Family quality-of-life became a retention strategy after the draft ended

Evidence

After the Vietnam War, during which conditions and morale deteriorated across the military, leaders placed renewed emphasis on improving the lives of families. In an era without conscription, troops were, on average, older and more likely to have a wife and children. The Pentagon realized that a major reason personnel were leaving the military before retirement was the poor quality of life for families. Unhappy families mean unhappy troops, and unhappy troops mean not enough troops to fight. Family support thus became a significant labor issue for the military. — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 442