ABSTRACT
The specter of Vietnam loomed large over discussions about Iraq and Afghanistan—from broad strategic and political questions to the tactical character of the wars on the ground. It has often been observed that it is easier to get into wars than it is to get out of them, and this strikes a resonant chord about Vietnam as well as about Iraq and Afghanistan. The American military of the early twenty-first century was not that of the Vietnam War. Most importantly, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (and in other locations around the world) were fought by an all-volunteer force. While men are still required to register with the Selective Service at 18, the prospect of conscription remains dim and distant. In both Vietnam and in the Overseas Contingency Operations campaigns the relationship between high-level policy and strategy and the war experienced on the ground was complicated.
