(Alex Tien, Headline USA) The United States Army has been completely volunteer for nearly 50 years, with the last draft taking place in 1973.
But according to WeLoveTrump.com, the all-volunteer army may soon be coming to an end with the growing likelihood of boots on the ground in Ukraine.
On Wednesday, the Selective Service tweeted out that “in the event of a draft” the agency would partner with FEMA to give opportunities to conscientious objectors who refuse to take up arms for religious or moral reasons.
In the event of a draft, our agency would partner with @fema to provide opportunities to conscientious objectors to ensure our nation keeps moving forward. Learn more about Alternative Service at https://t.co/v2MBOkduVe pic.twitter.com/tjDJlCdoKn
— Selective Service (@SSS_gov) March 23, 2022
Twitter users reacted to the agency’s tweet with suspicion.
Translate: you fighting in the war or you staying in the fema camp. End of. https://t.co/1lIrR4wEfY
— Chisha Foka (@GeraldW54396001) March 24, 2022
But Andrew Orr, military history director at Kansas State University, told Wichita’s KAKE that it would take extraordinary circumstances for the US to bring back the draft, which led to deep divisions and political unrest during the Vietnam War.
“It would have to be something so bad that we would need to create an entirely new model of an army to wage war,” said Orr. “Full-scale war with China, or Russia. Those things could necessitate a draft. China would, Russia might.”
Orr said we were nowhere near that yet.
“The odds are against the U.S. and Russia ending up directly at war in Ukraine,” he said reassuringly. “Both sides have reasons to avoid that because we have an awful lot of nuclear weapons—which makes most people think twice about whether we want to be shooting at each other.”
If nuclear war were to break out, though, it may not only be young men on the front lines.
The increasing diversity of the newly woke military invites questions as to whether conscription would be expanded to include females and others traditionally excluded under earlier draft laws.
I’m extremely proud of the 185,000 women who serve with distinction every single day in the @USArmy. There have been millions who have served in every single conflict since the Revolutionary War and I could not be more proud and honored to serve with them. pic.twitter.com/TFOILRYZaf
— GEN James C. McConville (@ArmyChiefStaff) March 18, 2022
The speculation about another draft comes as the Army on Wednesday announced plans to lower the physical fitness requirements for women and older soldiers.
Army approves reduced physical fitness standards for women and older soldiers https://t.co/37nbCZgb9v pic.twitter.com/cBZ5pLHwgM
— The Hill (@thehill) March 24, 2022
The first significant change in physical standards in four decades, the decision followed an independent review of the Pentagon’s enlistment process,” The Hill reported.
“Following a three-year review, the Army has scrapped plans to use the same physical fitness test for all soldiers, choosing instead to have some reduced standards to allow women and older soldiers to pass.”