President Bush’s “war czar” did not call for a military draft or say it was likely in the future, as some suggested. Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute (in photo), deputy national security adviser for Iraq and Afghanistan, was asked last week by National Public Radio if a draft made sense militarily. Lute responded: “I think it makes sense to certainly consider it, and I can tell you, this has always been an option on the table. But ultimately, this is a policy matter between meeting the demands for the nation’s security by one means or another. Today, the current means of the all-volunteer force is serving us exceptionally well. It would be a major policy shift — not actually a military but a political policy shift to move to some other course.”
Lawmakers, including Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., don’t support such a policy shift, even though there is real concern about the volunteer military being stretched too thin. When asked Sunday on ABC News’ “This Week” about Lute’s comments, Brownback was emphatic: “We don’t need a draft.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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