WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today issued a message to the men and women of the Defense Department to mark the 40th anniversary of the nation’s all-volunteer force.
Here is the text of the secretary's message:
Forty years ago today, the Department of Defense implemented one of the most consequential and far-reaching changes in the history of America's armed forces with the establishment of the all-volunteer force.
In commemorating the birth of our modern military, we recognize and thank the millions of men and women and their families who have served our country – on active duty, in the reserves, and in the National Guard.
Skeptics and detractors claimed an all-volunteer force could not be sustained, but these remarkable Americans proved otherwise. They helped win the Cold War, stood against aggression in the Persian Gulf, kept peace in the Balkans, and put their lives on the line in Iraq and Afghanistan in the years since 9/11.
They choose to serve our country because they believe in a cause that is bigger than themselves. They've always put the interests of the nation first, as have their families. It's because of their sense of duty that the American military remains the most trusted institution in our society today.
Our all-volunteer force faces challenges. It will need to rebalance, adapt, and evolve, as it has over the last 40 years. America's all-volunteer force will continue to make our military the strongest, most capable, and most respected fighting force in the history of the world.