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Article: No More Draft?; Pentagon Concedes Selective Service System May Not Be Necessary
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- March 4, 1994
- Author:
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To millions of young American men, the requirement to register
for the military draft at the age of 18 remains one of the most
enduring and familiar legacies of the Cold War. Now the Pentagon
concedes the Selective Service System may no longer be necessary.
In a report to Congress released yesterday, the Defense
Department concluded that peacetime registration could be suspended
"without irreparable damage to national security."
"With reduced force levels combined with two decades of
successful experience with raising and maintaining a volunteer
force, ... recent victorious wartime experiences, and the quality of
active and reserve personnel, it is highly unlikely that we will
have to ...