Is the All-Volunteer Force Still Viable

摘要

The nation faces significant challenges in using an all-volunteer force (AVF) to execute sustained worldwide high-tempo military operations (OPTEMPO) as well as provide for homeland defense. Available evidence appears to support a thesis that extensive use of military forces in a variety of roles and in a continuous cycle of deployments has considerably strained the United States Army manpower system. This study looks at the Army's force structure and examines stress associated with using an AVF to perform the military's numerous operational requirements. It concludes that the AVF concept remains viable only if the Army successfully implements a combination of long-term more permanent mitigative measures to address force stress resulting from OPTEMPO.