Brandan P. Buck
Brandan P. Buck
Fall may finally have arrived in DC, but one discussion that never seems out of season is pontificating on a need for a return of military conscription. While the leaves may have turned, the substance of the case from those who advocate for conscription remains the same: blending arguments of geopolitical necessity and socio-cultural improvement, arguing that such an institution “would contribute to maintaining the integrity of our domestic political life.”
As radical as such an idea may sound, it has gained traction in recent months. And even when dressed with a veneer of moderation, it still holds alarming potential for undermining American liberty. Such was the case for the Center for a New American Security’s (CNAS) June report, “Back to the Drafting Board.” Part of what author and activist Edward Hasbrouck quipped was the “summer of the draft,” CNAS’s report advocated for an overhauled Selective Service System (SSS) to serve as a backstop for enabling total military mobilization and as a deterrent against the near-peer competitors.
While the paper noticeably and laudably eschewed two traditional talking points, namely the use of the draft as a domestic political tool and as a means of coercive recruitment for peacetime, the proposal by authors Katherine L. Kuzminski and Taren Sylvester should cause alarm for those who value liberty and restrained government.
Chief among their ideas was an overhauled registration system that would collect personal data beyond the current limits of one’s name, Social Security number, and address. Kuzminski and Sylvester claim that the changing nature of war requires a 21st-century military with diverse skill sets, arguing that the All-Volunteer Force (AVF) “could further benefit from the use of conscripts who bring technical skill sets not readily available in the professionalized force.” They propose, as other draft proponents have argued, that a future American military would need its share of keyboard warriors too, » Read More
https://www.cato.org/blog/draft-antithetical-liberty-even-it-never-used