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by Chris Messner

Created on: July 11, 2007   Last Updated: February 29, 2012

Military conscription, popularly known as "the draft", ended in America in the early 1970s, nearly 40 years ago.  It won't be back.  Never say never, but unless there is an unforeseen calamity on a global scale that requires hundreds of thousands, or maybe millions, more troops to serve in our Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, military conscription will not resume.  If that happens, it's more likely we'll be facing Armageddon instead of debating the societal ramifications of reinstating the draft.

Just in case, however, the government still requires all young men in America to register with the Selective Service system soon after they turn 18 years of age.  It really is no big deal.

The draft was necessary for more than one reason. Lots of people were needed in the military during the Korean and Vietnam wars.  There were volunteers, but not enough to meet the military's manpower requirements during the conflicts.  Also, until the mid-1970s, military service was a hardship, and did not pay well enough to support a family or attract career-minded people.

Many people today associate "the draft" with the Vietnam era, and think conscription ended when the U. S. pulled out of Vietnam in 1975.  Not so.  I was eligible to be called up in January 1973 when President Nixon announced that no more people would be drafted for Vietnam, so the last conscripts during the Vietnam conflict were taken in late 1972.  Nobody's been drafted since.

Shortly thereafter, the U. S. Government decided to make military service more attractive by boosting pay and benefits and improving the facilities at our military installations. When I joined the Air Force in 1976, that effort was well under way, but it is still on-going. As recently as the early '90s, the military was still making due with WWII-era housing and other facilities. I know because I lived in them and used them.  In fact, the Air Force in 2012 is still flying B-52 bombers, an airframe that entered service in 1955, and will be flying beyond 2040.

The move to make military service more attractive was a screaming success. America now has an all-volunteer force of professionals down to the the very lowest ranks. Our military contains some of the brightest people our society has to offer. Many young people realize that America is a terrorist target and will be for a long time, and they are willing to wear the uniform to do something positive to protect their country. I'm sure part of their motivation is to take advantage of educational and travel opportunities, and explore the military's career possibilities, but that was the reasoning behind making military service a viable career option for young Americans. I salute them.

The services are now much more selective about who they'll accept.  Today's technology simply demands sharp people with the intelligence, aptitude and education to make the military's sophisticated weapons and other systems work as intended.  There is an age limit, as well, which varies across the different branches of the Armed Forces.

The downside is that the military has become very expensive to equip, train and support. But I believe that is money well-spent. Our government wastes a lot more money on much more dubious, much less-successful endeavors.

Given the current push to reduce government debt and cut federal deficit spending, the Department of Defense has to do more with less.  The DoD's fiscal 2012 appropriation is about 7 percent (roughly $40 billion) less than in 2011, and they're facing potential budget cuts of up to 25 percent in the near future.  Bases will be closed, development and acquisition of new weapons systems will be delayed or cancelled, active-duty manpower will be reduced.  It's all happened before, more than once.  Relax.  The draft will not be brought back.

Even with the on-going, so-called "war on terror", it's clear to me that America does not need to reinstate military conscription. Individuals leave military service voluntarily all the time, but never in numbers so great that they're not replaced by new volunteer recruits. 

When my son enlisted in the Air Force 5 years ago, I attended his basic training graduation and I can say confidently there was, and is, no shortage of people willing to join up and wear the uniform proudly.

So, if you're a young man of about 18 concerned about signing up for Selective Service, or you're parents worried about losing your son to "the draft", rest easy.  The draft was then, the all-volunteer force is now.  It's gonna stay that way.

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