The All-volunteer Force
The All-volunteer Force

Author: Barbara A. Bicksler

Publisher: Potomac Books

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13:

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Can America continue to maintain its military commitments without conscription?

I Want You!
I Want You!

Author: Bernard D. Rostker

Publisher: Rand Corporation

Published: 2006-09-08

Total Pages: 833

ISBN-13: 0833040685

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As U.S. military forces appear overcommitted and some ponder a possible return to the draft, the timing is ideal for a review of how the American military transformed itself over the past five decades, from a poorly disciplined force of conscripts and draft-motivated "volunteers" to a force of professionals revered throughout the world. Starting in the early 1960s, this account runs through the current war in Iraq, with alternating chapters on the history of the all-volunteer force and the analytic background that supported decisionmaking. The author participated as an analyst and government policymaker in many of the events covered in this book. His insider status and access offer a behind-the-scenes look at decisionmaking within the Pentagon and White House. The book includes a foreword by former Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird. The accompanying DVD contains more than 1,700 primary-source documents-government memoranda, Presidential memos and letters, staff papers, and reports-linked directly from citations in the electronic version of the book. This unique technology presents a treasure trove of materials for specialists, researchers, and students of military history, public administration, and government affairs to draw upon.

America's Army
America's Army

Author: Beth Bailey

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2009-11-23

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 0674035364

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" ... the story of the all-volunteer force, from the draft protests and policy proposals of the 1960s through the Iraq War"--Jacket.

The All-Volunteer Force, Five Years Later
The All-Volunteer Force, Five Years Later

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1977

Total Pages: 70

ISBN-13:

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For the approximately two million young American men who reach military age each year, there is probably no single public policy decision in the past 25 years more important than the termination of the draft in 1973. The importance of this decision, however, goes far beyond the implications for those most immediately affected by the draft's removal. Whether viewed as an instrument of economic and social policy or in terms of its effects on the maintenance of the U.S. defense effort, the draft was a key element of public policy and touched on nearly every aspect of defense management. The advent of the All-Volunteer Force (AVF) accordingly marks the beginning of one of the largest and most important experiments of its type ever conducted. With the exception of a short 18-month hiatus in the draft following World War II, the Armed Services have been forced to rely on true volunteers as their sole source of military manpower for the first time in more than three decades. Never before in modern history has a nation with such global military responsibilities or such an emphasis on defense been without the authority to conscript young men into military service.

Twenty Years of Service
Twenty Years of Service

Author: Brandon J. Archuleta

Publisher: University Press of Kansas

Published: 2020-08-06

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 0700629769

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Military pension policies are as old as the republic itself and reside at the intersection of American social, economic, and defense policy. But as the nation’s social and economic circumstances underwent dramatic changes over the last half century, military pension policy remained static, stuck in the personnel and retirement model of the industrial age. This book examines why. Integrating policy history, theory, and practice, Twenty Years of Service provides the most comprehensive examination of US military pension policy in a generation. Brandon J. Archuleta sets the stage with an exploration of the rise, evolution, and transformation of the veterans’ policy subsystem from the American Revolution through World War II. The ensuing theoretical overview explains how the military personnel policy subsystem achieved the autonomy it enjoyed from 1948 to 2018; it also offers a new perspective on autonomous policy subsystems in general, which helps to account for the long-term pension policy stasis. In practical terms, Archuleta explores the role of the successful 2015 Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission as an institutional venue for policy change during the congressional budget battles of the 2010s. Through extensive archival research, illustrative case studies, and field interviews with Pentagon bureaucrats, congressional staffers, veterans’ lobbyists, defense scholars, and journalists, Twenty Years of Service brings the policymaking process to life. Its insights will prove invaluable to policy scholars and defense practitioners alike.

The All-Volunteer Force
The All-Volunteer Force

Author: William A. Taylor

Publisher: University Press of Kansas

Published: 2023-06-24

Total Pages: 360

ISBN-13: 0700634819

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The all-volunteer force (AVF), created in conjunction with the end of the draft in 1973, has been the most significant development in modern American military history. Since its inception, the influence of the AVF has reached far beyond the US armed forces, affecting the very character of American civil-military relations. While its successes and challenges continue to be widely discussed and fervently debated, one thing is certain: the AVF is critical to both US national security and the fabric of American society. The insightful, cogent, and provocative essays contained in this timely volume represent a crucial first step in assessing the AVF after fifty years of service. Here, fifteen renowned authors speak to vital issues that remain relevant today and will endure well into the future. The AVF has garnered both triumphs and shortcomings but continues to be an essential institution. Engaged dialogue about the AVF is crucial to ensure that it remains ready to meet and overcome potential threats and that policymakers address the central obstacles it faces today. The All-Volunteer Force is the most comprehensive assessment of the force since its advent and reveals the momentous sway the AVF has had on the military, government, and society in the United States. In crafting this far-reaching collection of essays, William A. Taylor examines the AVF in four distinct parts, analyzing its history, results, challenges, and implications. In doing so, this compelling book explores all the major facets of the AVF—past, present, and future. This dynamic volume brings together a multidisciplinary group of distinguished authors who each bring to bear important perspectives on specific aspects of the AVF. These contributors include leading scholars, general officers, civilian policymakers, and personnel experts who collectively provide a holistic assessment of the accomplishments and shortcomings of the AVF during its fifty years of service.

The U. S. Army's Transition to the All-Volunteer Force (1968-1974)
The U. S. Army's Transition to the All-Volunteer Force (1968-1974)

Author: Robert K. Griffith

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 1999-05

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 0788178644

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The all-volunteer force, the historic norm in peacetime America, was reestablished in the U.S. on 30 June 1973, when induction authority expired. But never before had the U.S. attempted to field a standing Army in peacetime -- based on voluntary enlistments -- with the worldwide responsibilities that faced this force. Since the mid-1980s the ability of the armed forces to recruit and retain quality volunteers has not been seriously questioned. This book takes us through those years of transition, examining both the context in which the end of the draft occurred and the perspective which the Army's leaders brought to bear on the challenge they faced.