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Title: The All-Volunteer Force: An Analysis of Youth Participation, Attrition, and Reenlistment
Resulting in 1 citation.
1. Kim, Choongsoo
Nestel, Gilbert
Phillips, Robert L.
Borus, Michael E.
The All-Volunteer Force: An Analysis of Youth Participation, Attrition, and Reenlistment
Report, Columbus OH: Center for Human Resource Research, The Ohio State University, 1980
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Center for Human Resource Research
Keyword(s): All-Volunteer Force (AVF); Military Enlistment; Military Recruitment; Military Service; Veterans

This report presents preliminary cross-tabular analyses of the first round of the NLSY79. The characteristics of youth who were serving in the All-Volunteer Force (AVF), the quality of their military employment experiences, and their intentions to reenlist are discussed. The post-service status of former enlistees is also explored. Youth who had never served provide a reference group for these analyses. The final chapter profiles the never-served youth with strong incentives to enlist. Separate analyses for males and females and for the different racial groups are provided and differences noted when significant. Despite the fact the Armed Forces are a "volunteer" force, presumably competing in the labor market and paying competitive wages and salaries, it is clear that the employment opportunities offered by the services are dramatically affected by public policy decisions. As a generalization, minorities and females have a better relative chance in the military than outside as judged by preferences for enlistment and the patterns of retention of these within the services. If market forces were allowed to prevail, there is no doubt that the percentage of blacks in the military would increase. The "black" share is reduced by "rationing" so that relatively more qualified blacks are hired. Similarly, opportunities within the military are arbitrarily restricted so that women have to meet higher standards to enter than do men.
Bibliography Citation
Kim, Choongsoo, Gilbert Nestel, Robert L. Phillips and Michael E. Borus. "The All-Volunteer Force: An Analysis of Youth Participation, Attrition, and Reenlistment." Report, Columbus OH: Center for Human Resource Research, The Ohio State University, 1980.