Dakota Beacon

What follows is meant to provoke thought and discussion.

Between August 1964 and February 1973, during the Vietnam era, more than 1.8 million men were drafted. Currently, there is no draft. But, if there were a draft, almost all men aged between 18 and 25 who are US citizens or immigrants living in the US will be required to register with a few exceptions. To date, there has been little interest by Congress to reinstate the draft. BUT -- Congress can do so at any time.

The end of “universal” conscription in 1973 also ended military service as we knew it. Eliminating the draft in 1973 had little to do with national security and everything to do with domestic politics. It was a political ploy by the American Right against the American anti-war Left and the ploy worked. With the end of the draft, the anti-war movement collapsed.

With the mothballing of the draft the All-Volunteer force was launched. Recruiting and retention became the name of the game. So how goes the recruiting and retention effort today? Not so good.

Recent Army testimony before Congress stated that the service has no choice but to revise downward the total force strength by 10,000 for the next fiscal year. Still, by the end of fiscal 2023, it could be 28,000 soldiers short of its 476,000 target. In fiscal 2022 the Army fell short about 15,000 soldiers, or 25%, below its recruitment goal for the year. While the Army was the only service that did not meet its goal, all of the other services had to dig deep into their delayed entry pool of applicants, which will put them behind as they begin the fiscal 2023 recruiting year.

Why is this? Various excuses have been floated. Poor job market. Unqualified applicants for a number of reasons. More likely is that the new “woke” military is not all that appealing to the kinds of people who traditionally enlist in the armed forces. Young people hear of "toxic masculinity" and "white rage" and every terrible thing that their country has done. Why sign up and risk your life for that? They're uninspired, and who can blame them? This is not their dad's military anymore.

Constant combat and never-ending rotations through combat zones around the world doesn’t sell. Besides, valor is not in the media’s lexicon. Instead, the media fondly portrays servicemen as failures and stupid for even joining the military.

Chronic misuse of the All-Volunteer force produced record levels of disabled, alcoholics, drug abusers, PTSD victims, suicides, homelessness, and welfare dependencies. Many of these social costs are a phenomenon unprecedented in American military history. No one questions if we are asking too few to do so much without justifiable reasons. Politicians enthusiastically support endless wars in far-off lands. These same politicians then adopt a pretentious aura of patriotism.

Truth be told, there are more votes to be had from grifters, deadbeats, and reluctant conscripts than there will ever be from earnest military volunteers. The All-Volunteer force makes it too easy for politicians to rationalize deployments without fear of consequences at the ballot box.

Small wars today have little to do with our national goals and everything to do with domestic politics, political expediency, and the transient crisis of the moment. There is no over-arching vision, no strategic objective, much less a reasonable expectation of victory. Stated objectives and missions are trivialized with meaningless weasel words like “humanitarian concerns,” “training,” “nation building,” or “stability.”

We never seem to learn that war is either all or nothing especially when some areas are off limits to attack as was Cambodia, North Vietnam, Laos, Pakistan, and Iran. The military knows this simple fact; politicians don’t. Shackles are kept on the military so politicians can show their “leadership” and their worth as “humanitarians.” Re-election becomes more important than body bags returning our young soldiers home.

Modern American history could be characterized as intervention and regime change littering the world’s landscape with the debris of military fiascos. After years of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, after trillions of dollars spent, after thousands of maimed and dead Americans, what do the politicians do? They continue to give it all away with a wave of the hand and the good intentions of their all-knowing beneficence. Our troops gave their lives. Our politicians gratuitously gave away, or left behind, sufficient material to equip several armies.

Universal conscription carries with it shared risk, sacrifice, and personal cost both for the soldier and the people who send him into battle. It imposes a prudent restraint on the use and abuse of military force. Without universal sacrifice, incompetent politicians and venal generals get a free hand to play fast and loose with our lives, our treasure, and our national reputation.

We are a nation divided and have been since the 1970s. The All-Volunteer force created a gulf between the combat veteran and the population they served. That gulf gets broader with every reckless military intervention and deployment.

For all of this, our world is not a safer place today. Freedom and democracy are not ascendant. Here is a hard question, “Should every citizen and every family who benefits from national security and who enjoys safety and democracy also share the risks and costs?”

Think about it before the President and Congress act again.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).