An Assessment of the Political and Social Feasibility of a Peacetime Draft

Abstract

What is the political feasibility of a peacetime draft? Throughout this nation's history, the military manning debate has focused upon two separate schools of thought. On the one hand, there are those who believe that a 'professional' force, comprised of experienced, career military personnel, is needed for national defense. At the same time, others have argued that a force composed of armed citizens is the best expression of democratic, ideals. A return to conscription has been proposed as the best means of remedying the deficiencies resulting from a market-based recruiting system. However, the fact is that Americans are quite satisfied with the current system (according to a 1984 survey). This thesis seeks to place the draft revival question within the framework of the philosophical and historical issues that have helped to shape the nation's attitudes toward military service. A major conclusion of the study is that political acceptability of a peacetime draft in the United States is highly questionable. Keywords: All volunteer force; Draft conscription; Military manpower policy. Theses.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1988
Accession Number
ADA203878

Entities

People

  • Patricia M. Batt

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • American Revolution
  • Army Personnel
  • Civil War
  • Employment
  • Governments
  • Law
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Training
  • Militia
  • Minority Groups
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Political Systems
  • Revolutions
  • Second World War
  • United States Military Academy
  • Vietnam

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Military Leadership and Professional Education.
  • Systems Analysis and Design