The Military Draft and a Possible War with Iraq (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Dec. 31, 2002 |
| Report Number |
RL31682 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Robert L. Goldich, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
Since the possibility of a second major war with Iraq became apparent in mid-2002, interest and
concern about a return to the draft have manifested themselves for the first time since the 1991
Persian Gulf War. As was the case in 1991, a review of military manpower levels and potential war
scenarios suggests that only a prolonged war, with major military reverses for U.S. forces, or new
international developments creating the need for substantially larger armed forces, would result in
a military requirement to reinstitute the draft. Virtually all proposed scenarios for a war with Iraq
assume that it would not last long enough, result in high enough American casualties, or require
enough additional forces to necessitate a draft. The military rationale for resuming the
draft to meet
the needs of the armed forces for manpower during an Iraqi war, therefore, does not seem to be
compelling.
However, there are possible scenarios that might tax the ability of the armed forces to recruit
a sufficient number of volunteers. One such scenario could combine an Iraqi conflict with other
confrontations (e.g., North Korea). Other scenarios could involve the need for very large peacetime
deployments of U.S. forces (e.g., the possible occupation of a defeated Iraq) or major demands for
domestic deployments based on threatened or actual terrorist activity.
Some of the sociological arguments in favor of conscription involve different
interpretations
of the same data; others are more philosophical and not related to quantitative analysis or
interpretation. While African Americans are present in the enlisted ranks to a considerably greater
extent than their proportion of the American population, the Hispanic proportion is less, rather than
more, than their presence in the American population . If upper-middle class youth appear to be
underrepresented in the enlisted ranks, they are present in the officer corps. Throughout American
history there has been a debate about whether compulsory military service is (1) a civic responsibility
and display of patriotism, not subject to individual whim as to whether it is performed or not; or (2)
a violation of individual liberties that, if implemented at all, should only be used in times of grave
emergency.
Legal authority for the involuntary induction of men into the Armed Forces expired on July 1,
1973. New legislation would be required to reinstate an active draft. Currently the Selective Service
System operates on standby status. Young men are required to register with the system within 30
days before or after their 18th birthday. If the draft were to be reactivated, young men age 18
through 26 would be subject to induction (up to age 35 if deferred when initially called). Student
deferments were drastically restricted by law after they caused so much controversy during the
Vietnam War of 1964-1973. Graduate student deferments were in fact abolished early in the
Vietnam War, in 1966. Under current law, undergraduates who were drafted would be allowed to
finish an ongoing academic semester (or their senior year, if about to graduate), and would then have
to report for induction. Married men would not be exempt from any actual draft. This report will
be updated as events warrant.
