AVF

American  

abbreviation

1. all-volunteer force: referring to an armed force made up solely of volunteers during a period when there is no military draft, as the U.S. armed forces since the Vietnam War.

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Etymology

Origin of AVF

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Those poll numbers reflect a concern among many in the military that the AVF has created a dangerous chasm between the few who serve and the vast majority who don’t.

From Washington Post • Feb. 13, 2023

“The AVF has led us to become the best trained, equipped and organized fighting force in global history,” retired Adm.

From Washington Post • Feb. 13, 2023

That bias reinforces the assumption that the AVF is a poor man's draft.

From Salon • Mar. 16, 2020

They are hardened by war, and that’s exactly the kind of officer corps that pushed for the AVF in 1973 at the end of our fighting in Vietnam.

From Time • Jan. 21, 2013

But in private they claim that the AVF is failing because it has had to lower standards to meet recruiting goals.

From Time Magazine Archive