SUSTAIN AND STRENGTHEN THE ALL-VOLUNTEER FORCE,
INCLUDING THE RESERVE AND NATIONAL GUARD
America ended the draft for military service in 1973. We are now an all-volunteer force, and our numbers for the future don't look good. In 1973, there were 2.2 million active duty men and women in the military. Today there are less than 1.3 million, which is less than 0.5% of the American population.
Among enlisted recruits, 43% of men and 56% of women are Hispanic or a racial minority. When the draft ended in 1973, women represented just 2% of the enlisted forces and 8% of the officer corps. Today, those numbers are 16% and 18% respectively, a significant increase.
There are four branches of the U.S. military: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force. With nearly half a million members, the Army is the largest service (471,271), followed by the Navy (320,101), Air Force (313,723), then Marines (183,501).
71% of young people are ineligible to join the military.
CHALLENGE: NO HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA/GED (click here)
CHALLENGE: CRIMINAL RECORD (click here)
CHALLENGE: OBESITY (click here)
Evidence:
George M. Reynolds and Amanda Shendruk. "Demographics of the U.S. Military." Council on Foreign Relations. 24 Apr 2018
Kim Strong. "71% of Young People Are Ineligible For The Military — And Most Careers, Too." 14 May 2019