The policies of George W. Bush are pushing the nation towards a draft.
This is because our armed forces are over stretched, recruitment is
plummeting, and we have lost significant support from our allies. If Bush
is allowed to continue his policies of pre-emptive war and long term
occupation, we will likely come to breaking point, where a draft may be
the only viable option.
We are not claiming the Draft is unavoidable ' quite the opposite. If
we shift course now it is quite avoidable. What we have today are early
warning signs ' signs that as young people we ignore at our peril.
Perspective from the Experts
* Jack Martin, the head of the Selective Service has stated that if the
draft is reinstated, 'there would be no long deferments for
college students and a lot more people could be eligible for the
draft than before: men and women ages 18 to 26 could be called
up.' (13)
* It is a fact that the US military is overstretched. The Defense
Science Board, an independent panel appointed by Donald Rumsfeld
released a report this month stating that, 'current and projected
force structure will not sustain our current and projected global
stabilization commitments.' Among its recommendations the panel
said that the US could either cut back on peacekeeping or
substantially increase the number of troops in the field. (1)
* Even if more troops are not deployed to Iraq, that does not mean a
large infusion of new troops will not be required elsewhere. As
Michael W. Wynee, Under Secretary of Defense has stated, 'Our
military expeditions to Afghanistan and Iraq are unlikely to be the
last such excursion in the global war on terrorism.' (2)
* Michael O'Hanlon, a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution
and respected commentator on military affairs has noted that,
'the case for a draft could strengthen.' He explains that a
prolonged war in Iraq combined with future deployments could lead to
a situation 'where the nation might have no option but to
consider the Draft.' (3)
* Former Army Colonel David Hackworth, one of America's most
decorated soldiers and respected commentators, wrote an article
recently entitled, 'Uncle Sam Will Soon Want Your Kids,'
arguing why the return of the Draft in the near future is ever more
likely. (4)
* Operation Truth, a nonpartisan organization of veterans of the Iraq
War has written extensively on how the overstretch of our armed
forces may inevitably lead to the Draft, despite the strongest wishes
of the Bush Administration. They are joined by the Alliance for
Security, a military affairs think-tank which has strongly argued a
new draft may arise in the future due to projected military needs.
(5)
HOW OUR CURRENT POLICY IS PUSHING US TOWARDS A DRAFT
Summary:
The U.S. military is straining because of current commitments. Measures
such as calling up the Individual Ready Reserves mark extreme measures to
maintain adequate forces. If the war in Iraq continues to drag on and if
the insurgency grows we may be forced to commit more troops (this how it
happened in Vietnam: as the situation deteriorated, LBJ kept committing
more forces). Other crises could arise which require substantial force
allocations.
CURRENT PREDICAMENT: A STRETCHED MILITARY
* The war in Iraq is the first extended war in U.S. history being
fought with an all-volunteer army. (6)
* 9 of the US Army's 10 active-duty divisions are either in Iraq or
about to be. (7)
* 40 percent of the troops in Iraq are from the National Guard. (8)
* A December 2003 Army War College report noted that the war had
stretched the US Army to 'the breaking point.' (9)
RECRUITMENT/RETENTION
* The Army National Guard fell 10 percent short of its 2004 recruitment
goal of 56,000 entries. (10)
* 35% of the Individual Ready Reserves troops who have been recalled
have resisted their call-ups. (11)
* In January 2004 the Army 'blocked the pending reassignment or
retirement of 7,000 soldiers from the region. It also offered bonuses
of up to $10,000 (tax free) to encourage active-duty personnel
deployed in the area or headed to it to re-enlist.' (12)
BUT DIDN'T DEMOCRATS INTRODUCE THE BILL TO REINSTATE THE DRAFT?
* H.R. 163, A bill to reinstate the Draft, was introduced by Rep.
Charles Rangel, a Democrat from Harlem who is strongly opposed to the
Draft. He introduced his bill, knowing it would never pass before the
election, as a way of showing his opposition to the war in Iraq and
his belief that lawmakers would take the rush to war more seriously
if their own families were on the line.(14)
* Republicans forced the bill to a floor vote, where it was defeated
nearly unanimously by Democrats and Republicans including Congressman
Rangel who voted against it. It was a protest bill, and never posed a
real threat.
* The concerns about the Draft emerge from a foreign policy of
preemptive war and endless occupation, a policy that congressional
Republicans and the President seem intent on preserving. Only when
these choices change can they authentically claim to be averting our
path towards the Draft.
NOTES
(1) Thom Shankar, 'More troops needed, new study warns Current,
anticipated operations at risk, outside experts say,' The New York
Times, Sept. 24, 2004.
(2) Thom Shankar, 'Panel Calls US Troop Size Insufficient for
Demands,' The New York Times, Sept. 24, 2004.
(3) Michael O'Hanlon, 'The Need to Increase the Size of the
Deployable Army,' Parameters: US Army War College Quarterly, Autumn,
2004.
(4) David Hackworth, 'Uncle Sam Will Soon Want Your Kids,'
DefenseWatch, Oct. 4, 2004.
(5) 'Is a Draft Coming,' Operation Truth and the Alliance for
Security
(6) 'Reviving the Draft,' The New American, Jan. 26, 2004.
(7) 'Republicans Glad to Lose on Bill to Start New Draft,' Yahoo!
News, Oct. 6, 2004
(8) 'Ventura criticizes use of National Guard in Iraq,' Minnesota
Public Radio, August 24, 2004
(9) Jeffrey Record, 'Bounding the Global War on Terrorism,' Army
War College, Dec. 2003
(10) James Dao, 'The Option Nobody's Pushing. Yet,' The New
York Times, Oct. 3, 2004.
(11) Eric Schmitt, 'Its Recruitment Goals Pressing, the Army Will
Ease Some Standards,' The New York Times, Oct. 1, 2004.
(12) 'An Army Stretched Thin,' Christian Science Monitor, Jan.
14, 2004.
(13) 'The Issues: Reviving The Draft,' CBS News, Sept. 28, 2004
(14) 'Bring Back the Draft?' Salon.com, Jan. 7, 2003
The exact quote was 'I believe that if those calling for war knew
that their children were likely to be required to serve'and to be
placed in harm's way'there would be more caution and a greater
willingness to work with the international community in dealing with
Iraq.'