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Milton Friedman on The draft and the volunteer army

The fact is that the volunteer force is working extremely well. The average score of recruits on mental-aptitude tests is far higher today than it was under the draft. Quality has risen and every service has been able to meet its over-all quotas. There are some difficult areas, particularly in the medical services and in the reserve forces.

Context. From a 1979 Newsweek column answering a new campaign to restore the draft, six years after conscription ended, written as a former member of the Gates Commission on an all-volunteer armed force. The column goes on to take up the medical services and the reserves, in passages quoted separately.

Don’t Draft GI Joe
Column, 1979, Newsweek, April 16, 1979; reprinted in the Congressional Record, Extensions of Remarks, April 24, 1979, p. 8489, introduced by Representative Ron Paul of Texas under the header “[From the Newsweek magazine, Apr. 16, 1979]”, Congressional Record, April 24, 1979, p. 8489
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Cite this passage

Milton Friedman, “Don’t Draft GI Joe” (Newsweek, April 16, 1979; reprinted in the Congressional Record, Extensions of Remarks, April 24, 1979, p. 8489, introduced by Representative Ron Paul of Texas under the header “[From the Newsweek magazine, Apr. 16, 1979]”, 1979), Congressional Record, April 24, 1979, p. 8489. https://miltonfriedman.org/quotes/volunteer-force-working-extremely-well-1979

Quoted for commentary and research. Rights in the underlying work remain with its rights holder, so cite the work itself, not only this page.

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He also said

  1. The often hysterical claims that an all-volunteer force is undesirable because it would be all black or all this or all that or because it would strengthen militarism or because … all these claims are contradicted by one simple yet overwhelmingly important fact: our armed forces today consist predominantly 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. The next paragraph puts true volunteers at “at least 60 per cent” of the armed forces.

    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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  2. The Air Force, Navy and, to a lesser extent, the Marines have had no significant problems. On the contrary, they not only have met their quotas but also have raised the average quality of the enlisted force.

    Context. From a 1974 Newsweek column answering press reports, a year after conscription ended, that the all-volunteer armed force was failing. The passage is about recruiting since conscription ended.

    Volunteer Armed Force: Failure or Victim?
    Column, 1974, Newsweek, February 11, 1974; reprinted in the Congressional Record, Extensions of Remarks, February 27, 1974, p. 4572, introduced by Representative William A. Steiger of Wisconsin, who cites it as appearing “in the February 11 Newsweek”, Congressional Record, February 27, 1974, p. 4572
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  3. The problem of reserve forces is more difficult but hardly insoluble. In any event, despite the difficulties, the reserves now in existence are in far better condition to contribute quickly and effectively to our military effort than the reserves were under the draft, when they were manned primarily by men seeking to avoid the draft.

    Context. From a 1979 Newsweek column answering a new campaign to restore the draft, six years after conscription ended, written as a former member of the Gates Commission on an all-volunteer armed force.

    Don’t Draft GI Joe
    Column, 1979, Newsweek, April 16, 1979; reprinted in the Congressional Record, Extensions of Remarks, April 24, 1979, p. 8489, introduced by Representative Ron Paul of Texas under the header “[From the Newsweek magazine, Apr. 16, 1979]”, Congressional Record, April 24, 1979, p. 8489
    Checked against the sourceRead the original

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