Out of Step with the Rest

Why does only the U.S., of all the industrial nations, seem plagued with a serious military manpower problem? It could be because just about only the U.S. relies solely on volunteers for its armed forces. For the young men of every other major West European nation except Britain and Ireland, receiving a letter of "greetings" from the local equivalent of their draft board is a fact of life. There are several reasons for this. Most West European countries have a history of conscription, at lease in the 20th century. Their leaders feel, moreover, that near universal military service equitably distributes the defense burden among the social classes.

On their 18th birthday, therefore, most West European males face conscription; eligibility begins a year later in Norway, and starts at 20 in Portugal. The length of service varies from a brief nine months in Denmark to two years in Greece and is followed by time in the reserves. Many West Europeans also volunteer for their country's armed forces, of course; of the 495,000 members of West Germany's Bundeswehr, for example, 270,000 are volunteer, and over half of the 590,000 Frenchmen in uniform joined voluntarily.

Nearly all of Europe's soldiers earn considerably less than the volunteering American G.I.'s $450 a month basic pay; the equivalents of buck privates make $35 a month in Italy, $65 in France and $110 in West Germany.

As was the case under the American draft, European nations allow deferments and exemptions. So long as he remains enrolled in a university, a French medical student, for instance, can delay his military duty until age 27. In addition, every country excuses those facing particular hardships. Spain exempts sons supporting widowed mothers, and The Netherlands excludes those who already have had two or more brothers in uniform. Men can escape induction for reasons of conscience, but they must perform socially useful tasks. Italian conscientious objectors, for example, may serve in the medical corps or work in a civilian defense plant. Such compassion, however, is unknown in Switzerland, where men continue to drill every year in the standing militia. The " Swiss jail all who balk at military service and impose a special exemption tax, averaging $150 a year, for those excused on medical or other grounds.

The Soviets also rely heavily on conscription to keep their armed forces bulging at 3.6 million-- almost twice the number at the Pentagon's command. All 18-year-old Soviet male must report to their local draft boards. Young men supporting parent or in poor health will probably be exempted; full-time university students may also be excused. The vast majority of Soviet youths, however, are drafted into the army for two years. A Soviet private's pay: $6 a month.

Only Britain and Ireland are out of step with the European method of filling the ranks. The British inducted their last draftee into the army in 1960. Since then sign have been relying entirely on volunteers, who have to sign up for twelve years although a minimum of only three years need be on active duty.

The British volunteer system seems to be working better than its American counterpart. The British services are getting desirable recruits, and the retention rate is good. One reason is that Britain has a stronger military tradition than the US. Another may be that the British armed forces are relatively small, compared with the American (316,400 vs. 2,032,000) and thus easier to manage. The British services also draw on a more homogeneous society than the American, Finally, British military morale has improved since Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's government pushed through a 32% pay raise for the armed forces last spring. British servicemen are now generally paid the same as civilians in comparable jobs; their American counterparts still lag far behind.

* None of these countries draft women.

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