ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the complexities of the recruiting situation that faced the Army and focuses on one of the most significant factors in the turnaround—the establishment of the Army College Fund. In describing the recruiting environment of the All-Volunteer Force (AVF) era, one could make a case that there were really four "volunteer armies": the first from 1973 through 1976, the second from 1977 through 1979, the third from 1980 through 1982, and the fourth from 1983 through 1987. Since the end of the military draft and the advent of the AVF in 1973, the Army has had to compete in the labor market for its recruits. Military manpower planners have generally demonstrated little understanding of the role of educational incentives in the enlistment decision during the first two volunteer armies. One of the keys to Army recruiting success was the dual-market strategy, which had at its core an educational benefits program.
