[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 161 (Tuesday, November 27, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12049-S12050]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM

  Mr. THURMOND. Madam President, in the wake of the September 11, 2001 
attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, our Armed Forces 
have again been called upon to preserve our National Security. The 
Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 
previously assured us that the military was ready for this latest 
endeavor. As demonstrated by the ongoing actions in Afghanistan, they 
were right on target. As the senior member of the Senate Armed Services 
Committee and a retired Major General, I heartily concur that the world 
has never seen a finer fighting force. However, as President Bush 
cautioned in his September 20 address to Congress, ``Americans should 
not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign, unlike any other we have 
ever seen.''
  International terrorism is an enemy different than any we have faced 
before. President Bush has made it clear that ridding the world of this 
evil is of the utmost importance. He stated ``terror, unanswered, can 
not only bring down buildings, it can threaten the stability of 
legitimate governments.'' As we continue to wage ``civilization's 
fight'' we must ensure our National Security structure is prepared for 
an unpredictable future.
  Providing for our Nation's security is the most important 
responsibility of the United States Congress. The Constitution 
instructs the Congress ``To

[[Page S12050]]

raise and support Armies. . . .'' and ``To provide and maintain a 
Navy.'' Since it is possible that we may be facing a lengthy campaign 
which potentially includes casualties, Senators and Representatives 
must be prepared to take whatever actions are required to meet this 
sacred Constitutional directive. Although the Armed Forces have 
succeeded in meeting this year's recruiting goals, there are no 
guarantees that tomorrow's youth will volunteer to the degree required 
to maintain the end strength goals of our Army, Navy, Air Force and 
Marine Corps.
  Like all of you, I pray that we are able to swiftly bring to justice 
those who perpetrated these heinous crimes of September 11. I hope this 
can be done without incurring further loss of American lives and that 
diplomacy and international law will succeed in eliminating the threat 
of terrorism in the future. Developments around the world following the 
attacks give us hope that some good may come from this tragedy. For 
example, in Ireland officials have reported important progress in their 
negotiations for arms decommissioning. Unfortunately, history 
illustrates that terrorism has existed for over two thousand years. 
Certain cowardly groups will inevitably resort to terror against 
innocent people to compensate for their weakness and attempt to achieve 
their objectives. Accordingly, the President has rightly turned to our 
men and women in uniform.
  Several years ago, I argued that; ``we need to take a hard look to 
see if it is time to reinstate compulsory national service.'' I 
believed then, as I do now, that the positive benefits to the Nation 
from compulsory service outweigh any of the conceivable drawbacks. 
However, the reality is that even today as we face the most serious 
threat to our Nation since the Second World War, a national draft of 
some sort is not being actively considered. The military is not eager 
to return to a conscript force, and others have not recognized the 
opportunity and value of asking Americans to provide public service as 
a responsibility of citizenship.
  Moreover, some have argued against the practicality of maintaining 
the Selective Service System at all, claiming that its application is 
now merely a part of the past. On the contrary, I believe that 
Selective Service is a national security insurance policy in place for 
the scenarios we are facing today or may potentially face in the 
future. If, as the President has said, defeating the evil of 
international terrorism will require a substantial National effort, the 
United States must be prepared. In this case, the Selective Service 
System will be needed as an integral element for assuring our Nation's 
Security.
  The recent attacks in New York and Washington, DC, and the subsequent 
anthrax cases have forever changed the way our leaders consider 
National Security. In response, we must take appropriate actions. I 
agree with and support President Bush's assertion that nothing is to be 
ruled out of consideration. Furthermore, I believe that operational 
readiness or response to a major crisis may require the resources of 
the Selective Service System. For this reason we must make absolutely 
certain that this organization is at the highest level of readiness and 
ability. Sadly, this is currently not the case.
  Here are the facts. In 1985, the budget for the Selective Service 
System was $27.8 million. Today, the budget is $24.4 million, which in 
constant dollars equals roughly $11 million. Today there are 150 fewer 
civilians and 300 fewer military personnel associated with the 
Selective Service to carry out its missions. Finally, in 1985, if 
called upon to respond to a crisis, the Selective Service was capable 
of delivering personnel in 13 days. Today, we would have to wait 193 
days for the first person.
  Some believe that 193 days is an acceptable amount of time. They 
argue that the likelihood of a crisis of significant magnitude to 
require a draft is simply too remote. Unfortunately, such thinking is 
naive. Recently, the Senate Armed Service Committee held a hearing to 
examine the results of an exercise called ``Dark Winter.'' The 
exercise, which took place at Andrews Air Force Base in June of this 
year, simulated a possible United States reaction to the deliberate 
introduction of smallpox in three states during the winter of 2002. The 
exercise highlighted a number of potential problems. Foremost among 
those was that the medical system was quickly overwhelmed and that 
public health is now a major national security issue.

  We now know that bioterrorism is not merely a concept for a war game. 
The Anthrax cases have highlighted the need to have a rapid and 
substantial response to medical crisis. In 1987, Congress correctly 
tasked the Selective Service System to develop a system to draft health 
care personnel during a crisis. Driving Congressional concerns at that 
time were the unpredictability of future threats and the availability 
of weapons of mass destruction, specifically, biological, chemical or 
nuclear. However, no additional resources have been provided since then 
and this program remains incomplete. No database exists to quickly 
mobilize health care practitioners in a crisis. Furthermore, we do not 
have a validated centralized database of health care skills.
  Again, there are those who believe if there were a crisis of the 
``Dark Winter'' type, the existing resources of the Federal government 
would suffice. This is absolutely not the case. This past February, the 
head of the Joint Task Force for Civil Support, Major General Bruce 
Lawlor, expressed concern about the existing military medical system 
responding to a homeland crisis. Specifically, he pointed out that the 
Army medical system has been downsized by as much as 40 percent and 
``what remains is not organized for domestic support.'' Further, he 
cautioned that the current organization ``is not designed to deal with 
a large number of civilian casualties that could occur in case of a 
domestic terrorist event. Consequently, he recommended that the active 
duty military medical system be considered the ``last resort.''
  I believe the Selective Service System is precisely the right tool to 
respond to such a crisis. I envision an extremely capable and flexible 
Selective Service System. A system that can, when called upon, deliver 
medical personnel for homeland defense in a matter of days and deliver 
these professionals where they are needed in order to save lives. A 
truly capable Selective Service System would be able to identify 
whatever specific skill was required in order to guarantee the security 
of our Nation and quickly deliver appropriate individuals to where they 
were needed. Such a system should require more than simply filling out 
one card at age 18. In order to keep records current and databases 
useful, one might be required to update information periodically. I am 
confident that all Americans would be pleased and honored to do this 
small part for their Country.
  Congress would also have to make some difficult decisions. First, 
women would also have to be considered eligible for the draft. One 
could not envision a draft of Doctors and Nurses without calling upon 
the many women who make up the majority of the health care profession. 
Also, Congressional language prohibits any allocation of resources or 
implementation of plans for a special skills draft such as I have just 
described. Finally, an enhanced Selective Service System would clearly 
require greater funding and manpower.
  I have previously asked my colleagues to debate this issue, and now 
is the time for action. I plan to introduce legislation which will 
strike those provisions of the law which prohibit the Selective Service 
System from implementing a special skills draft. Additionally, I have 
asked the General Accounting Office to conduct a study to determine the 
costs of a Selective Service System capable of performing the myriad of 
tasks I envision. Finally, In the next Session of this Congress, I will 
introduce legislation which will require the registration of all 
Americans for Selective Service at age 18.
  The 21st Century is upon us and we must recognize that all Americans 
share the responsibility to protect our homeland. I am confident that 
all Americans are eager to do their part.

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