TCS: Backdoor Draft?

My latest TCS piece, “Backdoor Draft?” is up. It’s an expanded version of a OTB entry from a few days ago. The conclusion:

The bottom line is that the country is at war and reservists signed up to serve when that’s the case. We owe it to them, though, to place as much of the burden as possible on the active duty force, who after all have volunteered to make the military their full-time job. Reservists joined with the expectation that they be called to serve during emergencies and then released from active duty when the shooting is over. It’s perfectly reasonable to ask them to fight our country’s wars. It’s not reasonable to expect them to be full-time soldiers.

See the link for the rest.

FILED UNDER: Military Affairs, Published Elsewhere
James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.