[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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