America's Army: Making the All-Volunteer Force

by Beth Bailey

Overview

In 1973, not long after the last American combat troops returned from Vietnam, President Nixon fulfilled his campaign promise and ended the draft. No longer would young men find their futures determined by the selective service system; nor would the U.S. military have a guaranteed source of recruits.

America’s Army is the story of the all-volunteer force, from the draft protests and policy proposals of the 1960s through the Iraq War. It is also a history of America in the post-Vietnam era. In the Army, America directly confronted the legacies of civil rights and black power, the women’s movement, and gay rights. The volunteer force raised questions about the meaning of citizenship and the rights and obligations it carries; about whether liberty or equality is the more central American value; what role the military should play in American society not only in time of war, but in time of peace. And as the Army tried to create a volunteer force that could respond effectively to complex international situations, it had to compete with other “employers” in a national labor market and sell military service alongside soap and soft drinks.

Based on exhaustive archival research, as well as interviews with Army officers and recruiters, advertising executives, and policy makers, America’s Army confronts the political, moral, and social issues a volunteer force raises for a democratic society as well as for the defense of our nation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674053526
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	11/01/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
File size:	625 KB

About the Author

Beth Bailey is Foundation Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Kansas.

Table of Contents

Contents Preface 1. Individual Freedom and the Obligations of Citizenship 2. Repairing the Army 3. The Army in the Marketplace 4. Race, “Quality,” and the Hollow Army 5. “If You Like Ms., You’ll Love Pvt.” Gallery 6. The All-Recruited Army 7. The Army as Social Good 8. The Warrior Ethos Abbreviations Notes Acknowledgments Index

What People are Saying About This

Colonel Matthew Moten

America's Army will be indispensable reading for anyone who wants to understand how the modern army works and how this democracy 'provides for the common defense.'
— Colonel Matthew Moten, Professor, United States Military Academy at West Point and author of The Delafield Commission and the American Military Profession

Brian McAllister Linn

An excellent history on a very complicated and controversial topic that deals with such emotional subjects as race, the role of women, and the Army's commitment to combat.
— Brian McAllister Linn, Professor of History, Texas A and M University

Andrew J. Bacevich

Compact, comprehensive, and empathetic, America's Army provides a much-needed account of the all-volunteer army, from its difficult birth after Vietnam down to its challenging present. An important story exceedingly well told.
— Andrew J. Bacevich, author of The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War

Ronald Spector

America's Army will become a major addition to the history of the post-Vietnam armed forces.

— Ronald Spector, Professor of History and International Affairs, The George Washington University

Michael Sherry

The powerful and remarkable story of how the All-Volunteer Force confronted the challenges surrounding race, gender, sexuality and citizenship in creating today's American Army.

— Michael Sherry, author of In the Shadow of War: The United States Since the 1930s

The Honorable Patricia Schroeder

Every American should read Beth Bailey's excellent book on America's Army. It brilliantly charts how the huge shift away from the draft came to be and what we might expect in the future.
— The Honorable Patricia Schroeder, Former Congresswoman, Colorado

Editorial Reviews

In 1973, President Richard Nixon kept a campaign promise and ended the draft, largely in response to public outcry and gross mismanagement in Vietnam. This left the U.S. military without a guaranteed source of recruits; in short, it became an all-volunteer force. Bailey (history, Temple Univ.) presents the story of the VOLAR (volunteer army) from the draft protests of the 1960s through America's engagement in the Iraq War. Such a study of the post-Vietnam era army cannot help but be a study of American society itself, confronted by issues such as civil, gay, and women's rights; the meaning of citizenship; and what the role of the U.S. Army should be in a democratic society today. Bailey's work is recommended for all readers interested in this approach to American studies.

Library Journal

An excellent history on a very complicated and controversial topic that deals with such emotional subjects as race, the role of women, and the Army's commitment to combat.

Brian McAllister Linn

This excellent analytical history is particularly timely. It thoroughly surveys the volunteer force's emergence from the so-called "hollow army" over the past decades, and it analyzes such specific issues as the effect on gender roles of the greater number of women in service, the effect on career patterns due to the absence of a draft, and how to instill the warrior ethos, assuming that that is still necessary in an age of high-tech combat. The ultimate questions raised are whether the all-volunteer force doesn't sacrifice civic responsibility to individual liberty and what the answer to that question implies. Intensely serious, painstakingly thorough, and deserving addition to collections concerned with military and current affairs.

Booklist - Roland Green

Every American should read Beth Bailey's excellent book on America's Army. It brilliantly charts how the huge shift away from the draft came to be and what we might expect in the future.

The Honorable Patricia Schroeder

Beth Bailey has written an accessible and informative history of the [All-Volunteer Force]. It's a valuable reference work for anyone interested in the armed forces. The book has added value today, given the strain under which the military has found itself in fighting lengthy insurgencies in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Washington Times - Doug Bandow

America's Army will be indispensable reading for anyone who wants to understand how the modern army works and how this democracy 'provides for the common defense.'

Colonel Matthew Moten

Compact, comprehensive, and empathetic, America's Army provides a much-needed account of the all-volunteer army, from its difficult birth after Vietnam down to its challenging present. An important story exceedingly well told.

Andrew J. Bacevich

The powerful and remarkable story of how the All-Volunteer Force confronted the challenges surrounding race, gender, sexuality and citizenship in creating today's American Army.

Michael Sherry

America's Army will become a major addition to the history of the post-Vietnam armed forces.

Ronald Spector

This excellent analytical history is particularly timely. It thoroughly surveys the volunteer force's emergence from the so-called "hollow army" over the past decades, and it analyzes such specific issues as the effect on gender roles of the greater number of women in service, the effect on career patterns due to the absence of a draft, and how to instill the warrior ethos, assuming that that is still necessary in an age of high-tech combat. The ultimate questions raised are whether the all-volunteer force doesn't sacrifice civic responsibility to individual liberty and what the answer to that question implies. Intensely serious, painstakingly thorough, and deserving addition to collections concerned with military and current affairs.
— Roland Green

Booklist

Beth Bailey has written an accessible and informative history of the [All-Volunteer Force]. It's a valuable reference work for anyone interested in the armed forces. The book has added value today, given the strain under which the military has found itself in fighting lengthy insurgencies in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
— Doug Bandow

Washington Times