Contrary to Useem's argument, if the draft were resumed, it would not necessarily entail the same racial and class biases that have historically existed in compulsory military service. The draft would still be grounded, however, in the notion that the individual belongs to the state and owes it service. (Author/GC)

Criticizes Michael Useem's argument that compulsory military service in the U.S. should not be reinstated because of the social inequities it fosters. Discusses social and economic pros and cons of the draft and voluntary military service. (GC)

Discusses how social class origins of age-eligible men have affected their likelihood of being drafted into military service since the Civil War. Holds that class bias in any future system must be considered a major social cost accompanying the revival of conscription. (Author/GC)

The all-volunteer armed force system is less socially representative than the mixed conscription/voluntarism system of the pre-Vietnam War period. Ideological and political factors block a return to conscription, though strategic and monetary factors point to the failure of the all-volunteer force. (Author/GC)

Criticizes the preceding article by Michael Useem, which holds that compulsory military service in the U.S. has discriminated against the lower classes. Argues that the draft was more equitable than the current volunteer system, and that military service has been an important mobility channel for disadvantaged people. (Author/GC)

Argues that while a certain level of fairness is necessary in considering the equity of compulsory military service, the most important issue is that of "winning the war." Also asserts that sex, age, and race discrimination are more important than social class discrimination in military service. (Author/GC)

A return to the draft under current conditions will retard the armed forces' progress in making military service attractive to men and women volunteers. If an army is to be representative of the society it serves, its social composition is less important than its incorporation of the same social values. (Author/GC)

While inequity and social bias are relevant to the issue of military conscription, we should recognize that the present controversy over selective service involves national values and the credibility of institutions. A newly designed selective service system is likely to be more just than the present volunteer system. (Author/GC)