House Democrat Wants Draft Reinstated

Associated Press | November 20, 2006
WASHINGTON - Americans would have to sign up for a new military draft after turning 18 under a bill the incoming chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee says he will introduce next year.

Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., said Sunday he sees his idea as a way to deter politicians from launching wars.

"There's no question in my mind that this president and this administration would never have invaded Iraq, especially on the flimsy evidence that was presented to the Congress, if indeed we had a draft and members of Congress and the administration thought that their kids from their communities would be placed in harm's way," Rangel said.

Rangel, a veteran of the Korean War who has unsuccessfully sponsored legislation on conscription in the past, has said the all-volunteer military disproportionately puts the burden of war on minorities and lower-income families.

Rangel said he will propose a measure early next year. While he said he is serious about the proposal, there is little evident support among the public or lawmakers for it.

In 2003, Rangel proposed a measure covering people age 18 to 26. It was defeated 402-2 the following year. This year, he offered a plan to mandate military service for men and women between age 18 and 42; it went nowhere in the Republican-led Congress.

Democrats will control the House and Senate come January because of their victories in the Nov. 7 election.

At a time when some lawmakers are urging the military to send more troops to Iraq, "I don't see how anyone can support the war and not support the draft," said Rangel, who also proposed a draft in January 2003, before the U.S. invasion of Iraq. "I think to do so is hypocritical."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who is a colonel in the U.S. Air Force Standby Reserve, said he agreed that the U.S. does not have enough people in the military.

"I think we can do this with an all-voluntary service, all-voluntary Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy. And if we can't, then we'll look for some other option," said Graham, who is assigned as a reserve judge to the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals.

Rangel, the next chairman of the House tax-writing committee, said he worried the military was being strained by its overseas commitments.

"If we're going to challenge Iran and challenge North Korea and then, as some people have asked, to send more troops to Iraq, we can't do that without a draft," Rangel said.

He said having a draft would not necessarily mean everyone called to duty would have to serve. Instead, "young people (would) commit themselves to a couple of years in service to this great republic, whether it's our seaports, our airports, in schools, in hospitals," with a promise of educational benefits at the end of service.

Graham said he believes the all-voluntary military "represents the country pretty well in terms of ethnic makeup, economic background."

Repeated polls have shown that about seven in 10 Americans oppose reinstatement of the draft and officials say they do not expect to restart conscription.

Outgoing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told Congress in June 2005 that "there isn't a chance in the world that the draft will be brought back."

Yet the prospect of the long global fight against terrorism and the continuing U.S. commitment to stabilizing Iraq have kept the idea in the public's mind.

The military drafted conscripts during the Civil War, both world wars and between 1948 and 1973. An agency independent of the Defense Department, the Selective Service System, keeps an updated registry of men age 18-25 - now about 16 million - from which to supply untrained draftees that would supplement the professional all-volunteer armed forces.

Rangel and Graham appeared on "Face the Nation" on CBS.

1st Cav. Div. takes the reigns in Baghdad

Multi-National Forces-Iraq

Wednesday, 15 November 2006
Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20061115-04
Nov. 15,2006

1st Cav. Div. takes the reigns in Baghdad

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraqi -- Under the clear, morning skies of a promising new day in Baghdad, the 1st Cavalry Division took the reigns for Multi-National Division -- Baghdad from the 4th Infantry Division during a transfer of authority ceremony here Nov. 15.

The ceremony honored the hard work and sacrifices of the departing “Ironhorse Division,” and looked forward to future challenges and successes to be garnered by the “First Team.

Presiding over the ceremony was Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, commanding general, Multi-National Corps -- Iraq. Chiarelli, no stranger to the 1st Cav. Div., was well suited for his role. Less than two years ago, he commanded the “First Team” during their first rotation as MND-B.

“It seems like only yesterday that I led the ‘First Team’ here,” said Chiarelli. “I know you will build on the exceptional success of the 4th Infantry Division. I have complete confidence that you (First Team) will make the difference.“The TOA is a symbol of the commitment of the coalition to the people of Iraq,” said

“This has indeed been a challenging time in Iraq,” he noted. He said in this complex atmosphere, “… few victories happen fast and we can only succeed through perseverance.”

The MNC-I commander said all Soldiers of 4th Inf. Div. should be proud of what they accomplished during their tenure in Baghdad. He said the Soldiers had a direct positive impact on the Iraqi people‘s day-to-day lives, including increased electricity, improved sewage systems and a monumental increase in trained Iraqi Security Forces.

“This is the decisive period in the campaign for Iraq,” said Maj. Gen. James D. Thurman, commanding general, 4th Inf. Div. “Fighting side-by-side with Iraqi Security Forces, we have become brothers-in-arms, seeking a common goal.”

The 4th Inf. Div. commander addressed an audience of Iraqi and Coalition leaders, looking back on a year’s worth of successes and sacrifices by his MND-B forces.

“Since January 7, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines of the Coalition Forces, standing side by side with the ‘jundis’ (soldiers) and ‘shurtas’ (officers) of the Iraqi Security Forces, have courageously faced a determined enemy,” he said. “They have fought the terrorists in the streets, farmlands and deserts of four provinces: Baghdad, Babil, Karbala and Najaf.

“Our combined efforts enabled a new, democratically-elected government to form and begin leading the Iraqi people, living in a free nation,” Thurman said.


With the colors of his division cased and ready to accompany him home, Thurman’s thoughts were focused on the efforts of his Soldiers and on the support of their families.

“Our families and friends wait for us in the United States,” he said. “They have been patient and have supported us unfailingly. We return to our homes and families proud of our contribution to bettering the lives of the Iraqi people.”

With the crisp notes of the 1st Cav. Div. band accompanying the ceremony, Thurman passed on the mantle of MND-B with pride for his Soldiers and optimism for his successors.

Maj. Gen. Joseph F. Fil Jr., commanding general, 1st Cav. Div., uncased his colors and assumed command of the MND-B mission as the division colors changed position in the honor guard procession.

“The First Team is committed to continue to improve the security situation, to build upon the work of the “Ironhorse Division,” to work hand-in-hand with our brothers in the Iraqi Security Forces and to support those Iraqi forces as they move to the lead to assist the Iraqi people in achieving a more prosperous and peaceful future,” said the MND-B commander.

With obvious pride in the troops of his new command, Fil closed by thanking the 4th Inf. Div. for their great efforts in providing a smooth transition with the 1st Cav. Div. and took a moment to recognize all the forces that make up MND-B.

“While it is my honor to lead the First Team back to Baghdad, Multi-National Division -- Baghdad is so much more than just the 1st Cav. Div.,” he said. “The ranks of Multi-National Division -- Baghdad are filled with our Iraqi partners, every service component of the U.S. military and Soldiers from nearly every active Army division in the inventory.

“I look forward to leading this amazing formation,” Fil said, “in an effort to help the good people of Iraq realize their destiny which is a safe and secure Iraqi, where freedom reigns.”

Nat'l Guard Units Face 2nd Tours in Iraq

WASHINGTON - The nation's citizen Soldiers, already strained by long tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, could be tapped again under new plans being developed by the Pentagon.

National Guard combat brigades that have already served in Iraq may be called for a second tour, likely breaking the 24-month deployment limit initially set by the Pentagon, the Guard's top general said.

While active-duty Soldiers and smaller Guard units and members have returned to Iraq for multiple tours, the new plans would, for the first time, send entire Guard combat brigades back to the battlefront. Brigades generally have about 3,500 troops.

The move - which could include brigades from Arkansas, Florida, Indiana and North Carolina - would force the Pentagon to make the first large-scale departure from its previous decision not to deploy reserves for more than a cumulative 24 months in Iraq.

For some units, a second tour would mean they would likely exceed that two-year maximum. The planning was described by Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, who commands the Guard, in an Associated Press interview this week.

In a related move, the Pentagon is preparing to release a list of active units - and perhaps reserves as well - scheduled to go to Iraq that would largely maintain the current level of forces there over the next two years, another senior defense official said Thursday. There are about 152,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.

That official requested anonymity because the plan has not been made public.

The Pentagon routinely notifies units to prepare for deployment, knowing it is easier to cancel a move overseas than to suddenly make such a large troop movement.

It was not clear whether this week's resignation of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld would affect deployment plans. President Bush has selected former CIA chief Robert Gates, who has criticized U.S. policy in Iraq, to replace Rumsfeld, but he has not yet been confirmed by the Senate.

"We are doing contingency planning for one or two (units), and we have contingency plans for more than two if necessary," Blum said Wednesday. The North Carolina brigade, he said, is being considered since it was one of the first to go to Iraq after the war began in 2003.

Blum also said defense officials have been discussing whether they need to adjust their policy that limits the deployment of reserves in the war to 24 months.

"When that policy was originally formulated, I seriously doubt anyone thought we would be where we are today, at the level of commitment that is necessary today," he said.

Just last month, defense officials said the Marines are drawing up similar plans that would for the first time send some reserve combat battalions back to Iraq for a second tour.

Under the authority by which Bush ordered a call-up of the Guard and Reserve after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, troops could be mobilized an unlimited number of times as long as each mobilization is no longer than 24 consecutive months.

Until now, Pentagon officials have interpreted that as 24 cumulative months.

While the ultimate goal for the National Guard is to deploy one year overseas and spend six years at home, Blum said current demands could force Soldiers to deploy as often as one year every three or four years.

Blum said he believes that Guard combat brigades are prepared and willing to make a second trip to Iraq if needed.

He said the first units to deploy in the war - such as the 30th Infantry Brigade from North Carolina, the 76th Infantry Brigade from Indiana, the 53rd Infantry Brigade from Florida and the 39th Infantry Brigade from Arkansas - would probably be among those first called for a second tour.

"Logic would lead you to go back to the ones that went first, and start going around again," said Blum. "But that's probably not exactly how we'll do it" because the decision will depend partly on what types of units are needed.

Blum also said the Pentagon will no longer break up the brigades and send them to war in smaller units. He said Guard brigades are more effective working as teams.