Military Gap Essay

Despite America’s continuing involvement in Afghanistan, the longest armed conflict in American history, the military a smaller proportion of American population; it is also becoming more isolated. Currently, about 0.5% of Americans have served in the military in the past decade, and up to 80% of those serving come from families in which either a parent or sibling served. Furthermore, 49% of the military is concentrated in five states: California, Virginia, Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia. This gap is creating a warrior class, which is a multi-faceted problem that affects national security by hampering military readiness and diversity as well as increasing the distance between the general population and individual service members and apathy …show more content…
The first is the end of the draft in 1973 and the institution of an all-volunteer military. The draft attempted to draw from all segments of the US population, creating a more diverse military than today. During the Vietnam War, only 25% of service members were draftees (compared with 66% of WWII service members), but almost one in ten members of that generation were veterans. This leads to a group of civilians who is much more likely to interact with veterans on a day-to-day basis. There are two generations between those who have served in the Vietnam War and those who are joining the military during the War on Terrorism. The end of the draft might be responsible the fact that military service is becoming increasingly more concentrated in families. Those who have not had exposure to the military are less likely to pursue a military career, and often may become apathetic towards or fearful of the military. The second factor is a fundamental change in how wars are fought. Technology has made it possible to fight wars with small units rather than using massive land forces. Fewer forces are needed, recruiting efforts have dwindled, and fewer people who do not come from military families are even introduced to the idea of a military