Accession Number:

AD0744039

Title:

Characteristics of 18-Year Old Enlistees Who Enter the Air Force before Becoming Draft-Eligible,

Descriptive Note:

Corporate Author:

AIR FORCE HUMAN RESOURCES LAB LACKLAND AFB TEX PERSONNEL DIV

Personal Author(s):

Report Date:

1972-02-01

Pagination or Media Count:

15.0

Abstract:

While it is recognized that the major portion of all first-term enlistees are strongly motivated to enter the service as a function of their draft vulnerability, a large percentage of young men enlist in the United States Air Force before they become subject to the draft. In this study, 18-year-old enlistees, born in 1951, who entered the Air Force after July 1, 1970 the day on which they received their draft lottery number for 1971, were categorized into three groups defined in terms of their probable vulnerability for the 1971 draft i.e., high, moderate, and low vulnerability. In general, the data suggest that enlistment of the 18-year-olds in 1970 was related to their status in the 1971 draft lottery. Further, comparisons on education, race, and aptitude test performance revealed patterns similar to those found in a study of 19-through-26-year-old airmen categorized by draft vulnerability. Implications of the findings for an all-volunteer force include an expected decrease in the educational and aptitude levels of enlistees, the greater difficulty in filling high-aptitude enlistment quotas and an increase in the proportion of Negro enlistees. Author

Descriptors:

Subject Categories:

  • Humanities and History

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE


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