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A growing chorus

missed the idea of a volunteer military for

Introduction

"placing [the nation's] faith in its own citi-

on behalf of

zenry to rally to its defense when the

conscription is

national security is threatened."6

Throughout the first 90 years of its exis-

being heard.

tence, the federal government relied on vol-

President Nixon, however, who hoped the

unteers to man its regular forces. Militia duty

end of conscription would dampen protests

was compulsory in most states, but the

against the Vietnam War, created the Presi-

requirements were limited (normally short

dent's Commission on the All-Volunteer

terms under community leaders for local

Force (known as the Gates Commission). The

defense) and faded over time.1 Although

commission's report served as the blueprint

for the AVF.7

there is no record of the draft's being dis-

cussed at the Constitutional Convention, the

The draft came to an end in 1973, forcing

concerns voiced by many about standing

the Pentagon, which had for more than 40

armies would have applied even more to a

years relied on coercion to fill its ranks, to

conscript force. Observes historian Jack

convince hundreds of thousands of young

Leach, "It is quite likely that had the dele-

men to volunteer. But low pay and poor

gates at Philadelphia extended the power to

social status for military service created a dif-

`raise and support armies' by adding the

ficult transition, and the armed services suf-

phrase, `by voluntary means, and if neces-

fered from inadequate and low-quality

sary by draft upon the male population,'

recruits, as well as high turnover. Almost

they would have generated insurmountable

immediately after the draft was repealed, its

opposition throughout the country and in

supporters counterattacked, urging a return

the state ratifying conventions."2

to compulsion.

The debate raged for roughly a decade.8

Nevertheless, national conscription was

imposed during the Civil War. It met sub-

Reagan administration policies, particular-

stantial resistance in both the South and

ly better pay and benefits and a renewed

the North.3 An even more comprehensive

respect for military service, dramatically

transformed the AVF.9 By the end of the

draft reappeared in World War I. Not sur-

prisingly, the Supreme Court sustained

1980s, pressure for conscription had dissi-

conscription--it is hard to imagine a Court

pated. Although the Persian Gulf War led to

independent enough not to do so during

scattered calls for a draft, the volunteer mil-

itary's tremendous success quieted critics.10

wartime. However, the practice likely violated

the original constitutional grant of powers

Later worries about young people's declin-

(which authorized Congress to raise an army

ing interest in joining the military also

quickly disappeared.11

and call forth the usually state-conscripted

militia rather than enact a federal draft), as

well as the Thirteenth Amendment's pro-

The Conscription Call

scription of involuntary servitude.4

After both the Civil War and World War

I, conscription disappeared when hostilities

Now, however, a growing chorus on

ended. With war raging in Europe and a

behalf of conscription is being heard. George

potential hegemonic threat in East Asia,

Wilson, former Washington Post military cor-

Congress adopted the first peacetime draft

respondent, argued that "the time has come

in 1940. Conscription then persisted--with

to enact a fair, limited and selective draft to

but a brief 15-month hiatus in 1947 and

fill the billets that a reasonable amount of

1948--until 1973.5 So accepted had the

recruiting cannot fill."12 Writing in the

draft become during the Cold War that in

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Ross Mackenzie

1967 a congressional advisory group, the

suggested the reinstitution of conscription

so-called Clark Commission, rudely dis-

"for better cross-fertilization between civil-

2