Tom Udall: “as a former local draft board member, I rise in strong support of the amendment offered by my colleague from California.…”

“as a former local draft board member, I rise in strong support of the amendment offered by my colleague from California. The most important decision Congress and the President can make is to send our young men and women to war. An all-volunteer military sometimes makes it easier for the President to use the military forces liberally. The draft and Selective Service ensure that we should only go to war when it is of vital concern to our national security. At a time when our military services are failing to meet recruiting and retention goals, it is foolhardy and risky to eliminate the Selective Service System--a proven means of providing personnel to the Armed Forces during times of emergency. The men and women of our all-volunteer armed forces have performed superbly since its inception. The all-volunteer force is a strong force, but it is also a fragile force. It relies on recruiting and retaining quality people. Our armed forces have been reduced to the point where the military struggles to meet all the commitments we place on it. It should be noted that during the recent air war in Kosovo, the Air Force announced a 'stop loss' policy, which suspended normal separations and retirements for men and women in critical career fields. Thankfully we did not have a ground war in Kosovo or another crisis of similar proportion at the same time.”