All-Volunteer Force

Military forces composed solely of volunteers, without resorting to a military draft. The United States adopted an all-volunteer force during the Vietnam War in response to protests and complaints by its population, particularly members of the antiwar movement. Since 1973, the United States has relied on volunteers to fill the ranks of all branches of its armed forces.

History of the Draft

The draft has been a contentious issue among Americans since the very founding of the nation. During the American Revolution (1775–83), commander in chief George Washington requested that the central government be given the power to conscript soldiers, a power that, at the time, was reserved for the individual colonies. Despite the clear need for troops, the colonial legislatures turned down Washington's request. During the Civil War (1861–65), President Abraham Lincoln imposed a draft, a move that provoked riots in New York and other cities.

The country's first peacetime draft took place in September 1940. The draft supplied two-thirds of the American service members who fought in World War II and remained in effect until 1947. The draft was allowed to lapse for a period of 15 months before it was reinstated as a result of mounting Cold War tensions and the military's inability to meet its recruitment goals.

The draft became a casualty of its own unpopularity during the Vietnam War (1954–75). Although draftees made up only a small percentage of the U.S. military, they accounted for more than half of the army's battle deaths. Meanwhile, more than half of the men who reached draft age between 1964 and 1973 never served, and the number of conscientious objectors was unprecedented. Colleges and graduate schools were widely employed as acceptable methods of avoiding the draft, and an estimated half-million U.S. citizens evaded the draft illegally. Of the latter group, only about 4,000 ever served prison time for their failure to register.

In 1968, President Richard Nixon ran for reelection, promising to end the draft. Ending the draft was part of Nixon's goal of advancing what he called “a full generation of peace,” a response to the antiwar movement and its focus on the draft. In March 1969, Nixon established the Commission on an All-Volunteer Force (also known as the Gates Commission), which released a report in February 1970 recommending an end to the draft. On July 1, 1973, the draft law expired in the United States when Congress refused to extend it.

The U.S. Military without the Draft

The first extended mission conducted by the post-Vietnam all-volunteer force was the Gulf War of 1990–91. The success of U.S. forces in that conflict was widely interpreted as proof that a draft was unnecessary. Military leaders cited factors such as morale, motivation, and longer-term service as proof of the superiority of a military in which those serving have volunteered as opposed to having been conscripted. Other factors also made volunteer forces seem more desirable than a draft force. For example, draftees are required to serve only two years, whereas those who volunteer stay in uniform much longer on average. According to military officials, this enables the armed forces to focus on improving training and quality of life for service personnel. In addition, military service is now considered to be an asset in the job market once a soldier returns to civilian life.

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