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Soldiers from Charlie Company prepare to fire a 155mm howitzer.
Photo: Dept. of State
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Last summer, when President Bush first sought backing for military action
against Iraq, liberal Democrat Charles Rangel of New York was among his most
vocal opponents.
But almost immediately after congress returned from vacation this week,
Representative Rangel proposed legislation to reinstate the military draft.
The bill would compel males between 18 and 25 to be enlisted in the U.S.
Armed Forces.
While Rangel's bill is considered to have little chance of becoming law, it has
reignited a debate (as it was surely intended to) over class, race and who should be required to fight and possibly die for a country that has not put such large numbers of combatants in the field in a generation.
In a December 31 op-ed article published in The New York Times, the often
outspoken congressman floated the idea, arguing, "A disproportionate
number of the poor and members of minority groups make up the enlisted ranks
of the military, while the most privileged Americans are underrepresented or
absent."
According to the Defense Department, blacks make up 20 percent of the
overall military and 22 percent of all those enlisted in the services. Blacks make
up about 11 percent of the U.S. population as a whole, according to the 2000
Census.
To remedy the situation, Rangel, who is black, proposes that the
draft be reinstated for the first time since the Vietnam War. "I believe
that if we are going to send our children to war, the governing principle
must be that of shared sacrifice," he wrote.
Rangel also expressed concern that the current force of 1.4 million active
military personnel might become spread too thin if the current standoff with
Iraq escalates, the U.S. continues its efforts to dismantle the al Qaeda
network and it maintains heavy troop presences in South Korea and Japan.
The congressman's proposal has received little initial support from key
lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who will likely decide the legislation's fate.
"My read at this time is that there is not a lot of enthusiasm or support
for [the draft], either within the civilian community or perhaps most
importantly within the military services themselves," said Representative
John McHugh (R-NY), who chairs the House Armed Services military personnel
subcommittee.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has stated on several occasions that he
does not support reinstating the draft. "There's no need for it at all," he
said during a press conference on Tuesday. "The disadvantages of
using compulsion to bring into the armed forces the men and women needed are
notable."
Critics of Rangel's proposal point out that it would take roughly a year to
train any enlisted soldier for combat. By that time, any conflict with Iraq
would likely have been long since resolved.
Others say Rangel is using the draft issue simply to score political points.
The conservative editorial board at The Wall Street Journal recently
excoriated Rangel for "stoking racial flames."
The newspaper also cited Defense Department data that suggests that
blacks are more likely than whites to hold non-combat roles in
the military. "The Special Forces, who led the Afghanistan campaign and who
would likely play a key role in Iraq, are overwhelmingly white," added the
paper.
Under current law, all males between the ages of 18 and 25 are required to
register with the Selective Service, the government agency that would coordinate a draft. Currently 11.1
million are signed up, according to the agency. If Rangel's legislation
were to be passed by congress and signed into law, the first to be called up
would be 20-year-olds. After that, those 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25 years old
would be drafted successively. Finally, 18 and 19-year-olds would receive
the call.
What do you think of the idea of bringing back the draft? You've read the
piece, now speak your peace in You Tell Us
 Learn more about the Selective Service and the rules of the draft.
Do you think the U.S. should attack Iraq without the backing of the Security Council? Vote in the MTV News poll.
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