Toward a Consensus on Military Service

Report of the Atlantic Council's Working Group on Military Service

1st Edition - January 1, 1980
Authors: Andrew J. Goodpaster, Lloyd H. Elliott, J. Allan Hovey
Language: English
eBook ISBN:
9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 1 - 3 8 2 4 - 4

Toward a Consensus on Military Service: Report of the Atlantic Council's Working Group on Military Service compiles the work of several authors who are all members of Working Group… Read more

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Toward a Consensus on Military Service: Report of the Atlantic Council's Working Group on Military Service compiles the work of several authors who are all members of Working Group on Military service. Each chapter tackles relevant issues regarding the U.S. peacetime military volunteer force, such as its previous experiences and future prospects. The opening chapter covers the setting, which in turn provides a geopolitical overview of the issues faced by the U.S. military. The next chapter discusses the history of American military recruitment system, from colonial times up to the last draft era. Chapter 3 tackles the present and future of the U.S. security requirements, while the next chapter discusses the concept of an all-volunteer force as well as its implications. The fifth chapter provides an analysis of the experience and prospects of military reserves in the all-volunteer era. Chapter 6 discusses the possible repercussions of an all-volunteer forces as well as the possible remedy of such predicament. Chapter 7 explains several recruitment options for both active and reserve forces, while the Chapter 8 discusses the use of a compulsory military service when an all-volunteer system is proven inadequate. The ninth chapter examines the relationship between how the U.S. military builds up its military manpower and how it affects U.S. society both morally and ethically. The last chapter provides recommendation based on the information inferred from the previous chapter.

List of Figures

List of Tables

Foreword

Preface

Members of the Working Group on Military Service

Additional Participants in the Regional American Assembly

1 The Setting

Challenges to United States Security Interests

How Soviet Policy and Power Affect Us

The Role of Manpower: Keeping the Peace in a Nuclear Age

Differences of Attitudes and Policy Among the Allies

National Security and American Society

2 Military Manpower: The American Experience and The Enduring Debate

Colonial Militia to San Juan Hill

The First Modern Formulations: 1900-1919

Peace, Prosperity, and Depression

The Debates of 1940

War Years

Postwar Debates

Cold War

Vietnam, Draft Reform, and a Campaign Promise

The Volume of Logic

Selected Bibliography

3 U.S. Security Requirements: Missions, Manpower, Readiness, Mobilization, and Projection of Forces

Introduction

Missions

Missions and Manpower

Readiness

Manpower Mobilization

Force Projection

Conclusion

4 The All-Volunteer Force: Status and Prospects of the Active Forces

Introduction

Origins of the All-Volunteer Force

Performance of the All-Volunteer Force

Perceptions and Prospects

Appendix: Methodology for Calculating Revised Category IV Percentages

5 The All-Volunteer Force Today: Mobilization Manpower

Introduction

Selected Reserves: Status and Prospects

The Individual Ready Reserve: Status and Prospects

Selective Service: Status and Prospects

Balance Sheet and Projections

6 Beyond the Marketplace: National Service and the AVF

The All-Volunteer Force: Institution or Occupation

The Consequences of Occupational Military Manpower Policies

The Effect of Occupational Policies on the Career Force

Implications of Occupational Policies for Military Effectiveness

The Context of Long-Term Organizational Adaptation

Provisions of a GI Bill for the AVF

Citizen-Soldier and Professional Soldier: Complementary Roles

A Program for Civilian National Service

7 Peacetime Voluntary Options

Introduction

Long-Term Trends

Three Unresolved Issues

Criteria for the Voluntary Option

Analysis of Criteria

Enlistment Options

Specific Recommendations

In Conclusion

Appendix: The Effects of Shorter Active-Duty Terms of Service

8 Obligatory Service: The Fundamental and Secondary Choices

Introduction

Triggers, Precepts, and Paradoxes

Frailties of Universal Conscription

The Modest Alternatives: A Draft for the Reserves

Conscription for Active Military Service

Terms of an Active-Duty Draft

AGIBill

The Options and the Essential Objective

9 Military Service in American Society

The American "Tradition"

The Contemporary Setting

10 The Policy Paper: Toward a Consensus on Military Service, the Atlantic Council's Working Group on Military Service

Introduction

Defining Today's Security Requirements

The All-Volunteer Experience

The Options

Conclusion: Findings and Recommendations

Appendix I: Comments and Dissents

Appendix II: Tables

Index

About the Co-Chairmen and Rapporteur