As the war in Iraq continues, some students are concerned about
the possibility of a reinstatement of the draft, even though it is
an unlikely possibility.
Twin bills that would require all American citizens and
permanent residents aged 18-26 to perform two years of national
service were introduced in Congress in January 2003.
Though introduced over a year ago, the bills have received new
attention as the troop situation in Iraq has become a major issue
in the November presidential election. The bills have also caught
the eye of college students as talk of a possible draft has spread
in universities.
The bills, named the Universal National Service Act of 2003,
have been lying dormant in the Committee on Armed Services for some
time.
The passage of the Universal National Service Act would
authorize the president to establish a military draft. The
president would decide the number of people selected for military
service and in which ways they would serve.
The act mandates that those not selected for military service
serve in a civilian capacity for the purpose of national
defense.
Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-S.C., is the only sponsor of the act in
the Senate. Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., sponsored the bill in the
House, along with five other co-sponsors.
Hollings’ spokeswoman Ilene Zeldin said the bill is
currently “collecting dust.”
“It’s basically sitting in the armed services
committee. A hearing on the bill would need to be held for it to
move on, but there hasn’t been anything,” Zeldin
said.
Second-year biology student Josh Elder said he only recently
heard about the bills.
“I wasn’t aware that there were such legislation
until a few weeks ago. Most of my friends don’t know about
it. I think it’s really scary when the government is
considering the draft when the people that it would affect the most
don’t know it is being discussed,” he said.
Under the act, only high school students can postpone induction
for educational purposes, and college students and women would not
be exempt from national service.
Zeldin said the act would ensure that all Americans take on the
burden of defending the country, emphasizing that the act will not
have the inequitable deferment and exemption standards associated
with drafts in the past.
Third-year history student Janet Wong said the act is the first
time she had to think about working for national defense.
“I never worried about being drafted because I’m a
girl. But in light of this bill, I am concerned that I might have
to postpone my work in college to serve in a war that I don’t
agree with,” Wong said.
With only eight sponsors in Congress, the bills have not
garnered enough support to move forward.
A spokeswoman for Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said the
congressman understands the rhetorical intent of the bill, which is
to underscore the need for shared sacrifice, but he is concerned
that the implementation would be impractical at this time.
Maj. Michael Berry, an assistant military science professor at
UCLA, believes the current volunteer army is the best army that has
existed, and whether a draft will be needed is a decision for the
policymakers of the country, not the military.
The Department of Defense has repeatedly said it sees no reason
to reinstate the draft.
But even with 1.4 million active-duty volunteers and many more
reservists, the Department of Defense has stopped thousands of
soldiers from leaving when their enlistment times were up, making
some stay longer in Iraq than the promised year. It has also made
unprecedented use of the National Guard and Reserve forces to
maintain more than 138,000 troops in Iraq.
But the Department of Defense continues to assure the public
that a draft is not needed in the near future.
“I don’t know anyone in the executive branch of the
government who believes it would be appropriate or
necessary,” Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld told the
Associated Press.
Recent polling also indicates that four out of five Americans
surveyed oppose resuming the draft, making it an unpopular issue
among politicians in an election year.
Second-year political science student Daniel Kwon said though he
doesn’t believe a reinstatement of the draft will happen in
the near future, the Universal National Service Act does make him
think more seriously of the possibility.
“I don’t think we need a draft at this time, so
I’m not very worried about it. Right now, it almost seems
silly to mandate everyone from 18 to 26 to serve for our national
defense,” Kwon said. “But perhaps if the war continues
on and there is a need for more men in the future, then the draft
becomes much more of a reality.”
With reports from Bruin wire services.