Posted on 09/18/2001 8:47:01 PM PDT by CoolH2OH
If draft returned, it wouldn't be your dad's draft
Published Sep 19 2001 Resumption of a draft to build American armies of invasion and occupation is on the far end of options raised since Sept. 11 by political and military commentators.
But if it came to that, how would a military draft work today? It wouldn't be your father's Vietnam-era draft.
A new draft would require authorization by Congress and the president, who would have to find that a crisis required more troops than the volunteer military could supply.
A lottery based on birthdays would determine the order in which men were called up, according to the Selective Service Web site (http://www.sss.gov). The first to be called, in a sequence determined by lottery, would be men whose 20th birthday is during that year, followed, if needed, by those ages 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25.
Men with low lottery numbers would report for physical, mental and moral evaluation at processing stations. Once notified of results, a registrant would have 10 days to seek exemption, postponement or deferment. An inductee would have 10 days to report.
U.S. involvement in World War II was still more than a year away when President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, creating the country's first peacetime draft.
Until 1973, during peacetime and periods of conflict, the draft filled vacancies in the armed forces not met through voluntary means.
In 1973, as U.S. combat involvement in Vietnam ended, so did the draft, which had become a flashpoint of protest. The United States converted to an all-volunteer military. Selective Service registration was suspended in April 1975, but it was resumed in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Registration continues today.
Reforms during the latter part of the Vietnam War changed the way the draft operated to make it more fair, including requiring that the membership of local draft boards reflect their communities. Provisions for college-student deferments, criticized during Vietnam as weighted to benefit the privileged, also have been changed.
-- Chuck Haga
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Of course should the Draft be reinstated, I would bet money, some guy is going to bring this issue to Courts on the grounds of the Constitutional Amendment dealing with EQUALITY of the sexes.
Paul C. Jesup
I do know that if women were held to the same height/weight and physical fitness standards as men, most of those currently in uniform would have to leave
Tha leaves aside whether or not it is a good thing to introduce the romantic element on the combat team; I don't believe it is.
And yes, I agree that the draft would benefit the military because it would bring in a true cross section of America...something we do not get now.
There is no such Amendment. The ERA was never ratified. This is precisely why the military can keep women out of submarines and combat positions despite all the wailing and gnashing of teeth from NOW.
Paul C. Jesup
I'm all for making the training requirements equal between the sexes. But keep in mind, if the U.S. does this, then it kills most of the arguements against putting women on the frontlines.
I mean if a woman can handle the same level of training as a man, then she should do as well on the frontlines.
I personally, believe that the Draft will NOT be reactivated. Since the WTC attack, the Military has had more volunteer recruits join than it can process. And I'm sure if Bush asked for more volunteer recruits, he would get at least 5 million more.
Paul C. Jesup
It happens all the time. :-)
Moreover, it's unnecessary. There have been and always will be enough willing patriots to join up in a just cause. If not, I'd say the cause is hihgly questionable.
Greetings from a volunteer US Army vet.
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