Should The U.S. Draft Be Reinstated?

The U.S. Draft What exactly is it? The US Draft is when the government uses a lottery system to summon most men aged 18-25 to serve in the military Only occurs when the military needs more troops than they have with volunteers Has to be passed by congress and the president The military is currently all volunteer The US uses a volunteer service, while most other countries use universal conscription, which is mandatory military service to your home country for a specific amount of time. Generally ages 18-21 and involves everyone.

Historical Facts about the Draft U.S. Civil War (1862) – white males 17 – 50 years of age 21% of the force used in this war was conscripted Enrollment Act of Conscription - March 3,1863 Allowed a "commutation fee" - allowed wealthier and more influential citizens to buy their way out of service Allowed for men ages 20 – 45 to be drafted Commutation was later removed and new law allowed religious pacifists alternative ways to serve (1864) http://www.civilwarhome.com/draftriots.htm was referenced http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/rcah/html/ah_019500_conscription.htm was referenced

Historical Facts about the Draft, con’t. Selective Service Act of 1917 Draft during World War I Drafted men ages 18 - 45 Did not allow for any type of commutation or substitution Allowed conscientious objectors to have alternative duties Allowed for deferment for workers of industry and agriculture Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 Draft during World War II Established the Selective Service as a branch of the government First time the US had used a draft during peacetime Draftees only had to serve one year of duty in the Western Hemisphere and U.S. territories After Pearl Harbor, restrictions were removed and men ages 18 – 38 (extended to age 45) were drafted From 1947 – 1948 the Draft was not used http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/rcah/html/ah_019500_conscription.htm

Historical Facts about the Draft, con’t. Draft was used consistently from 1948-1973 during times of both war and peace Active draft ended on July 1,1973 16,307,243 men were drafted by the selective service from the beginning of WWI in 1917 through the end of the Vietnam conflict 2,810,296 men were drafted for WWI 10,110,104 men were drafted for WWII 1,529,539 men were drafted for the Korean War 1,857,304 men were drafted for the Vietnam Conflict http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/rcah/html/ah_019500_conscription.htm

Are there ways to get out of it? Postponement Student status Ministerial students Deferment Emergency/Health crisis on day to report - Reclassification Reservists - Reclassification Hardship Conscientious objection Exemption Surviving sons/brothers Ministers Elected officials Veterans (generally during peacetime) People currently in the army are not under a hardship per say – it is a hardship because they are not paid enough, but they chose that lifestyle and being in the army is a job which they chose.

Political Examples George W. Bush – used political and financial influence to dodge the Vietnam Draft and enlist in the U.S. National Guard John Kerry – chose to enlist in the Army William Clinton – dodged the Draft and used political ties to enlist in an ROTC program Source needed

Conscientious Objectors A conscientious objector is anyone who is opposed to serving in the armed forces and/or bearing arms on the grounds of moral or religious principals. If selected for military service the CO is required to appear before the local board to explain his beliefs How he arrived at these beliefs Their influence on how he lives his life

Conscientious Objectors The CO must provide evidence to back up his claim with Written documentation Personal appearances After the evidence is presented the Local Board can grant or deny CO status The decision can be appealed to a Selective Service District Appeal Board If again CO status is rejected, but not by a unanimous vote it can be appealed to the National Appeal Board (uncompensated civilian volunteers) Civilian volunteer boards

Qualifying Beliefs Acceptable Beliefs Not Acceptable Religious Moral/Ethical Not Acceptable Politics Expediency – interferes with school, job, or family plans Self-Interest

Alternative Service Those whose beliefs allow them to serve in the military, in a noncombatant way, will serve in the Armed Forces Won’t be assigned training or duties that include using weapons If their beliefs oppose any kind of military service then they are assigned to Alternative Service duties The job must make a meaningful contribution to the maintenance of national health, safety, and interest of the citizens Time spent in this service must equal the time spent by others serving in the Armed Forces Typically 24 months

Medical Personnel Draft There is a plan ready in case of a national crisis The Health Care Personnel Delivery System (HCPDS) A special draft that targets only Medical Personnel Surgeons, doctors, dentists, nurses, paramedics, medical technicians, etc.

HCPDS Legislation Plan not designed for peacetime implementation Only occur in the wake of a national crisis Congress and the President would have to approve the plan and pass the legislation Unless specifically stated, this draft would include women Health care workers ages 20-45 would have to register

Special Skills Draft First steps being taken in creating a Special Skills draft Computer experts Foreign language specialists The plan resembles the HCPDS draft in that once it is created then Congress and the President would have to pass legislation before the draft could happen

Arguments For the Draft Some Liberals in Congress feel that the Draft would supply the armed forces with a broad mixture of soldiers which would lead to limits on future wars The current armed forces situation favors accepting the poor and minorities -- a Draft would balance this disproportion http://usconservatives.about.com/od/defensewar/i/draft_2.htm was referenced for this slide

Arguments Opposing the Draft The U.S. Army already has a large enough volunteer base and keeps enough soldiers on active duty The U.S. military is the most powerful military– large scale conflicts are a thing of the past Volunteers are more motivated leading to a better, more unified Army The current Army’s racial makeup is very close to the current U.S. citizen makeup http://usconservatives.about.com/od/defensewar/i/draft_2.htm was referenced for this slide

References http://usconservatives.about.com/od/defensewar/i/draft.htm http://www.sss.gov/ http://usconservatives.about.com/od/defensewar/i/draft_2.htm http://www.civilwarhome.com/draftriots.htm http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/rcah/html/ah_019500_conscription.htm http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-04-13-vietnam-iraq-cover_x.htm http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ssi/pdffiles/00367.pdf