Is the all-volunteer force sustainable?
01-28-2023, 05:51 AM
#1
Perennial Reserve
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Joined APC: Jan 2018
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Is the all-volunteer force sustainable?
With recruiting dropping, and fewer and fewer either willing or fit to serve, it’s become a legitimate question.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/art...te_878344.html
01-28-2023, 07:23 AM
#2
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2022
Posts: 263
There are some things they could do to up recruitment without needing to draft. I am curious, has this topic been brought up in recent history? Were any of these articles popping up in the early 2000s with the Iraq War on the horizon. Was lack of manpower a concern?
01-28-2023, 07:55 AM
#3
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Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
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Originally Posted by PipeMan
There are some things they could do to up recruitment without needing to draft.
You might be surprised what appeals to kids these days... my buddy's daughter just got commissioned, good rank at the academy, and she went into some kind of cyber specialty. Now my kid's interested in that too. Both of our families are multi-generation line officer warfighters and the kids want to do computer stuff
They are looking at liberalizing facial hair rules, and presumably tattoos as well.
Originally Posted by PipeMan
I am curious, has this topic been brought up in recent history? Were any of these articles popping up in the early 2000s with the Iraq War on the horizon. Was lack of manpower a concern?
Initially they had no shortage because of 9/11.. people were really pizzed off. As OEF/OF dragged into a protracted ground war, the Army especially had some recruiting challenges... that happens in every modern era ground war. In fairness even the folks in WWII were back home and mustered out in four years.
01-28-2023, 01:38 PM
#4
Perennial Reserve
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Originally Posted by rickair7777
In fairness even the folks in WWII were back home and mustered out in four years.
Meanwhile, the new German Defense Minister appears to have gotten religion:
The 100 billion euro special fund for Armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr) "will not be enough" to achieve the objectives for which it was established following the war waged by Russia against Ukraine. This was stated by the German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, during an interview he gave to the newspaper "Sueddeutsche Zeitung". Pistorius added that “every new system comes with new maintenance costs, with every new device there are new and higher running costs”. The exponent of the German Social Democratic Party then judged the 50 billion euro defense budget insufficient.
Meanwhile, as highlighted by Pistorius, the Bundeswehr urgently needs supplies to fill the shortages of weapons and materials, aggravated by aid to Ukraine such as the Leopard 2A6 tanks. In this regard, the German Defense Minister observed that armored vehicles "are not found to be taken away on a shelf" and "ammunition does not grow on trees, waiting to be collected". Germany will not be able to fix the shortcomings of the Bundeswehr in the short term. In the medium and long term, Pistorius pointed out, "we should set up a European arms industry that can do it". Furthermore, "weapons systems standardized in Europe" should be achieved.
Germany's suspension of compulsory military service in 2011 was "a mistake," Pistorius later said. The minister added that conscription is also important for creating a strong link between civil society and the Armed Forces (Bundeswehr). Now, finally underlined the exponent of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SpD), the goal is to make the Bundeswehr "so attractive that good young people are interested and apply" for enlistment
Meanwhile, as highlighted by Pistorius, the Bundeswehr urgently needs supplies to fill the shortages of weapons and materials, aggravated by aid to Ukraine such as the Leopard 2A6 tanks. In this regard, the German Defense Minister observed that armored vehicles "are not found to be taken away on a shelf" and "ammunition does not grow on trees, waiting to be collected". Germany will not be able to fix the shortcomings of the Bundeswehr in the short term. In the medium and long term, Pistorius pointed out, "we should set up a European arms industry that can do it". Furthermore, "weapons systems standardized in Europe" should be achieved.
Germany's suspension of compulsory military service in 2011 was "a mistake," Pistorius later said. The minister added that conscription is also important for creating a strong link between civil society and the Armed Forces (Bundeswehr). Now, finally underlined the exponent of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SpD), the goal is to make the Bundeswehr "so attractive that good young people are interested and apply" for enlistment
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