There are fewer people in the armed forces now than in previous years, and local army and navy officials have several explanations for this trend.

Lt. Col. Tom Johnson said in 1998, there were about 492,000 people in the Army.

Although this is almost 300,000 less than in 1987, he said the Army does not have a shortage of people. Rather, he said, it has been “downsizing” in the last few years.

“[Many people in the Army] have selected earlier retirements, and they had a reduction in forces,” said Johnson, professor and chairman of military science.

He said the “draw down” was due to the end of the Cold War.

Sgt. Jay Thomas, station commander of U.S. Army Recruiting Station, 2801 Grand Ave., said while recruitment is successful now, earlier in the year it was not going as well.

Thomas said the public’s views toward the armed forces have changed in recent years.

“Not everybody wants to join the Army anymore,” he said.

Many people are forgetting the Army gave them their rights, he said.

“It’s easier just to look away than to stand up and say, ‘I’m part of this country, and I’m going to do my part,'” Thomas said.

He said a lot of people are focusing more on the scholarships and student loan repayments the Army offers.

“Before, it was an honor to serve their country; now, they want to know what they can get,” he said.

However, Thomas said there are people who still want to join the Army because of patriotism.

“I think a lot of people feel it’s one of their responsibilities to do it,” he said.

Sgt. 1st Class Clifford Henderson said the armed forces does not have enough people to accomplish everything it needs.

“But we’re doing more with less,” he said.

The military’s mission has changed since the Cold War ended, said Johnson, instructor of military science.

“We’ve kind of transitioned from war fighting with a defined enemy to peace-keeping missions,” he said.

Victor Shenton, former Army member, said America has not had a “real opponent” since the Cold War and probably will not in the near future.

Even if there were to be a war, Henderson said he does not think the draft ever will be reinstated, especially since it received strong opposition during the Vietnam War.

“I don’t think it went over too well with the American people,” he said.

Shenton, senior in fine arts, said there are fewer people in the armed forces now than in the past because “we’ve had peace for so long.”

“Plus, as the military gets more high-tech, they’re able to use less people,” he said.

Henderson said recruitment for the armed forces is “just like any other product.”

“You’ve got to market it — make it marketable and sell it,” he said.