(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in the United States believe the service in the armed forces should not be mandatory, according to a poll by CBS News. 68 per cent of respondents oppose reinstating the military draft in the U.S.

American citizens have been drafted during various armed conflicts, including the two World Wars, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The practice of conscription was discontinued in 1973, but the Selective Service System—which registers all adult males to assemble information on potential soldiers—remains in place as a contingency measure.

In October 2004, U.S. president George W. Bush issued a statement following calls to reinstate the draft, which read, "America's all-volunteer military is the best in the world, and reinstating the draft would be bad policy." In April 2005, defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld declared, "I think the only people who could conceivably be talking about a draft are people who are speaking from pinnacles of near-perfect ignorance. The last thing we need is a draft. We just don't."

The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq was launched in March 2003. At least 2,314 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 17,100 troops have been wounded in action. 76 per cent of respondents oppose reinstating the military draft to provide soldiers for the Iraq conflict.

Earlier this month, Democratic New York congressman Charles Rangel reintroduced legislation which seeks to reinstate the military draft, saying, "Every day that the military option is on the table, as declared by the president in his State of the Union address, in Iran, North Korea, and Syria, reinstatement of the military draft is an option that must also be considered, whether we like it or not."

The U.S. has close to 230,000 soldiers stationed all over the world, not including U.S.-based forces currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Polling Data

Do you favour or oppose reinstating the military draft in the United States?

Do you favour or oppose reinstating the military draft to provide soldiers for the Iraq conflict?

Archive Search

Over 19,300 Polls
Search the Angus Reid Global Monitor Polls & Research archive.