Government issuance of military conscription

Government Reissuing Draft

The impending war with Iraq has focused attention on the country's ability to defend itself, both inside and outside its borders. These new realities necessitate the return of a relic of past wars - the military draft.

Representative Charles Rangel, a Democrat from New York, has filed a bill in Congress seeking to reinstate the military draft. Under this bill, all young people will be required to serve in the military, without exceptions for college (Rangel, 46).

Rangel's bill does not lack for critics. The Pentagon does not support such a measure, arguing that its current all-volunteer force is more disciplined, smart and experienced. The Pentagon also insists that its military is "representative of America" (Hulse, 17).

Furthermore, a survey among college students shows that majority of the young people targeted by the bill do not want to serve in the military. While one-third would willingly be stationed anywhere in the world, one third of the respondents would refuse to serve abroad. More important, 35% of the students would evade the draft altogether (Bennett, 11).

Most students cited the danger as their main reason for refusing to go overseas. Furthermore, few parents or youths say that patriotism played a role in their decision (Veterans of Foreign Wars, 11).

Reinstating the draft, however, will serve several important purposes.

First, by bringing to light who will serve, Rangel believes the draft may help prevent war. Despite the Pentagon's claims that the American military is "representative of America," the Pentagon concedes that African-Americans enlist at higher rates than Caucasian people. In addition, the richest 20% of Americans generally send their children to the Ivy League, not boot camp. Without a military draft, a war in Iraq will be fought mostly by racial minorities, many of who could not afford college and thus cannot avail of exemptions (Magnusson, 11).

In this sense, the draft is an equalizer. If a war will be fought, it should be fought by a representation of the country, not just by African-American or Hispanic minorities who cannot afford college.

Second, far from promoting war, Rangel believes that the military draft will make people think of the consequences of the war many are avidly supporting. If elite and influential people believed their child could come in harm's way, Rangel hopes that "a renewed draft will help bring a greater appreciation of the consequences of decisions to go to war (Rangel, 47).

Finally, a draft would make a greater mass of young people available to serve in the country. After all, surveys have shown that two-thirds of college students will willingly serve, especially if they are stationed inside the United States. Should their services be needed, these young people can be mobilized to serve within the country's borders. This would free more military personnel from their domestic duties, allowing the government to deploy more trained men and women to the needed areas.