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An All-Volunteer Army? Recruitment and its Problems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2007

Lawrence J. Korb  and
Sean E. Duggan
Lawrence J. Korb
Affiliation:
Center for American Progress
Sean E. Duggan
Affiliation:
Center for American Progress
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Extract

The current condition of Army manpower, like the situation in Iraq, is grave and deteriorating. The January 2007 decision by the George W. Bush administration to send additional ground combat and support troops to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has thrown the Army's manpower shortages into stark relief. This latest escalation, however, not only runs the risk of breaking the all-volunteer Army but also undermines our national security. Several questions must therefore be addressed: Is an all-volunteer Army desirable? What are the current difficulties facing Army recruitment and retention? What consequences have the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan had on the service? Before engaging a more substantive discussion which includes the present demographics of the force and the recruitment process, one point should be made clear. We believe the all-volunteer model is the right one and should be maintained if at all possible.

Type
SYMPOSIUM
Information
PS: Political Science & Politics , Volume 40 , Issue 3 , July 2007 , pp. 467 - 471
Copyright
© 2007 The American Political Science Association

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