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President Nixon is fully aware of the problem, and to dramatize his concern, he personally presided last week over the re-enlistment ceremonies for five men of all services who had signed for another term. He re-emphasized his conviction that the long-term solution to the manpower dilemma is to make military life so appealing that an all-volunteer service becomes feasible. Optimistically, he has set 1973 as the target date for ending the draft, except as a stand-by mechanism to meet new emergencies. There are grave doubts among many military commanders that the draft can be ended that soon. But the possibility makes the revitalization of service life that much more important.
The challenge has been taken up by the three major services in a new kind of rivalry in which each seems to be striving to show that it is the most fun−or at least the most concerned, fair and compassionate.
At the moment, the Navy is ahead. This is largely due to its new (and youngest ever) C.N.O. Bud Zumwalt, 50, has thrown his energy into what he calls "people programs" throughout the service. Insisting that his men rate far higher than hardware, he even made a private deal with the Pentagon to take $20 million−enough to keep four or five destroyers functioning for a year−out of his budget if the Defense Department would match it and use the combined $40 million to build new housing units for Navy families. An admiral who would rather give his men new homes than sustain some ships is a novelty in the Navy.
Already tagged throughout the service as "The Big Z," Zumwalt is carrying out his revolution through "Z-grams." These are orders in crisp, unstilted language that show his determination to scuttle those customs and traditions that no longer seem to have a point−if indeed they ever did. There have been 65 such orders so far, received variously and eagerly at sea and ashore as "Zulu-grams" or "Zumie-grams" or just "Zoomies." In a service more encrusted with class protocol than most, they have especially endeared Zumwalt to enlisted men. Zumwalt, declares a chief on the destroyer U.S.S. Halsey, is "the first C.N.O. who has ever rattled this bird cage down to the level where I can feel it."
Typical of Zumwalt's approach but carrying more zing than most was Z-gram No. 57, issued last month. It said bluntly that "Mickey Mouse" and "chicken regs" (for regulations), which he labeled "demeaning or abrasive," must go. It orders Navy commanders to keep abreast of "changing fashions," and Zumwalt explained separately that "neatly trimmed" beards and "neatly tapered" hair up to three inches long must be allowed. The new order threw out the nagging rule that men who live off base or off ship must change from work to dress uniforms for the short trip to and from their quarters; they can now travel in dungarees. Motorcycles must be allowed at all naval stations, and a cyclist cannot be harassed about the color of his helmet. Nor should men be forced to hastily paint the rust spots on a ship just because a senior officer−even Zumwalt himself−is making a visit.
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