The All-Volunteer Force

"The essays are pithy, focused, informative and well documented."—Army Magazine

"In one lively volume, a balanced and comprehensive assessment of the all-volunteer force. Historical chapters recount how the AVF got started and how it evolved. Leading scholars offer praise and skepticism in their assessments of the AVF today and its future challenges. The wide-ranging chapters offer keen insights into the consequences for U.S. civil-military relations of relying on volunteers."—Charles A. Stevenson, lecturer, Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, and author of Warriors and Politicians: U.S. Civil-Military Relations under Stress

"These essays by distinguished scholars ask and answer many fundamental questions about the shift to an All-Volunteer Force. They are insightful and informative and make a significant contribution to the existing historical literature."—Kyle Longley, director of the War, Diplomacy, and Society Program at Chapman University, and author of The Morenci Marines: A Tale of Small Town America and the Vietnam War

"This resource is an exceptionally well-timed contribution to our understanding of this vital institution. The questions that attended the creation of the AVF have never been more urgent and important than they are today. Fans and critics of the AVF will find plenty here to challenge them and make them reflect anew on how best to protect the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic."—Peter Feaver, professor of political science and public policy, Duke University, and author of Thanks for Your Service: The Causes and Consequences of Public Confidence in the US Military

"For over fifty years, young men and women have chosen to join America’s military service rather than either await a notice from a local draft board or join during the patriotic surges that accompany most conflicts. Year after year, month after month, recruiting officers administered the traditional oath of office to groups of enlistees before sending them off to their assigned training bases. This recruiting system has served the nation through three major conflicts, two in Iraq and another in Afghanistan, and a half dozen smaller operations. Meanwhile, American forces remained ready to counter a declining Soviet Union and, later, a militarily resurgent China and an expansionist Russia. Yet, in what appears to be a well-oiled bureaucracy, Americans volunteered to serve.

One of America’s most prolific political historians, William A. Taylor, has assembled a prominent panel of distinguished scholars to investigate the origins, results, and challenges of the all-volunteer force. They explore its successes, failures, and challenges as it struggled to provide the human capital for the world’s most technologically savvy military force. Their descriptions, analysis, and insights into this process represents the most comprehensive investigation of this system of recruitment to date. This book should be required reading for all who need to understand the modern American military establishment."—Stephen A. Bourque, professor emeritus, US Army Command and General Staff College

"Editor William Taylor has assembled a diverse group of contributors—diverse in position taken and diverse in professional background—to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the AVF on its fiftieth anniversary. The immediate implication of an all-volunteer force was lessening of political constraints on sending troops into harm’s way. The many results include an increasingly militarized foreign policy, a smaller force operating at far higher tempo than during the Cold War, a reserve force to be mobilized once in a generation for wars of necessity transformed into a force constantly engaged in wars of choice for which they are ill suited, and a force that does not fairly represent the society it defends. The All-Volunteer Force is necessary reading for policy makers concerned with the use and production of military force, especially those responsible for raising an effective force for a future war of necessity."—D. Robert Worley, author of Shaping U.S. Military Forces: Revolution or Relevance in a Post–Cold War World

"Arguably, the quality of US national security, civil-military relations, and even democracy are a reflection of the All-Volunteer Force (AVF). Yet we lack both a comprehensive history and analysis. This book fills that void while not shying away from the debates, problems, and unresolved issues that are part of the AVF. Practitioners and scholars are sure to find this book a valuable resource."—Sharon K. Weiner, associate professor of international relations, School of International Service

"The All-Volunteer Force is a timely and important look at the history, challenges, consequences, and significance of America’s volunteer military. William Taylor has assembled an impressive array of essays from veterans and leading scholars in the fields of military, social, and economic history. Overall, the book is a substantive, thought-provoking analysis that provides insight into the triumphs, trials, and tribulations of the US Armed Forces over the last fifty years."—Martin G. Clemis, Department of Military History, US Army Command and General Staff College

"Fifty years after the transition to an all-volunteer force, the questions that surrounded its creation remain vital. Who should serve, what their experiences are, and what benefits they should receive, as well as whether the AVF is equitable and best serves the national interest, are not merely academic concerns—they are questions that get at the heart of debates over the obligations of citizenship and the demands of national security. William Taylor has assembled a collection that thoughtfully examines the historical and contemporary contours of these debates by bringing together diverse, and sometimes opposing, perspectives from the best thinkers on this topic. Readers who care about the history, current state, and future of the nation and its military will find this a seminal text—one that is as provocative as it is informative."—David Kieran, associate professor and Colonel Richard R. Hallock Distinguished Chair in Military History at Columbus State University, and coeditor of At War: The Military and American Culture in the Twentieth Century and Beyond

"The All-Volunteer Force is a must-read. It is the most comprehensive work to date on the subject of who serves in the modern US military. Taylor brilliantly organizes a synthesis of works provided by leading scholars in their respective fields. This will be the go-to source for a multitude of topics relating to a system that has prevailed for fifty years."—Jeremy P. Maxwell, author of Brotherhood in Combat: How African Americans found Equality in Korea and Vietnam

"Arriving on the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the draft, and amid a deepening recruiting crisis across the entire U.S. military, The All-Volunteer Force could not be timelier. Delivering on its editor’s promise to provide ‘the most comprehensive assessment of the AVF since its advent in 1973,’ this volume contributes greatly to our understanding of the past, present, and uncertain future of a largely ignored pillar of modern American life: the all-recruited U.S. military. As the sustainability of the AVF becomes increasingly doubtful, The All-Volunteer Force will be a major resource on this looming strategic and societal question."—Gil Barndollar, senior research fellow at the Center for the Study of Statesmanship and a senior fellow at Defense Priorities. He has written for the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The National Interest, The American Conservative, and U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings