"the sky is falling, the sky is falling!"

no it isn't.

A draft won't happen. Over the last two years recruiting efforts were largely downsized, resigning bonuses were eliminated, and people were voluntarily let go out of their military obligations early in an attempt to downsize the military.

Now Hilary Clinton and others are calling for a larger military? I believe we need it but i don't appreciate when my benefits are taken away.

There won't be a draft. The only thing that will happen is stepped-up recruiting, and return of benefits. What most don't know is the amazing range of benefits offered to our GIs now. On top of the Montgomery GI Bill, you have 100% tuition assistance - which means while on active duty, the military pays for 100% of your college tuition - GI Bill isn't even necessary anymore. On top of that you receive money for food every month, and money to pay rent every month ON TOP of your base pay. When deployed you get extra pay like hazard pay, incentive pay, and family separation pay. Yeah, it sucks to be in the desert, but when you're making around 3~4 G's a month doing it, it ain't so bad.

Another benefit - resigning bonus. After your first four year commitment is over, you have the option to re-enlist. If you have a high-demand career field (such as a computer-related job), your resigning bonus can be as high as $60,000. My supervisor just re-enlisted, got $30,000 up front (cash), and gets the remaining $30,000 broken up each year for the remainder of his new re-enlistment.

Yep, your tax dollars at work.
I'm writing this from my new home, with two brand new cars parked in my garage as a G.I. Do i live with my parents? NO. I live over 2000 miles away from my parents. Would i have all this if i wasn't in the service? Probably not. So what the f@ck is my point anyway? That the military is great - everyone is afraid of what it is due to the images you see on iraqi tv.... do you realize that only 10% of the entire military has ever even been to the desert? If for some reason a draft ever happened, i think if anything it would open some eyes as to the opportunities that are available to you in todays armed services.

Cheers
-ABT-

___________________
Peace.

my first post, i usually just read because i like that more, but i know this one for a fact.
I am in the us military, air force to be exact. As of right now, the military has to many people according to congress, and we are down sizing, that's right, we are kicking people out (you can't get fired in the military) because we have 32,000 more airman then congress says we can have. So before ANY draft could take place, congress would have to authorize more troops, at which point we would stop firing people. also, recent years have seen an upswing of volunteers into the military because of 911 and the military has been more selective about who it chooses.

so before all you pansy's wet your pants about a draft, chill out, IT AIN'T HAPPENING!
oh well, have a good day all.

quote:

Originally posted by 45kicks my first post, i usually just read because i like that more, but i know this one for a fact. I am in the us military, air force to be exact. As of right now, the military has to many people according to congress, and we are down sizing, that's right, we are kicking people out (you can't get fired in the military) because we have 32,000 more airman then congress says we can have. So before ANY draft could take place, congress would have to authorize more troops, at which point we would stop firing people. also, recent years have seen an upswing of volunteers into the military because of 911 and the military has been more selective about who it chooses. so before all you pansy's wet your pants about a draft, chill out, IT AIN'T HAPPENING! oh well, have a good day all.

you're in the AF? I am too... where are you stationed?

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Peace.

I also do not think a draft will be comin' back anytime soon, unless a grave situation arises like a strike from N. Korea. A draft would be incredibly unpopular, not just with the public who disagrees with our contentions for this current war, but with Congress as well.

What's more, with the "stop-loss" program taking effect, why would we need a draft? We can just keep soldiers in the military indefinitely!:

quote:

Army Plan Aims to Keep Soldiers on Duty 13 minutes ago By JOHN J. LUMPKIN, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - Thousands of soldiers who had expected to retire or otherwise leave the military will be required to stay if their units are ordered to Iraq (news - web sites) or Afghanistan (news - web sites). The announcement Wednesday, an expansion of a program called "stop-loss," affects units that are 90 days or less from deploying, said Lt. Gen. Frank L. "Buster" Hagenbeck, the Army's deputy chief of staff for personnel. Commanders can make exceptions for soldiers with special circumstances. Otherwise, soldiers won't be able to leave the service or transfer from their units until they return to their home bases after their deployments end. The Army is struggling to find fresh units to continue the occupation of Iraq. Almost every combat unit has faced or will face duty there or in Afghanistan, and increased violence has forced the deployment of an additional 20,000 troops to the Iraq region, straining units even further. The move allows the Army to keep units together as they deploy, Hagenbeck said. Units with new recruits or recently transferred soldiers would not perform as well because the troops would not have had time to work together. "The rationale is to have cohesive, trained units going to war together," Hagenbeck said. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, every Army unit ordered to Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan and nearby countries has faced a similar rule, although it has been applied in a piecemeal fashion. Army officials portrayed Wednesday's announcement as an administrative change that would serve as a catchall for every unit that deploys to those combat areas in the future. Initially, the expanded order will affect several units about to go to Iraq: most of the 2nd Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division, from Fort Drum, N.Y.; the 265th Infantry Brigade of the Louisiana National Guard; the 116th Armored Brigade of the Idaho National Guard; the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment of the Tennessee National Guard, and the 42nd Infantry Division's headquarters staff, from the New York National Guard. The 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division, a South Korea (news - web sites)-based unit, is expected to deploy later this summer and will be subject to the expanded stop-loss program as well, officials said. There has been criticism of the program as contrary to the concept of an all-volunteer military force. Soldiers planning to retire and get on with their lives now face more months away from their families and homes. In an opinion piece in Wednesday's New York Times, Andrew Exum, a former Army captain who served under Hagenbeck in the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan, called the treatment "shameful." "Many, if not most, of the soldiers in this latest Iraq-bound wave are already veterans of several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan," he wrote. "They have honorably completed their active duty obligations. But like draftees, they have been conscripted to meet the additional needs in Iraq." Hagenbeck said the stop-loss move is necessary only because the Army is also undergoing a major reorganization that requires some units to be taken off-line while they are restructured. Hagenbeck had no numbers on how many soldiers would be affected. The stop-loss expansion is indefinite, officials said. Typical turnover requires an average division to replace about a quarter of its strength — perhaps 4,000 soldiers — over an 18-month period, an Army spokeswoman said. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...raq_us_military

Yea war!

___________________
Whence September dusk grows crisper still,
with leaves all crimson conquered,
I yearn to shout,
and dance about,
and stick pickles in my honker...

actually the stop-loss was lifted a couple of months ago, much to many a troops' relief. Like i said before, recently they've been trying to slim down the military - makes no sense if a draft is imminent.

Not to mention, aren't drafts illegal now? I believe Congress passed a bill after Vietnam that makes such a move illegal.

-ABT-

___________________
Peace.

quote:

Originally posted by ABTsportsline actually the stop-loss was lifted a couple of months ago, much to many a troops' relief. Like i said before, recently they've been trying to slim down the military - makes no sense if a draft is imminent. Not to mention, aren't drafts illegal now? I believe Congress passed a bill after Vietnam that makes such a move illegal. -ABT-

Ahh you know our Congress - one illegial policy yesterday is a legal policy today. Part of the system really.

In any case, I still have doubts about a draft, based on it's unpopularity (with exception to a major strike from someone like N. Korea). Congressman have to get elected too ya know.

___________________
Whence September dusk grows crisper still,
with leaves all crimson conquered,
I yearn to shout,
and dance about,
and stick pickles in my honker...

quote:

Originally posted by ABTsportsline Not to mention, aren't drafts illegal now? I believe Congress passed a bill after Vietnam that makes such a move illegal. -ABT-

Actually, if memory serves, that "illegal draft" idea was never passed, but was related to anti-war sentiment from Vietnam. How could I have registered otherwise? My memory is fuzzy on this though, so somebody feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

In any event, reinstating the draft would be incredibly unpopular and uneccessary as I don't think the military is having any recruitment problems at the moment. I think I'd rather see active and reserve military get a pay raise first.

I doubt a draft would be instated even if N. Korea sparked up. We have some 2.4 million active duty troops plus an additional 10 millino or so in the reserves. Assuming that the goal is not an occupation of N. Korea, destroying the military capabilities of N. Korea should not be that man-power intensive. China however would be a different story.

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Retro ...

Agree, Korea is smaller and slaughter of enemy troops would be lower than China. No one on earth can take on the US in open warfare.

My father is in and out of the Pentagon so I asked him to ask a Pentagon official about the draft. This is an excerpt from the memo he recieved 2 days ago:

quote:

I don't think we'll end up with a draft. This massive professional force is the result of no draft -- everyone is well trained and wants to be there. A draft would have to consider women -- another stumbling block. An overall stop-loss and continual service in theater would certainly come first. Right now the Services are trying to maintain a rotation in theater -- impossible under the circumstances. That perception of a promised rotation is causing friction with particularly the troops' families. I don't think there were any promises about rotations, but it was sure implied -- sort of like medical care for life.

Continual stop loss to keep people in the military beyond their contractual obligations is one way to curb a draft. Too much of a good thing? might sour recruiting efforts down the road though.