CNAS Launches Task Force for 50th Anniversary of All-Volunteer Force

New "AVF at 50" project kicks off the Center's portfolio of work on the modernized all-volunteer force

Washington, October 5, 2022—As the nation approaches the 50th Anniversary of the All-Volunteer Force (AVF) on July 1, 2023, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is assembling a bipartisan task force examining the mechanics of AVF personnel management, identifying areas for evolution, and developing a modernized AVF roadmap for the next 50 years.

Led by CNAS Military, Veterans, and Society Program Director Katherine Kuzminski, the AVF at 50 project will harness the program’s expertise on military personnel policy, veteran and military family policy, and civil-military relations. The task force will consist of a diverse group of scholars, policy experts and practitioners from the military personnel community.

The task force will convene over the course of six months, focusing on elements affecting the strength of the AVF including:

• Quality and professionalism of the force
  
• Effective monetary and non-monetary incentives
  
• Reserve component integration
  
• Selective service mobilization
  
• Representation of the force
  
• Dual-professional retention
  
• Cost considerations

Findings and recommendations from the discussions will be distilled into a public report to be published on July 1, 2023.