As the United States continues to build its military presence in the Middle East in anticipation of an operation in Afghanistan, many Americans, especially those of draft age, have wondered whether they or their loved ones may be called on for military service.
The draft has been a controversial topic in the United States for many decades, and it seems that now, as the nation evaluates various courses of action, issues that have not been widely debated since the Vietnam War again being debated.
The draft has a long history in the United States, dating back to the first English settlers in Plymouth and Jamestown, according to UW-Madison military history Professor Emeritus Edward Cossman. And while few people believe that the United States will reinstitute a draft, the range of opinions on the topic is broad.
Dr. Thomas Johnson, lecturer in international relations at American University, said he believes right now it is too early to tell whether the draft will be reinstituted. Johnson said the military must wait to see how it is operating, and only if it had a severe drain of manpower would a draft be necessary.
Kentucky University political science Professor Vince Davis said the likelihood of a draft is low for several reasons. One of these is its unpopularity with many students and parents.
In addition, when the United States drafted men in the past, such as during the Civil War and World War II, the military needed a substantial increase in manpower. But Davis said this is no longer as crucial because of technology such as nuclear weapons.
Technological warfare can only do so much, though, Johnson said.
'Technology is fragile, and often it comes down to soldiers with rifles,' he said.
In order to have a draft, Davis said there must first be a strong feeling that it is necessary, an idea that he said is not currently a general consensus in the country.
Center for Defense Information Chief of Research Daniel Smith said he not only believes that a draft is unlikely, but that we will never see it used again.
'The volunteer force is quite capable in terms of manpower to handle any contingencies that arise,' he said.
Not only is the military a volunteer force, but it is also a professional force. According to Johnson, this presents another problem with reinstating the draft. While people may be motivated to fight for their country, a draftee's training would likely be minimal, consisting of eight weeks of basic combat training and about eight weeks of individual specialty training.
For this and other reasons, Lawrence Korb, vice president of the Council of Foreign Relations, a nonpartisan New York-based think tank, said the draft is essentially a non-issue.
'I guarantee you that in your lifetime you're not going to see a draft,' he said.
Korb said the military has enough volunteers to succeed in any of its operations without needing further manpower.
'People who are talking about a draft don't know how good our military is,' he said.
For example, he said, the United States won the Cold War without a draft, as well as the Gulf War. In fact, Korb said he believes the chances of reinstituting a draft are limited to only one possible scenario.
'Not unless we go to war with China,' he said.
