George Bush 's position on

Military Draft: Over 1,000 US soldiers have died in Iraq, and the ratio of civilians to soldiers is 180 to 1. The preferred ratio in occupation situations is 30 to 1. Two bills are circulating within Congress that would reinstate the military draft next June.

Description of the candidate's positon: Bush does not approve of reinstating the draft, but he did approve of the Pentagon's stop-loss order which extended soldiers' tour of duty and kept thousands of troops in Iraq. As for the next four years, "Bush has begun the most comprehensive restructuring of the U.S. military presence overseas since the end of the Korean War. The Bush Administration has complete trust in the military's current all-volunteer force. Bush's new initiative will bring home many Cold War-era forces while deploying more flexible and rapidly deployable capabilities in strategic locations around the world" (Information link). 

Quotation from the candidate: "The war on terror will continue. It's going to take awhile. And, no, we don't need a draft. What we need to do is…to make sure our troops are well-paid, and well-housed, and well-equipped." Speech at Missouri State Fairgrounds on September 7, 2004, from p. 17 of printable version. (Information link).

Assessment of the proposal: 

Positive: The Brookings Institute is "an independent, nonpartisan organization devoted to research, analysis, and public education with an emphasis on economics, foreign policy, governance, and metropolitan policy" (Information link). Michael O'Hanlon, a Brookings Foreign Policy Studies Senior Fellow, opined that "Returning to the draft would in all likelihood reduce the quality and performance of the armed forces," and agrees with Bush's "major restructuring of the Army" (Information link).

Negative: The Center for American Progress (CAP) is "a nonpartisan research and educational institute dedicated to promoting a strong, just and free America that ensures opportunity for all" (Information link). The CAP does not support the draft, but C.J. Crowley, a Senior Fellow, stated that "the Bush administration's moves are at odds with the stated objectives: easing the stress on our troops and military families, strengthening our alliances around the world, and saving money" (Information link). 

Comparison: Kerry's plan would increase the size of the military without a draft by seeking help from NATO. Kerry accused the Bush Administration of "us[ing] a stop-loss policy as a back-door draft" (Information link). 

Link to Kerry's issue brief