U.S. will never institute another draft. We have to support our volunteer military. | Opinion

Pres. Joe Biden issued a statement on July 1 commemorating a 50th anniversary little reported by mainstream media. On that date in 1973, the nation instituted the all-volunteer military force (AVF), effectively ending the draft.

About 16 million young men were inducted from WWI through the Vietnam War, a period of just over a half century. In his statement the president praised roughly the same number of men and women who have voluntarily committed themselves in the half century hence to risk their lives in service to their country.

The draft revocation was significant to millions of young men facing the possibility, and probability in wartime, of compulsory military service. It also placed an onerous burden on the armed forces to recruit and train qualified people. And that challenge has perhaps never been greater than now.

Earlier this year the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), the leading advocate on Capitol Hill for military benefits and entitlements, published a research paper citing some alarming data leading to the current recruiting crisis:

▪ More than 1 in 3 young adults ages 17-24 are too heavy to serve.

▪ Among the young adults who meet the weight requirements, only 3 in 4 report physical activity levels that would prepare them for basic training.

▪ Consequently, only 2 in 5 young adults are both weight eligible and adequately active to meet minimum standards.

▪ Other reasons for ineligibility include records of criminal or drug abuse or educational deficits.

MOAA has condensed the military recruiting dilemma into a telling graphic which illustrates that out of 31.8 million adults of recruiting age:

▪ only 9.1 million can meet the minimum physical standards;

▪ only 4.4 million of those meet the academic requirements;

▪ and only 465,000 of those have a propensity to volunteer.

Among the five U.S. military services, the Army alone has stated a requirement for 485,000 new recruits in FY 2023, a goal its leaders admit they do not expect to meet. Among the other services, only the Marine Corps anticipates it will achieve its recruiting goal of 29,000 new Marines.

Does this crisis foretell a movement to restore conscription? Probably not. MOAA calls the AVF “our national strategic advantage.” While the U. S. isn’t appreciated in some parts of the globe, our armed forces are not only widely respected, but among potential aggressors, feared. Not because of our technology and weapons systems. But because of our warriors.

Media reports of rare misbehavior by individual service members far outweigh the coverage of their remarkable accomplishments in peacetime and on the battlefield. Unlike during the Vietnam War, public criticism of foreign policy decisions that propel our nation into war rarely reflects negatively on the reputation of the extraordinary young men and women who volunteer to serve as our fighters.

Restoring the draft in the U. S. would be about as successful as reviving Prohibition.

Rather than do away with the AVF, Congress must sustain it by promising potential qualified recruits:

▪ Competitive pay and benefits to attract them to volunteer to serve in an inherently risky profession;

▪ a force in which young families won’t face food insecurity;

▪ and adequate housing and supportive community services, particularly while separated during long, dangerous deployments.

Individual citizens need to do more than extend a heartfelt “thank you for your service” greeting to a service member or veteran. They need to familiarize themselves with Congressional bills that would affect military benefits and entitlements. They need to let their representatives in Washington know that while there are many competing priorities in the deficit reduction battle, our military men and women and their families are top priority.

This will go far more toward recruiting qualified young people than any poster or slogan. It isn’t just about helping recruiters. It’s a matter of national security.

John Shotwell, Ph.D., is a retired USMC colonel, a Vietnam and Desert Storm combat veteran, and a member of the Kentucky Veterans Hall of Fame.