Will the Military Draft Be Reinstated?

With America in the middle of the most unpopular war since Vietnam and military recruitment dwindling there has been more and more discussion about the "possibility" of reinstating the draft, but is it all talk or at this very minute in some room somewhere in Washington are politicians seriously considering this?

What is the draft and how does it work?

According to the selective services website the draft would go a little something like this:

1. CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT AUTHORIZE A DRAFT
A crisis occurs which requires more troops than the volunteer military can supply. Congress passes and the President signs legislation which starts a draft.

2. THE LOTTERY
A lottery based on birthdays determines the order in which registered men are called up by Selective Service. The first to be called, in a sequence determined by the lottery, will be men whose 20th birthday falls during that year, followed, if needed, by those aged 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25. 18-year-olds and those turning 19 would probably not be drafted.

3. ALL PARTS OF SELECTIVE SERVICE ARE ACTIVATED
The Agency activates and orders its State Directors and Reserve Forces Officers to report for duty.

4. PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND MORAL EVALUATION OF REGISTRANTS
Registrants with low lottery numbers are ordered to report for a physical, mental, and moral evaluation at a Military Entrance Processing Station to determine whether they are fit for military service. Once he is notified of the results of the evaluation, a registrant will be given 10 days to file a claim for exemption, postponement, or deferment.

5. LOCAL AND APPEAL BOARDS ACTIVATED AND INDUCTION NOTICES SENT
Local and Appeal Boards will process registrant claims. Those who pass the military evaluation will receive induction orders. An inductee will have 10 days to report to a local Military Entrance Processing Station for induction.

6. FIRST DRAFTEES ARE INDUCTED
According to current plans, Selective Service must deliver the first inductees to the military within 193 days from the onset of a crisis.

How do Americans feel about the draft?

If you watch the news, if you read the papers it appears that the majority of American's oppose the draft. According to a poll conducted in 2005 by the Associated Press, MSNBC reports that 7 out of 10 Americans oppose the draft more then half, 54% opposed women being drafted.

What the politicians are saying?

Since before the War in Iraq politicians have gone above and beyond to assure Americans that there is no chance of the draft being reinstated, but during every new election the question seems to come back up. Is it that American citizens don't necessarily trust their politicians or is there something going on behind the scenes that would make citizens think otherwise?

In an article on angus-reid.com, President Bush is quoted as saying, "America's all-volunteer military is the best in the world and reinstating the draft would be bad policy and former Secretary Donald Rumsfeld declared, "I think the only people who could conceivably be talking about a draft are people who are speaking from pinnacles of near-perfect ignorance. The last thing we need is a draft. We just don't."

Earlier this year President Bush's pick to be U.S defense secretary, Robert Gates ruled out reinstituting a military draft."No sir, I do not",Gates said when asked by whether he saw the need for a draft due to dismal recruitment numbers. When people perceive that joining the services is not a direct ticket to Iraq, our numbers are going to be increasing,Gates said, adding, I think we have a transitory problem.

So what's next?

If everyone is so certain that the draft won't be reinstated and if politicians have so much faith in our "all volunteer" military then why keep it around? Well the selective service agency states:

"The Selective Service System and the registration requirement for America's young men provide our Nation with a structure and a system of guidelines which will provide the most prompt, efficient, and equitable draft possible, if the country should need it. America's leaders agree that despite the success of the All-Volunteer Force, registration with Selective Service must continue as a key component of national security strategy."

It then appears that whether the majority of Americans oppose the draft or not, it's not going away, not really. It's just there waiting to be used if ever the powers that be feel they need to use it.