A study was conducted to investigate the reading comprehension and educationally related characteristics and relationships that describe the Navy's recruit population. The variable of primary interest was the recruit's reading comprehension grade level score; other variables were years of education, aptitude score, high school graduation status, and month of entry into the Navy. The study was conducted because the variability in the numbers of recruits who need reading remediation in language skills has a direct impact on the requirements for staffing and instructional materials. Nearly 80,000 recruits (who entered the service between June 1986 and May 1987) took the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Comprehension Test and the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. Data analyses of their scores revealed that the typical Navy recruit completed slightly less than 12 years of education, with reading comprehension near the 12th grade level. Findings suggest that the recruit population remains relatively stable, showing only slight variability with regard to years of education, reading comprehension skills, and aptitude scores. However, from month-to-month the recruits vary on reading scores, graduation status, and the number who read below grade six. (Nine tables of data are included.) (MM)