ABSTRACT
Historically, the United States has answered the question of who fights America's war with three basic systems for raising armies: locally based militias, conscription, and volunteers. Although not mutually exclusive, each system of recruitment points to different methods of managing and employing forces. Behind each system is a different type of public consent for citizen service in the military, as well as a set of unique problems. This chapter outlines the systems and their implications in order to understand who fights America’s wars. Long-term counterinsurgency and peacekeeping operations strain the Reserve Component, which was designed for the US military’s Cold War mission, mobilizing to defend Europe. Many supporters prefer that the Guard in particular focus on its share of the homeland defense mission. Sometimes the military has been uncomfortable leading American social change, but ultimately the military has accepted civilian direction on social issues and, particularly on race, even touts its progressive role.
