Managing the all-volunteer force in a time of war
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15355/epsj.2.1.20Abstract
After a rocky start to the volunteer military in the late 1970s, since 1980 the United States military services have met or exceeded their recruiting and retention goals in most years and have done so at reasonable cost. The ongoing conflict in Iraq is the U.S. military's first protracted conflict since the inception of the volunteer force and raises questions about its impacts on recruiting, retention, and cost. This article briefly examines the effects of the war on recruiting, retention, and cost and studies ways of expanding the size of the active Army force, including a return to conscription.References
Asch, B., J. Hosek, and J. Warner. 2007. “The New Economics of Manpower in the Post-Cold War Era,” in K. Hartley and T. Sandler, eds. Handbook of Defense Economics, volume 2. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Bicksler, B., C. Gilroy, and J. Warner. 2004. The All-Volunteer Force: Thirty Years of Service. Washington, DC: Brassey’s.
Bicksler, B. and L. Nolan. 2006. Recruiting an All-Volunteer Force: The Need for Sustained Investment in Recruiting Resources. Washington, DC: Strategic Analysis, Inc.
Gilroy, C. 2006. Recruiting an All-Volunteer Force: What Does Enlistment Supply Look Like? Briefing dated 2 November. Washington, DC: Office of the Undersecretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness).
Poutvaara, P. and A. Wagener. 2007. “Conscription: Economic Costs and Political Allure.” Economics of Peace and Security Journal, Vol. 2, No.1, pp. 6-15.
United States Congressional Budget Office. 2006. Recruiting, Retention, and Future Levels of Military Personnel. Publication 2777. Washington, DC: Congressional Budget Office.
Warner, J. and B. Asch. 1995. “The Economics of Military Manpower,” pp. 347-398 in K. Hartley and T. Sandler, eds. Handbook of Defense Economics, volume 1. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Warner, J. and B. Asch. 2001. “The Record and Prospects of the All-Volunteer Military in the United States.” Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 15, pp. 169-192.
Warner, J. and S. Negrusa. 2005. “Evasion Costs and the Theory of Conscription.” Defence and Peace Economics, Vol. 16, pp. 83-100.
Warner, J., C. Simon, and D. Payne. 2001. Enlistment Supply in the 1990s: A Study of the Navy College Fund and Other Enlistment Incentive Programs. Report No. 2000-015. Arlington, VA: Defense Manpower Data Center.
Warner, J., C. Simon, and D. Payne. 2003. “The Military Recruiting Productivity Slowdown: the Roles of Resources, Opportunity Cost, and Tastes of Youth.” Defence and Peace Economics, Vol. 14, pp. 329-334.
