The return of the draft?

The Bush administration has quietly prepared legislation to reinstate the military draft in order to supply the thousands of men and women needed to fight so-called wars on terrorism.

Legislation pending in the House (HR 163) and the Senate (S 89) has had almost no attention in the mainstream media but is getting some discussion on the Internet. Twenty-eight million dollars has been added to the Selective Service System budget to prepare for military conscription which could, if approved, begin operation as early as June 2005. Bush, assuming that he will be re-elected, expects a report from Selective Service by March 31, 2005, that the draft can begin.

However, the administration is quietly working to get the legislation passed now, perhaps to avoid discussion during the campaign. This means that action to influence members of Congress to oppose these bills must begin immediately, and publicity aimed at ensuring this becomes an important issue.

Even before any congressional authorization, the Pentagon has begun a quiet campaign to fill all 10,350 draft board positions as well as similar positions on 11,070 appeals boards. This all seems to have had its origin in a February 11, 2003, Selective Service System proposal to senior Pentagon officials which said:

   In line with today's needs, the Selective Service System's
   structure, programs and activities should be re-engineered toward
   maintaining a national inventory of American men and, for the first
   time, women, ages 18 through 34, with an added focus on identifying
   individuals with critical skills.

So if this effort comes to fruition, all persons, including women, will have to perform a period of military service, or at least civilian service such as homeland security. (The proposed legislation recognizes the position of conscientious objector and has provisions for alternative service). In addition, the age range of draft registration is to be raised to 34 from the previous 25. And, finally, young U.S. citizens will have to keep the federal government updated on any training they have acquired in certain niche specialties.

Readers must keep in mind that, though the last time young people were drafted was in 1973, the Selective Service System was never dismantled, and registration for possible duty has continued for 18-year-old males. Furthermore, with this new proposal, it won't be possible, as in previous wars, to use certain options to avoid the draft, such as using college education as a shelter or going to Canada. This last method was foreclosed by a "Smart Border Declaration,"signed by the United States and Canada in 2001, which screens people seeking Canadian sanctuary.

This decision by Bush to renew a draft should have been foreseen when he made public his National Security Strategy paper of September 20, 2002. In it he said the United States will defend the world "against threats from terrorists and tyrants" who have "openly declared that they are seeking weapons of mass destruction." He also said the United States will act against such emerging threats "before they are fully formed" and "we will not hesitate to act alone, if necessary, to exercise our right of self-defense by acting preemptively against such terrorists."

This is obviously what he did in destroying Iraq using false evidence that it had weapons of mass destruction. In other words, the Bush strategy permits him to decide, well before there is any action or threat of action against the United States, to make war against any nation he chooses, or whose oil or other resources he covets.

It is clear that this amazing plan for world domination would require manpower and womanpower far in excess of the kind of recruitment now in use. The increasing cost of recruitment could be eliminated (and the promise of overseas experience fulfilled) by renewing the military draft. The egalitarian application of the expanded draft to include non-military social service may also be appealing to some in Congress.

The conclusion to be drawn from this, however, is that defeating the new draft may be the best insurance Americans could have against the Bush Administration's envisioned canvas of future war and occupation. For more details, read the Selective Service Performance Plan at www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html and check www.objector.org or www.nisbco.org for information about conscientious objection and opposing the draft.

John Swomley has a Ph.D. in political science and international relations from the University of Colorado and is professor emeritus of social ethics, St. Paul's School of Theology, Kansas City, Missouri.