey data and to link survey data to policy formulation and research needs in the military, a study was made of more than 54,000 men and women military officers and enlisted personnel in 1978-79. The survey sought information about their personal preferences and attitudes, past behavior, and career orientations. This report, organized into 16 sections, presents an overview of the survey. Section 1 provides an introduction to the project and an overview of the report, while section 2 summarizes the survey, describes the sample, and provides the additional information needed to understand and use the 556 tables in the report. The following sections cover these topics: (3) pay grade, hours of work, and assignment location; (4) age, sex, race or ethnic group, and education; (5) marital status and dependents; (6) military experience of immediate families; (7) effects of rotation and assignment on military personnel and their households; (8) financial status and participation of the military personnel and their spouses in the civilian labor force; (9) military compensation and benefits; (10) service and career plans; (11) promotion potential from the perspective of the military personnel; (12) retirement system from their perspective; (13) views of military personnel on participation in the reserves; (14) racial and ethnic relations; (15) attitudes toward women; and (16) satisfaction, morale, and problems in military life. Each section begins with a summary of the information that it contains, indicates the importance of the topic for military manpower analysis, explains the applicable tables, and describes selected results. (KC)