Characteristics of all-volunteer force enlistees were compared to characteristics of 1970 through 1972 enlistees. Analyses of the four years of data result in the following conclusions: (a) Compared to the 1971 and 1972 accessions, there has been an increase in average aptitudes of the 1973 accessions in the mechanical and electronics areas. There has been a decrease in the administrative and general areas. Air Force quality is improving but did not reach the quality level demonstrated by 1970 first-term accessions. (b)There has been an appreciable loss of accessions who have completed education beyond the high school level. This loss is accompanied by a year-by-year downward shift of percentages of first-term airmen scoring at the higher centile levels of the four aptitude indexes of the AQE. (c) The aptitude level patterns of South-Southwest (areas 3 and 4) enlistees were not consistently low, compared to the other areas, as they were in 1970 through 1972. (d) The aptitude levels of Black enlistees in 1973 are higher than they were in 1970 through 1972. This phenomenon was obtained by geographic area of enlistment and total sample. (e) Other than a possible need to offer incentives to high-aptitude people, especially in the general and electronic areas, Air Force operational capability does not appear to be significantly affected by the absence of the draft. (Author).