Twin bills pending legislation in the U.S. House and Senate will give the president the authority to reinstate the military draft. If passed, all men and women ages 18 to 26 will face the possibility of fighting in combat in the name of the United States.

The bills -- officially known as the Universal National Service Act of 2003 -- were introduced to the House and Senate on Jan. 7, 2003, and will require all young adults in the United States to perform two years of military or civilian service intended to improve national defense, health and safety and homeland security.

Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., and Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-S.C., who introduced the bills, wrote a letter to their colleagues on Jan. 27, 2003, explaining their reasoning. The letter states: “Both of us are extraordinarily concerned that our military's current capacity would not allow it to fight multiple wars at once. We remain unconvinced by the Department of Defense's claims that the current all-volunteer military can meet any contingency that might arise … we do not have the personnel to fight a multi-theater war.”

The day Hollings introduced the bill to the Senate, he said in a press release: “We all share the benefits of life in America, and under this plan, we all help shoulder the burden of defending our freedoms.”

That same day, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said in a Department of Defense news briefing, “We are not going to re-implement the draft. There is no need for it at all.”

Under the new draft bills, there will be fewer protections for people who wish to protect themselves from the call of duty. All young men and women will be wanted, and escaping the draft will be much more difficult than during the Vietnam era. The bills are designed to ensure all are drafted equally.

No Protections: Students, Women, Married, Parents

According to the bills H.R. 163 and S. 89, the draft, if reinstated, will take in citizens and long-standing residents -- with college no longer providing protection. High school students and college seniors will be allowed to complete courses necessary to graduate, and all other college students can finish only the current semester.

For the first time in U.S. history, women will be included in the draft under these bills.

"We want civil rights, but not necessarily civil rights to kill," said Sheila Tully, a lecturer in women’s studies.

“If we don’t include women in the draft then we will be turning our backs on resources that might otherwise be useful,” said business management major Jason Gayheart.

“I don’t think anyone should be drafted, but if I’m going to get drafted I think women should, too,” Jorge Rivas said. “I would like them to open it to women for the sole purpose that it would create more drama, and we could end it sooner.”

Under the bills, people will be drafted regardless of marital or parental status.

According to the Selective Service System, Conscientious Objector (CO) status, which formerly protected a select few from the draft for religious or personal beliefs, will no longer ensure exemption.

The bills require that everyone drafted participate in military or civil service, so people seeking CO status will be assigned to alternative service in their communities performing jobs that make meaningful contributions to national health, safety and interests.

Really a Necessity?

The only way it would be necessary to reinstate the draft is if there was a significant decline in military enlistment and reenlistment, said Robert Smith, a political science professor.

Military personnel were unable to comment on current enlistment rates.

If the situation in Iraq continues the way it is now, more troops will be needed. There are currently about 130,000 soldiers in Iraq, and many people think that twice as many are needed to perform a successful mission, Smith said.

Gayheart said he would not mind if the draft were reinstated if there is a need, but he is not sure a need exists. The military needs to reevaluate itself and determine how to best fight the new enemy, he said.

“I’m not sure that more troops are necessary,” Gayheart said. “Having a smarter more nimble military might be more beneficial.”

If more people have to go to the military, it gives politicians more reason to go to war or use military might to scare other countries, alumnus Amir Dastgah said. “Other countries could get a hold of weapons of mass destruction to prevent invasion- basically it would create chaos,” he said.

“The U.S. wants to bring democracy to every country by force. That’s not an option,” Datsgah said.

The Selective Service System must provide a report to the president by March 31, 2005, on the status of preparations to reinstate the draft, which will include establishing offices to process draftees and deferments.

David Tabb, a political science professor, said that if the draft does become an issue, it would only be after the November elections. It would be political suicide for either President Bush or Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts to publicly support it, Tabb said.

Political Suicide

Bush and Kerry have both kept quiet on the issue, however Kerry's Web site said, "John Kerry will set a goal of one million Americans a year in national service within the next decade."

If the draft is reinstated, it is less likely the administration would go to war, Smith said. There would be more pressure to keep troops home if the military is made up of the children of corporate executives and well-off people. There will be far greater opposition than if the military is made up of the poor. Afraid of being drafted and killed, people will turn out in far greater numbers to protest the war, he said.

The current anti-war movement has been relatively mild, partly because college-age Americans are not likely to be called to serve, Tabb said. The overall level of political involvement of today’s youth is not likely to increase until the quantity of body bags coming home from war increases, he said.

During the Vietnam War, it was not necessarily the war that sparked the youth’s interest. It was the 20,000 to 30,000 U.S. casualties who were returned in body bags after the draft was revved up in 1965 that inspired them to protest the war, Tabb said.