Draft Hand-Writing ON THE WALL

Draft Hand-Writing ON THE WALL

February 11, 2005


On January 28, 2005 the Project of the New American Century, an influential neo-Conservative think-tank wrote a memo[i] to Congress stating that the current levels of U.S. ground forces are inadequate.

They wrote:

The United States military is too small for the responsibilities we are asking it to assume. Those responsibilities are real and important. They are not going away. The United States will not and should not become less engaged in the world in the years to come. But our national security, global peace and stability, and the defense and promotion of freedom in the post-9/11 world require a larger military force than we have today…

There is abundant evidence that the demands of the ongoing missions in the greater Middle East, along with our continuing defense and alliance commitments elsewhere in the world, are close to exhausting current U.S. ground forces.

This letter makes the suggestion that the Army and the Marines combined need to increase its active duty troops by “at least 25,000 troops each year over the next several years.” The memo also states that with the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States is involved in a “generational commitment” in the Middle East, which will require a significant increase in troops in order to fulfill this commitment.


As some might suggest this memo is not a call for the military draft. However, as J.E. McNeil, Executive Director of CCW, states this is the “hand writing on the wall” in the lead up to the return of the draft. We must recognize the handwriting and stop it before it goes any further. We must not slack in our efforts to educate Congress about conscientious objection and push for an alternative to a “generational war.”


As this memo correctly states the military is “close to exhausting current U.S. ground forces.” However, increasing the number of troops is not the answer. The U.S. needs to seriously consider a change in foreign policy. Let’s start writing a peaceful tomorrow.


[i] “Letter to Congress on Increasing U.S. Ground Forces” - http://www.newamericancentury.org/defense-20050128.htm

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