I entered miltary service voluntarily in 1967, the height of the draft. I then served until 1984. This was a transition period - the end of the Viet Nam war, the end of the draft (it finally ended in 1977), and a general downsizing of the numbers of people in uniform. I can say, without question, that one great benefit of an all-volunteer military service was a vast improvement in quality and effectiveness of the average soldier. Today's military members are fewer, but they are better educated, better trained, and better motivated than their 1960s counterparts.
I entered miltary service voluntarily in 1967, the height of the draft. I then served until 1984. This was a transition period - the end of the Viet Nam war, the end of the draft (it finally ended in 1977), and a general downsizing of the numbers of people in uniform. I can say, without question, that one great benefit of an all-volunteer military service was a vast improvement in quality and effectiveness of the average soldier. Today's military members are fewer, but they are better educated, better trained, and better motivated than their 1960s counterparts.