AFS Survey Finds Escalating Concern About the Draft

[Guest guest]

(Maybe the children of the politicians ahould be the first to go. F.)

 

 

http://www.allianceforsecurity.org/survey/pressrelease

 

AFS Survey Finds Escalating Concern About the Draft

First Comprehensive National Survey on the Draft

Raises Question: What if They Gave a Draft and Nobody

Came?

 

* Majority of Draft Eligible Adults Say They Will

Seek Deferment or Refuse to Serve

* Unprecedented Number of Parents Don’t Support

Sending Their Child to Serve

* Uneasiness over War in Iraq and Overextended

Military Lead to Escalating Concern about the Draft

* Majority believe U.S. is One World Event Away

from Draft

 

Washington, D.C. – In a sharp reversal from historical

support for military service, the first comprehensive

national survey on the draft reveals that our country

could face a crisis in military capacity with an

unprecedented number of draft eligible adults stating

they will actively seek deferment or refuse to serve

if a draft is reinstated. Moreover, a growing number

of parents say that they would not want their child to

serve if called to duty today.

 

Uneasiness over the war in Iraq and growing concern

about an overextended military has led to escalating

concern about the draft. Furthermore, a majority of

Americans now believe that the United States is one

major world event away from reinstating the draft.

Meanwhile, there remains strong support for the Bush

administration’s foreign policy, with 60% believing

that the U.S. is more secure as a result of the policy

of pre-emption.

 

According to the survey:

 

* 52% of draft age Americans would actively seek

deferment or refuse to serve (32% said they would not

serve; 20% would seek deferment). Fewer than half,

only 43% of draft age Americans, say they would serve.

* 40% of parents would not want their child to

serve or would want their child to seek deferment if

called today (32% said not serve; 8% would encourage

child to seek deferment) In making an historical

comparison to past surveys, parents are much less

likely to want their child to serve than 34 years ago.

In 1970, during the height of the Vietnam War, more

than 75% of parents would have told their child to

serve.

* 71% of Americans are concerned about the

capacity of the military to meet overseas’ commitments

and defend the United States from attack.

* 58% are concerned about the possibility that the

United States could be headed for a military draft in

the near future. 71% of draft age women are concerned.

* 51% of Americans believe that the war in Iraq

was not worth the cost.

* 63% say that the draft is likely to be

reinstated if there was another terrorist attack on

U.S. soil; 65% say likely if terrorist cells spread

and troops are needed to prevent future attacks; 76%

say likely if two or more of these events occur at the

same time.

 

“This survey begs the question, What if they gave a

draft and nobody came?” said Bobby Muller, president

of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, a

non-partisan international humanitarian organization,

and founder of Alliance for Security which

commissioned the poll. “Having served in Vietnam as a

Marine Infantry officer, I remember when our nation

asked, ‘What if they gave a war and nobody came?’

Today, our country is facing the same crisis. The time

has come for a national dialogue about what our

military will look like, what will service mean and

why will our young men and women be called into

service.”

 

The survey also revealed that Americans were three

times more likely to think that the draft would be

reinstated if Bush wins (45%) than if Kerry wins

(15%). Independents think a draft is more likely if

Bush wins (48%) than if Kerry wins (10%). Moreover,

the issue of the draft seems to be a motivating factor

to get people out to vote. Forty percent of registered

voters said they were much more likely to vote based

on the information about the draft in the survey.

 

On the question of what the draft would look like if

it were reinstated, the Alliance for Security survey

found that most Americans expect the draft to look

like it did in the past with one major exception –

this draft would include women:

 

* 71% said women would be included

* 65% said it would allow for student deferrals

* 61% said it would operate on a lottery system

 

In announcing the results of the survey, the Alliance

for Security said it would be launching a college tour

this fall, “Tour of Duty,” to engage young adults and

communities in a discussion about the draft, our

national security and the duty of all citizens to get

engaged.

 

“For more than twenty years, I have been committed to

educating and engaging the public,” said Bobby Muller,

who will speak at college campuses across the country.

“I look forward to going into communities across

America to discuss where our nation is heading and

what young people and their families can do to make

their voices heard. I am not a pacifist, but I am a

realist. As this survey demonstrates, people are

concerned about the future of our nation’s military.

People need to remember the lessons learned from

history and get engaged—before their number is

called.”

 

The Alliance for Security, a project of the Vietnam

Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF), was established

to educate and engage the American public in a

dialogue about national security. VVAF is an

international humanitarian organization that addresses

the causes, conduct and consequences of war through

programs of advocacy and service for victims of

conflict around the world. VVAF is co-founder of the

Nobel Peace Prize-winning campaign to ban landmines.

Links:

 

* Executive Summary of Survey Results

* Full Survey Questionnaire

 

Take Action:

 

* Learn More about the Draft