Have you ever thought about enlisting in the military? What if you didn’t have a choice?
It’s the proposal of Rep. Charles Rangel, a longtime Democrat from New York, to re-instate the draft, requiring all U.S.men and women aged 18 to 42 to serve.
Aten-HUT!
While a draft—also called conscription—was used in the Civil War and World War I, it became official policy in 1940 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt instituted it as a means to fill holes in military forces, even in times of peace. If called up, men aged 18 to 26 served from one to two years.
Some 10 million were drafted in World War II and almost 2 million during the Vietnam War. The unpopularity of the Vietnam War combined with the more than 100,000 Americans who fled to Canada to avoid the draft led to its demise in 1973, the same year the war ended.
Today the military is made up of volunteers but men between 18 and 25 years must register with the Selective Service System, the agency that would oversee a draft, to give an accurate count of eligible servicemen.
The draft abroad
Even women are drafted in some countries, including Peru and North Korea. Israel requires men and women between 18 and 21 years old to serve two years, and a host of countries require men to serve or train, including Germany, Switzerland and Denmark.
The big picture
Rep. Rangel proposed reinstating the draft back in 2003 just before the U.S. invaded Iraq. The proposal failed 402-2. This time he’s reportedly pushing the issue to poke holes in the Iraq war and what he sees as inequities in who serves, questioning if leaders would support a war if their children had to serve.
While most see this as a political stunt and agree that a draft will never pass again, it’s stirring conversation that some would like to see addressed on the House floor.
Do you think women should be included in the draft? Post a comment!
More resources
The case against the draft from the Heritage Foundation
Military demographics - report by GAO
