National Security Issue: Challenges to the All-Volunteer Force.

摘要

The All-Volunteer Force enacted in 1973 is heralded as one of the defining strengths of the military forces of the United States of America. A series of seemingly unrelated trends within American culture may place the viability of the All-Volunteer Force, a critical aspect of our military, in jeopardy. Lowered graduation rates, physical fitness deficiencies, an increase of health concerns, and rising rates of felonious misconduct are combining factors that drastically reduce the availability of manpower to meet our force requirements. A lowered propensity for service to nation combined with a shrinking pool of qualified applicants will drive decision makers to choose from three equally non-viable courses of action: lower the required standards for enlistment, divert exorbitant amounts of money to entice enlistment, or abandon the all-volunteer force in favor of mandatory service. This paper will outline the current trends effecting enlistment efforts, examine the pros and cons of available options if steps are not taken to reverse these trends, and provide recommendations on ways to mitigate these trends to ensure the future solvency of our current enlistment process.