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Milton Friedman on The draft and the volunteer army

Because of the draft, first-termers have consistently been shortchanged. From 1952 to 1965 there were no pay raises at all for enlisted men in the first two years of service. As a result, first-term enlisted men now receive not much more than half the amount that they could earn as civilians. In sharp contrast, enlisted men with more service and officers above the first two grades receive as much as or more than they could earn. This was and is a glaring and completely unjustifiable inequity. It was and is a major obstacle to recruiting volunteers.

Context. From a September 1971 Newsweek column on the House-Senate conference report on the bill to extend the draft and pave the way for an all-volunteer armed force, written while the Senate had yet to vote on it. The conference had cut the pay raises for first-term enlisted men and officers below both the House and Senate bills.

The Draft Uncompromise
Column, 1971, Newsweek, September 6, 1971; reprinted in the Congressional Record, Extensions of Remarks, September 8, 1971, p. 31094, introduced by Representative William A. Steiger of Wisconsin under the header “[From Newsweek Magazine, Sept. 6, 1971]”, Congressional Record, September 8, 1971, p. 31094
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Milton Friedman, “The Draft Uncompromise” (Newsweek, September 6, 1971; reprinted in the Congressional Record, Extensions of Remarks, September 8, 1971, p. 31094, introduced by Representative William A. Steiger of Wisconsin under the header “[From Newsweek Magazine, Sept. 6, 1971]”, 1971), Congressional Record, September 8, 1971, p. 31094. https://miltonfriedman.org/quotes/because-of-draft-first-termers-shortchanged-1971

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  1. Because of the draft, first-termers have consistently been shortchanged. From 1952 to 1965 there were no pay raises at all for enlisted men in the first two years of service. As a result, first-term enlisted men now receive not much more than half the amount that they could earn as civilians. In sharp contrast, enlisted men with more service and officers above the first two grades receive as much as or more than they could earn. This was and is a glaring and completely unjustifiable inequity. It was and is a major obstacle to recruiting volunteers.

    Context. From a September 1971 Newsweek column on the House-Senate conference report on the bill to extend the draft and pave the way for an all-volunteer armed force, written while the Senate had yet to vote on it.

    The Draft Uncompromise
    Column, 1971, Newsweek, September 6, 1971; reprinted in the Congressional Record, Extensions of Remarks, September 8, 1971, p. 31094, introduced by Representative William A. Steiger of Wisconsin under the header “[From Newsweek Magazine, Sept. 6, 1971]”, Congressional Record, September 8, 1971, p. 31094
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  2. This seemingly minor reduction is critical because, compared with the Senate bill, the reduction is entirely at the expense of first-term enlisted men and officers.

    Context. From a September 1971 Newsweek column on the House-Senate conference report on the bill to extend the draft and pave the way for an all-volunteer armed force, written while the Senate had yet to vote on it. “This seemingly minor reduction” is the conference’s $2.4 billion a year in pay raises, against $2.7 billion in the House bill and $2.8 billion in the Senate bill. He argues that first-termers have been underpaid because of the draft, a major obstacle to recruiting volunteers, so that this cut would seriously hamper an all-volunteer force.

    The Draft Uncompromise
    Column, 1971, Newsweek, September 6, 1971; reprinted in the Congressional Record, Extensions of Remarks, September 8, 1971, p. 31094, introduced by Representative William A. Steiger of Wisconsin under the header “[From Newsweek Magazine, Sept. 6, 1971]”, Congressional Record, September 8, 1971, p. 31094
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  3. An all-volunteer force of equal effectiveness has less turnover and uses manpower more efficiently. As a result, it requires recruiting each year about 325,000 enlisted men, or only 75,000 in addition to the present number of true volunteers.

    Context. Friedman served on the President’s Commission on an All-Volunteer Armed Force (the Gates Commission), which unanimously recommended a plan to let conscription end on June 30, 1971, when the existing draft authority expired, keeping only a standby draft for emergencies. He compares a mixed force of 2.5 million men, which needs about 440,000 recruits a year, at least 250,000 of them true volunteers even at the low first-term pay of the time, leaving 190,000 to be conscripted or induced to volunteer by the threat of the draft.

    The End of the Draft?
    Column, 1970, Newsweek (1970); reprinted in full in the Congressional Record, Extensions of Remarks, March 20, 1970, p. 8443, introduced by Representative William A. Steiger as one of “two recent articles on the volunteer army which were published in Newsweek.” The bracketed header “[From Newsweek, Mar. 23, 1970]” stands above the Stewart Alsop column printed first; this column carries no date of its own in the reprint, Congressional Record, March 20, 1970, p. 8443
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