Notice on Pentagon website sparks rumors of draft

This is not original reporting. Information has been compiled from the San Francisco Chronicle article Selective Service notice creates flurry of press reports by Pauline Jelinek

A routine notice from a Pentagon website advertising the need for volunteers to serve on the draft board created a rumor about the reinstatement of the military draft, according to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle.

However, officials maintained that there are no plans to bring back the draft.

"There are no secret discussions," said Pat Schuback, a spokesman for the Selective Service System, the agency that oversees and carries out the draft should the United States need it. "We aren't doing any planning that we don't do on a routine basis," stated Schuback.

The draft was abolished in 1973 near the end of the Vietnam War, but the government re-established in 1980 the requirement that all male citizens and resident aliens register for the draft within 30 days of turning 18, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

About 10,000 to 12,000 volunteers work for the Selective Service System, and most serve 20-year terms. According to Schuback, the system was set up in 1979, and therefore many terms have expired, prompting the need for more volunteers.

Newspaper articles about the hiring notice that appeared on a Pentagon website, www.defendamerica.mil, created rumors that the U.S. may reinstate the draft, stated the San Francisco Chronicle.

The notice has since been removed from the website.

The Selective Service System asserted that the "invitation for board members" to serve their local chapters has been ongoing for 23 years. "There is no connection between this ongoing, routine public outreach to compensate for natural board attrition and current international events," said the Selective Service website. "Both the President and the Secretary of Defense have stated on several occasions that a draft is not needed for the war on terrorism, including Iraq."

Blazers who are eligible to be drafted saw no cause for concern.

"I am not concerned because I don't think the U.S. will have a draft and send kids to Iraq, especially at this point," said 18-year-old senior Noah Forman. Forman stated that he does not believe President Bush will reinstate a draft so close to elections. "That's…a ticket out of office," he said. "It would be such a big strike against the Republican Party as a whole."

Senior Alfred Joseph, who will turn 18 next month, is also not worried about being drafted. His only concern is that friends and relatives who are currently serving in the military may be sent to Iraq.