I have to agree with PHB here. Its a volunteer force because the alternative to not having it, would be a draft. AND Then you would really know what a non-volunteer draft was all about.

You see, unlike McDonalds...the United States NEEDS a military. Should people stop working at McDonalds tommorow, they couldn't start sending out McDraft Notices in the mail. The US military on the other hand........

And by the way, I served as a US Marine from 92 to 96, and I can tell you that to say the military are as well paid as the merc to the left or right of him, is to use the term "well paid" loosely; actually, its just using that term incorrectly. Many of our men and women in uniform live below the poverty line. These bonuses you hear about, are usually spread out over the course of 5 to 6 years. So that 20K bonus you think of as so "Great" is actually around $300 a month extra BEFORE tax's.

Trust me, this is an all volunteer force.