ABSTRACT
In 1970, the President’s Commission on an all-volunteer armed force delivered its report to the President of the United States, Richard Nixon. The Commission was tasked to evaluate the feasibility and desirability of replacing conscription with an all-volunteer armed force. In the report, better known as the Gates Commission due to the leadership of former Secretary of Defense Thomas Gates, the members of the Commission stated, “We unanimously believe that the nation’s interests will be better served by an all-volunteer force, supported by an effective stand-by draft.” They added, “We have satisfied ourselves that a volunteer force will not jeopardize national security, and we believe it will have a beneficial effect on the military as well as the rest of our society” (Gates 1970: iii).
