Together with its allies, America accounts for roughly 80 percent of the globe's military outlays. Allied states like France are abandoning conscription. Still, advocates of conscription point, among other things, to poor recruiting results. In 1999 every service aside from the Marines had a difficult time. Moreover, the services are losing pilots and other selected skill grades, such as computer technicians.
Critics also lament the expense of recruiting new soldiers.
Yet the military's problem is not inadequate recruits, but inadequate quality recruits. The Pentagon could solve its recruiting problems tomorrow if it simply lowered its standards modestly to those of a conscript military. That would leave the AVF with a far higher quality force than during the draft era. The AVF attracts superior personnel for two important reasons. Moreover, a volunteer military draws people who want to be there, creating a dramatically different and more positive dynamic compared to a conscript army.