What is truly sur-
egories (CAT I and II) and the upper half of
ception that the United States was losing the
CAT III. The armed forces will accept a few
Cold War and even becoming impotent
prising about the
CAT IVs but try to limit them to, at most,
because its armed forces were unable to con-
Hollow Force is
1015 percent--and usually then only if they
duct successful military operations. The
not how bad it
are high school graduates. A new ASVAB in
changes in the international environment
the mid-1970s miscategorized people. The
were an increased Soviet presence around the
was but how
miscategorization was not noticed until
world, the emergence of "Eurocommunism"
quickly the
1979. Instead of only 1015 percent CAT IVs,
in many West European countries, the Soviet
situation was
the military found that it had more than 40
invasion of Afghanistan, and the Iranian
percent in some units.31 Combined with
hostage situation that paralyzed the Carter
corrected.
administration and was capped off by the
other problems in the 1970s, this caused
botched Desert One rescue attempt. Desert
major difficulties and contributed to the
One seemed to epitomize the Hollow Force.
Hollow Force.
By 1980 the common perception in many
Decreasing Defense Budgets. In the 1970s
press accounts was that the U.S. military was
decreasing real defense spending without
becoming "the gang that could not shoot
concomitant reductions in forces com-
straight."
pounded the other problems. Although the
Carter administration is often blamed for the
A Broader Look
cuts, they began with Nixon after the with-
While the 1970s were certainly not the
drawal from Vietnam and continued during
best of times, they were not the worst of times
the Ford administration.
either. During that period substantial num-
Erosion of Pay. The late 1970s was a time of
bers of weapons were procured. New systems
high, double-digit inflation that not only cut
were introduced, such as the Air Force's F-15
into defense procurement but came at a time
and F-16 aircraft and the Navy's F-14 aircraft,
when the all-volunteer force was just getting
which are still considered the premier aircraft
under way. With the draft gone, one of the
in the world. More important for readiness, a
major incentives needed for an all-volunteer
slow revolution had been under way during
force was increased pay. Yet pay raises were
the 1970s that ironically came to fruition
only single digit. In some cases, soldiers and
around 1980--the time of the Desert One res-
their families had to go on food stamps to
cue attempt and General Meyer's remarks
make ends meet.
about the Hollow Force. That is why it is nec-
Readiness. Looking more closely at the fac-
essary to take a broader look at the Hollow
tors that actually created the Hollow Force
Force. What is truly surprising about the
illustrates the problems with measuring
Hollow Force is not how bad it was but how
readiness. Although the readiness of the force
quickly the situation was corrected. And the
had deteriorated, the Hollow Force was really
main factors behind the corrections had little
due to a combination of factors. Drugs, racial
to do with more funding.
tensions, the miscategorization of mental
Increased Leadership. Probably the most
groups, the inflation of the late 1970s, and
important factor that ended the Hollow
other factors led to the major problems of
Force and increased readiness was simple,
inexperienced and unqualified people of
old-fashioned good leadership. The military
which General Meyer had originally com-
had learned lessons from Vietnam. While on
plained. And declining real defense budgets
the surface the problems that contributed to
without concomitant reductions in forces led
the Hollow Force persisted, beneath there
to the empty bins.
was a revolution in attitude and training that
In addition to the military factors that led
came to fruition around the same time
to the Hollow Force, several developments in
General Meyer made his famous statement.
the international environment formed its
That view is shared by most experts who have
context. Those developments led to the per-
11