Abstract

During the Vietnam War, Secretary of Defence Robert McNamara established Project 100,000 to enlist 100,000 men in the military who would not otherwise have qualified. Some were below physical standards and could be remediated, but most scored below standard on entrance tests. In many cases this was due to poor schooling, but some were unintelligent. This chapter looks at how well these men performed in the military, using social science methods and military metrics such as rates of training completion, promotions, and disciplinary actions. A further study is made of a similar group of men who came into the military in the early- and mid-1970s when entrance tests were incorrectly graded.

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