Doves call for military draft, Pentagon disagrees

NEW YORK -- During the Vietnam War, presidents and the Pentagon defended the draft, while the peace movement assailed it. As America edges toward a possible new war, roles have reversed.

Backed by other opponents of a war with Iraq, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., has proposed that the draft -- shelved since 1973 -- be reinstated in the name of "shared sacrifice."

The Pentagon disagrees, insisting that today's all-volunteer forces are more efficient and professional than conscripts.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has gone further, asserting at a news conference that draftees added "no value, no advantage" to the military because they served for such brief periods. After members of Congress and veterans groups protested, Rumsfeld apologized, but made clear he opposes a return to conscription.

Revived debate

Still, Rangel's proposal -- though unlikely to win passage -- has revived a dormant national debate about the concept of mandatory national service. It is a discussion that creates unusual allies and goes to the heart of American citizenship.

While the Pentagon and the Bush administration support an all-volunteer military, a broad constituency favors some type of universal national service, either military duty or a civilian alternative.

"The problem with the all-volunteer force is that the children of America's elite are not serving," said Charles Moskos, a Northwestern University sociologist who studies military issues. "It's not good for the military, and it's not good for the nation."

Moskos has proposed a three-tiered draft -- specifically designed to include college graduates -- with the choice to serve with the armed forces, a homeland security agency such as the Border Patrol, or a public service organization such as the Peace Corps.

Divided opinions

On college campuses, opinions about the draft are deeply divided.

"I don't object to the argument that there's a socio-economic bias in the military, but remedying that with a draft is ridiculous," said University of Virginia sophomore Chris Wilson. "I would protest every step of the way."

At the University of Oregon, law student Philip Huang suggested in a campus newspaper column in October that a draft would make U.S. leaders more judicious about launching war.

"You would have a different army under a draft, more of a cross-section politically and racially," Huang said.

In a survey of 1,200 undergraduates nationwide, conducted last fall by Harvard University's Institute of Politics, 67 percent opposed a return of the draft. The poll's margin of error was 2.8 percent.

The machinery for reinstating the draft is in place even now, thanks to the Selective Service System, which requires American males to register within 30 days of their 18th birthdays.

A renewed draft would differ from the Vietnam War draft in at least one important respect. Under revised Selective Service procedures, college students receiving a draft notice could defer only until the semester ended; in the Vietnam era, they could avoid service as long as they pursued a degree.

There could be other changes, as well. Some feminists object to the male-only aspect of draft registration; a suit was filed Jan. 9 by five Massachusetts students saying the current law amounts to gender-based discrimination.

"It's so ingrained in our society that this is the way it is," said plaintiff Nicole Foley, 17. "Boys, when there's a war, go off to war, and the girls wait home and get the letters."

'Don't ask, don't tell'

Some gay-rights activists and military experts advocate another change -- extending the draft to openly gay men. This proposal has been endorsed by Moskos, who helped develop the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that lets gay and lesbian soldiers serve if they keep their sexual orientation private and don't engage in homosexual acts.

"We now have about 1,200 people a year getting out of the military with an honorable discharge by saying they're gay," Moskos said. "In a draft, that would become such a common loophole, it wouldn't work." The best way to block that option is to include gays in the draft, he said.

Rangel, a liberal from Harlem, made it no secret that his restore-the-draft proposal was intended to slow the march toward war with Iraq -- though he intends to push his idea, however that conflict turns out.

"I've been criticized by some of the CEOs of the country for not supporting the president," Rangel said. "When I ask them, 'Would you feel the same if it was your kid being placed in harm's way?' they hem and they haw."

The American Legion, the nation's largest veterans group, welcomed the debate and is urging Congress to hold hearings on how best to meet long-term military personnel needs.

"With the all-volunteer force doing such a fine job, it might to be difficult to make the case for reinstating the draft," said Legion spokesman Steve Thomas. "But the Legion is a long-standing supporter of the principal of universal military training."

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On the Net:

Selective Service System: http://www.sss.gov