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Max Fisher

Stanley McChrystal: The U.S. should reinstitute the draft

“America suffers right now from the fact that many Americans don’t meet or deal with anybody outside their social or cultural circle,” retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal tells Foreign Affairs in a lengthy interview. “I think mandatory national service would have a huge effect to help us in that direction.”

It’s not a fundamentally new argument to say that the U.S., if it had a draft military, might be more careful about using military force and more restrained in deploying its service members. Still, it’s interesting to see McChrystal, who led the international force in Afghanistan before resigning in disgrace in 2010, making that case himself.

The “reinstate the draft” argument is typically associated with liberal Democrats and with opponents of U.S. military action, not with the generals who lead that action.

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I hope they make it an “equal opportunity” draft; women as well as men. (maybe I’m just getting old and cranky)

Duncan Khuver on February 20, 2013 at 1:16 PM

So you would throw our young girls to the barbarians would you? Good Lord, what has become of our men? The feminazis have succeeded in emasculating them, apparently.

I guess chivalry really is dead. The nation won’t be far behind.

pannw on February 20, 2013 at 1:34 PM

We’ll never have a shortage of truck drivers and infantry types.

Sgt Steve on February 20, 2013 at 11:27 AM

That’s John Kerry thinking, right there.

You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.

Mitoch55 on February 20, 2013 at 1:47 PM

pannw on February 20, 2013 at 1:34 PM

Note the “maybe I’m getting old and cranky” part. I wasn’t completely serious. In case you missed it, I thought the draft was a stupid idea. From my observations, it gave us a lower quality military. Regarding women in the draft, if we are going to be stupid by reinstating a draft that is not needed, we might as well go all the way.

Duncan Khuver on February 20, 2013 at 1:50 PM

Duncan Khuver on February 20, 2013 at 1:50 PM

If the draft were to be reinstated, I can imagine lawsuits from men happening (if women were not included).

Fenris on February 20, 2013 at 1:57 PM

I suspect this is what he’s pushing for:

http://rangel.house.gov/press-release/rangel-introduce-legislation-reinstating-draft-and-requiring-women-register-selective

The National Universal Service Act (H.R 747), also known as the “draft” bill, would require 30 million people in the United States between the ages of 18 and 25 to perform two years of national service in either the armed services or in civilian life. It would build upon the community service infrastructure already in place such as the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, as well as local initiatives such as NYC Serve. The National Universal Service Act was first introduced in 2003 at the height of protest against going to war with Iraq, and was reintroduced in 2006, 2007, 2010, and 2011.

JannyMae on February 20, 2013 at 1:58 PM

So you would throw our young girls to the barbarians would you? Good Lord, what has become of our men? The feminazis have succeeded in emasculating them, apparently.

I guess chivalry really is dead. The nation won’t be far behind.

pannw on February 20, 2013 at 1:34 PM

I don’t believe in the draft but it appears that you are more than happy to throw our “young boys” at the barbarians.

MoreLiberty on February 20, 2013 at 2:06 PM

MoreLiberty on February 20, 2013 at 2:06 PM

No, I’m not. When I look at my son, I can completely understand the Gibsons heading off to Australia with Mel and his siblings. But as the mother of both, and a woman married to an actual man, I know there is a huge natural difference in the two sexes. Just because leftist women reject ‘the natural use’ doesn’t mean we all do, nor should we, and nor should the men.

pannw on February 20, 2013 at 2:25 PM

Comment pages: « Previous 1 2