The U.S. military’s all-volunteer force (AVF) model is an abject failure. Last year, the active Army fell 15,000 recruits short of its goal. This year, it was 10,000, and the Army Reserve fell 40% short of its goal. This year, the active Navy fell 7,000 short, and the Navy Reserve was 33% short. Finally, the active Air Force fell 3,000 recruits short, and the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard each fell 30% short of their goals.

Our national security crisis is part of a broader civic rot that plagues our democracy. Ultimately, the AVF’s failure could lead to war if the U.S. appears weak to a potential adversary. Furthermore, the AVF itself may prompt a president to initiate or prolong a war because Americans aren’t obligated to defend the nation. Only a small portion of the population, primarily from the third and fourth socioeconomic quintiles, has taken on this task; those from the first quintile are largely absent from service. And those who serve, as well as their families, have paid the price of war, as witnessed in combat deaths, suicides, amputations, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and substance abuse. 

To enhance national security and readiness, and reduce the fundamental causes of war, we propose the following course of action. In a fiscal year in which any of the services fails to meet recruiting goals, the military would conduct a fair, lottery-based draft — as opposed to the draft imposed during the Vietnam War — of both men and women, with no deferments or exemptions for the following year, to make up the preceding year’s shortfall. Those selected would have the option of attending college but they also would be required to enroll in ROTC. 

Read the full piece in The Messenger here.