Why America Should Keep an All-Volunteer Military Force
Denny R. Davies
Security, Americas
The AVF has served us well for the last half-century and will continue to grant the American people complete faith and confidence in their volunteer defenders for decades to come.
In June of 2010, my C-130J aircrew and I were on final approach for Kabul International Airport in Afghanistan. It turned out to be the most difficult approach of my nineteen-year Air Force career. We were landing directly to the west during sunset, causing a complete solar wash-out of our see-through heads-up displays. Moreover, the infamous gusty Kabul crosswinds forced me to “maximize” the ranges of the flight controls just to keep the airplane descending toward the runway in a straight line.
Further complicating this mission were the presence of VIPs in the back of our plane. Our passengers included General Stanley McChrystal, Commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan; Karl Eikenberry, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan; Mark Sedwill, United Kingdom Ambassador to Afghanistan; Richard Holbrooke, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and the U.S. Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan; and six additional dignitaries from the U.S. and Afghanistan. These men were returning from a shura (socio-political consultation) with tribal elders in another province.
The war’s entire “senior brain trust” inhabited our C-130, and that fact induced additional aircrew stress. Immediately upon landing in Kabul, McChrystal would switch planes to depart for Washington, D.C. The pressure was extremely high to quickly—and safely—land our aircraft.
Despite spotty radio contact with Kabul tower, my copilot received the notification we sought at the last possible second: the winds were exactly at our upper crosswind limit, and we were legal to land. The rest of the approach was a beautiful chorus of timely aircrew checklist responses, copilot instrumentation readouts, and precise radio communication, freeing me to focus on a successful landing.
Upon taxiing to our parking spot, we offloaded McChrystal for his follow-on flight to Washington. Unbeknownst to us at the time, once in D.C., President Barack Obama relieved McChrystal and appointed General David Petraeus to run the war in Afghanistan. This internationally-newsworthy wartime senior leader change resulted from derogatory comments made by McChrystal and his staff about Obama administration officials to Rolling Stone magazine. Lost in the minutiae of the larger media story was McChrystal’s “routine” final flight into Kabul—a flight about which nobody would ever hear or read about, know, or even care.
That stressful flight became an untold success story for one reason: the trust engendered between four individuals forming one C-130 aircrew, members of an all-volunteer U.S. military and the most highly-trained U.S. Air Force in history. Each aircrew member raised their right hand of their own volition, swore an oath to support and defend the U.S. Constitution, and successfully completed years of intense military and flight training to arrive at our (ultimately) unremarkable “moment in history.” These volunteer defenders of freedom and liberty earned my unconditional confidence, allowing us to safely land our aircraft during a wildly difficult final approach.
The modern all-volunteer force, or AVF, originated in 1973 under the Nixon administration, at the recommendation of the Gates Commission. Emerging from the Vietnam War, a natural post-war force reduction presented an acceptable cost opportunity to introduce an AVF construct. For nearly fifty years, the AVF has thrived during both peacetime and conflict. Despite periodic challenges with budget, available recruit supply, retention, and two lengthy wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the AVF’s focus on garnering quality personnel through dynamic recruitment and retention programs has served our Nation’s interests and re-instilled public trust in the military following the Vietnam War.
During periods of high recruitment opportunities (usually correlated with a weak job market), the AVF allows some selectivity of new military members, bolstering a higher-quality Force. Likewise, during periods of low recruitment (typically associated with a booming economy and stronger job market), educational inducements, robust “boots-on-the-ground” recruiting efforts, strategic advertising, and an emphasis on diverse military career opportunities draw sufficient numbers to voluntarily fill-out the ranks. Once an enlistment or service commitment concludes, bonuses often directly enhance retention of experienced military members, as needed.
Perhaps the most significant, yet intangible benefit of an AVF involves the “day one” faith and confidence inherently instilled within one’s fellow Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, and Guardians. An AVF sets an immediate baseline of kinship from which trust can be nurtured. This foundation cannot be duplicated via a draft or mandatory service requirement. When I look at my fellow aircrew, I know every one of them raised their right hand free from forced obligation. They volunteered to be part of something bigger than themselves and give their lives, if necessary, in defense of our great Country. Without a spoken word, I know my fellow Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Airman, or Guardian is prepared to sacrifice their life for mine and vice versa. This is the ultimate legacy of the AVF.
Voices throughout academia and government have long called for the implementation of mandatory national service requirements for U.S. citizens. In 2014, McChrystal himself suggested mandatory national service would “…create a new rite of passage into adulthood and forge a renewed sense of citizenship.” During the last presidential election’s primary season, candidate Pete Buttigieg suggested a year in national service could become, “…if not legally obligatory…certainly a social norm.” While further encouraging voluntary service in other national organizations or agencies may produce positive outcomes for the Nation, mandatory military service should not be included in this discussion. Besides the expected decrease in Force quality and unsustainable cost of training newcomers for short commitments, once the AVF is breached, cracks in the foundation of trust will begin to form, resulting in a less-confident military taking the battlefield. The trust amongst my aircrew members had to be thoroughly inculcated on day one; the enemy does not grant “practice time” on the battlefield or in contested airspace. The AVF creates the foundation for trust to grow, and superior military training reinforces it.
While continuing the AVF is crucial to our future military success, we must keep a watchful eye for systemic difficulties that arise. For example, due primarily to health reasons, the pool of eighteen to twenty-four-year-old individuals eligible for initial military service continues to shrink. Furthermore, the struggle to fund both a high-quality force and modern weapons systems with sufficient operational support will continue to challenge senior military leaders and Congressional appropriators. Though complicated, we must repeatedly endeavor to find creative solutions to these and other issues while maintaining the AVF construct. U.S. citizens rightfully demand a supremely-educated, highly-trained, eminently-ready, professional military. This Force must remain capable of defending the Homeland and our allies and partners, deterring adversaries from aggression, sustaining a competitive military advantage in support of a free and open international order, and defeating both state and non-state actors. The AVF remains the single-greatest tool to accomplish these objectives while sustaining the public’s trust in our institution.
I am proud of every aircrew member I had the privilege of leading into combat. They operated with poise, confidence, and extreme competence during sometimes harrowing circumstances. While that difficult approach into Kabul airport will always be seared into my memory, so will the incredible work ethic of fellow U.S. military volunteers in dozens of similarly strenuous situations, including here at home during the January 6 U.S. Capitol events and the days that followed. The AVF has served us well for the last half-century and will continue to grant the American people complete faith and confidence in their volunteer defenders for decades to come.
Lieutenant Colonel Denny R. Davies, United States Air Force, is a National Security Affairs Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. A former C-130 squadron commander, he has deployed six times in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.
Image: Reuters.