A few thoughts on the recent discussions on the nature of America’s armed
forces.

 “The all-volunteer military was not instituted until 1973” Well no it
wasn’t. The American armed forces from the very beginning were conceived as
a volunteer force and only in a few rare occurrences in American history
when the United States has needed a huge influx of soldiers has that policy
been changed. Conscription was only instituted for two years during the
Civil War (on the Federal side), for less than two years during the First
World War, and from 1940 till 1973 with a one year break in 1947. More time
has passed since the “beginning” of the all-volunteer armed forces in 1973
than elapsed during this longest time period of American conscription. And
this leaves out the whole issue of the US Marine Corps which has been a
volunteer force since its inception except for the year 1968 when I believe
20,000 draftees were funneled into the service.
The draft has never been a popular concept in American history. In the Civil
War it was met by widespread resistance including violence. Their was
widespread opposition to it during the First World War that was only
mitigated by the short time of its use and the ruthless suppression of
dissent by the Wilson administration. Fatigue had begun to crop into the
public attitudes about the draft toward the end of the Second World War
(notwithstanding its reputation as a “good war”) and the social disruption
caused by the draft of the Sixties and early Seventies is too well know to
have to be mentioned. (Though I suppose I just did).
As for the fear that our professional Armed Forces are “a place for the poor
and unfortunate who see it as "a way out" of where they are”, that has been
the popular attitude to the “peacetime” military since  its very beginnings
with little respect shown toward to those who would choose it as career
except in times of national crisis. While this attitude was always less
aimed at the officer than the enlisted man it only began to substantially
change during the Cold War. The issue of social disconnectedness seems to be
rather unfounded in military where the average enlistment time is, I
believe, some four years and would hardly justify the dilution of a highly
trained combat force with unwilling draftees or the strains on society that
it would cause.  Of course it depends whether your goal leans more to combat
effectiveness or instead to social engineering.

                                    Scott McPhail