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WASHINGTON -- Almost a decade after the Cold War's end, the prospect of a major conflict has dimmed, as has the military's appeal to a generation of potential officers.

College students sense no imminent threat to national security "that would cause them to make the sacrifices that military service demands," says Edwin Dorn, a former Pentagon official and now a dean at the University of Texas-Austin, which has struggled to meet Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) goals. "Delivering food to starving Somalis or serving as a buffer between warring Bosnians does not have the same cachet as defending the free world from communism," Dorn says.

Ralph Peters, a former Army officer and military analyst, says, "The services have not figured out how to make a military career look attractive in this economic and cultural environment."

University of Texas graduates with engineering degrees can expect to earn about $50,000 immediately while computer degrees can bring at least $60,000 and stock options to new graduates, Dorn says. A new Army second lieutenant earns about $32,000 in pay, housing and food allowances.

The problem extends beyond the lure of the booming civilian job market. Nearly three decades after the draft ended, military service has become remote to most Americans. Many college students can't name a parent or even grandparent who served in the military. Many current parents came of age during the Vietnam War, when campus ROTC buildings were set ablaze.

Pentagon surveys show 2.3% of college students say they would consider ROTC; 5.5% said so a decade ago. Many say they don't know about ROTC, which combines military courses, drills and summer training with military units. Graduates agree to serve up to four years on active duty or in the Reserves.

As the military was downsized in the 1990s, dozens of ROTC programs closed. In 1990, the Army had 416 ROTC units nationwide; today, it has 270. "We cut back too much," Army Secretary Louis Caldera concedes. The Navy also says it downsized too much and now is trying to beef up its program.

The reduced presence contributes to the growing gap between the military and civilian society.

"The ROTC is the visible link between the military and American society," says Joseph Collins, an Army ROTC graduate and military analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington. "We need an officer corps that is in touch with the best values of American society and ROTC is an important way of making that happen."

Caldera says he hopes to add an ROTC element to Army TV ads that have focused almost exclusively on attracting enlisted soldiers. The House Armed Services Committee has proposed an extra $7 million to beef up Army ROTC recruiting. But Caldera also says the military is a tough sell to a generation that has known no major wars and only economic prosperity. "We're working against the notion that the gain is not worth the pain," he says.

ROTC scholarships are limited. And there is no money to boost ROTC's monthly stipend. At $200, it isn't enough to attract and retain cadets. The Armed Services panel had urged increasing the stipend to $250 with tiered raises up to $600. But the $288.5 billion defense spending bill that the House recently approved included no new funds for stipends.

"Although there are still many fine officers, I do believe the overall quality has declined noticeably over the last several years," Peters says. "The train wreck is 15 years down the road, when these guys will be lieutenant colonels. If you are not attracting sufficient talent now, given natural attrition, you are going to be in real trouble."