Should We Bring Back the Draft?

Abstract

The composition of the U.S. military's All-Volunteer Force (AVF) is not representative of the population it defends. But then, neither was the U.S. military during the conscription era; the very well-to-do and the highly educated have always been able to evade the draft. Maintaining freedom of occupational choice and relying on incentives to attract qualified individuals for our national defense is surely the most equitable method of procuring military manpower.

Keywords: draft, walter oi, military service, impressment, kalamata, volunteers, mercentaries, manpower procurement, conscription, AVF, employee compensation, gender, accession, education, income, race, cost of labor, comparison

JEL Classification: D64, J21, J24, J33, J38