8 Ways to Sunday

Chuck Hagel (R-NE) this morning told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing that, due to deteriorating security in Iraq, the United States may have to reintroduce the draft.

Last used during the Vietnam War and dormant since 1972, the draft would render almost all able-bodied men aged 18 to 25 in the United States eligible for compulsory military service in the Iraq War upon selection by the draft lottery. This process is handled by the Selective Service System, and registration is mandatory for American males. Women are not required to register for the draft, since they are not deployed in front-line combat scenarios.

Reinstating the draft would require an act of Congress. There are presently two pieces of legislation making their way through the legislative branch that would authorize a new draft, though many legislators insist they are not being taken very seriously. For its part, the Defense Department has stated its opposition to a draft as recently as January, but was nevertheless recruiting for members of local draft boards in November of last year.

The last draft, during the Vietnam War, spurred mass protests among members of the growing anti-war movement of that day.

(citations: WVTM-TV of Bermingham, AL via MSNBC)