Structural Change in the U.S. Army

Abstract

Abstract : A series of theoretical and empirical analyses were undertaken to determine changes in the structure of military organization, the nature of military service, and the relationship between military organization and society since the advent of the all-volunteer force. We found that the structure of job- related attitudes among soldiers in the 1970s is similar to that among soldiers in the 1940s. The level of satisfaction, however, is lower today than it was during World War II. As was the case in World War II, black junior enlisted men today have somewhat higher job satisfaction than do white junior enlisted men. Military personnel in the all-volunteer force define what constitutes a good job much like their civilian counterparts. Thus, military service has become a job as well as a calling to many. This fact is also reflected in the attitudes that high school seniors have toward military service, with notable variations on the basis of gender and of race. Many of the traditional linkages between the military establishment and American society have been disrupted by the ending of conscription and the advent of the all-volunteer force, and there is evidence that career personnel retain few ties to the civilian community.