Peter Feaver and Heidi A. Urben discuss some of the current challenges facing the US military ranging from recruitment and polarization to politicization of the force.
The 50th anniversary of the All-Volunteer Force has coincided with the most acute recruiting crisis in decades. Each of the services has struggled to meet recruiting goals, but none more so than the Army, which failed to meet its target by 15,000 soldiers, or 25 percent, during fiscal year 2022. The recruiting crisis has combined with politicization of all things related to the military to raise doubts about the long-term viability of the AVF.
This past spring, Feaver and Urben brought together a group of distinguished scholars and practitioners to discuss civil-military relations and the challenges ahead, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the all-volunteer force.