Despite Trump’s claims Close associates of the former president, who avoided military service when he was young, are said to be tempting him to make military service mandatory if he is re-elected.
Christopher Miller, who served as acting secretary of defense for the final two months of Trump’s term (and could possibly become the next Pentagon leader), said: washington post This week it said it should be ‘strongly considered’, calling it a ‘rite of passage’ that fosters a sense of ‘common sacrifice’ among young people.
“It strengthens the bond of civility,” Miller reportedly said, adding, “Why don’t we give it a try?”
This isn’t the first time Miller has revealed such plans. He also wrote about this for Project 2025, a blueprint for Trump 2.0 created by dozens of conservative groups and led by the Heritage Foundation. There, Miller required all public school students to complete the Military Career Aptitude Battery – a standardized test developed by the Department of Defense to test the skills of young people suitable for military service. school.” (Heritage Foundation spokesperson said: washington post Project 2025 does not “represent President Trump or his campaign, who alone set their own agenda.”)
Miller said. washington post Here’s how this test can be used to shore up your military’s weaknesses: “To prepare for great power competition, it is helpful to have a basic understanding of the pool of prospective soldiers and their specific aptitudes. “he said.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the report was “completely untrue.” “Actually, I’ve never even thought about that,” he wrote.
But many others in his orbit said: Trump Vice Presidential Candidate JD Vance (R-OH) said: washington post, “I like the idea of national service. And I’m not talking about exhibitions.” And Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told the newspaper that he “will not choose any option” to address military shortages.
But the idea of reinstating compulsory service is politically unpopular, especially among those it would actually affect. A 2017 Gallup poll found that while nearly half of all Americans (49%) support the draft, a majority of those under 30 (57%) oppose it.
And this may be why the dizzying right wing is trying to gaslight its base into believing it. democrats Anyone who wants to rewrite the draft. At the Turning Point Action convention in Michigan this weekend, a gathering place for far-right agitators, Donald Trump Jr. told the crowd that the left wants to bring back military service, according to my colleague Stephanie Mencimer. (Stephanie Mencimer) reported from the scene. .
“Somebody’s got to fight this war,” Don Trump Jr. said, without evidence, to boos from the crowd. “They want to draft young women now, but not for popular wars. They want to draft our women for unpopular wars so they can get seats on the board of Raytheon.”
The Democratic Party is literally waging war on women. @donaldjtrumpjr Evidence, he said, is that Democrats added women to the Selective Service Program. #PEOPLES2024 pic.twitter.com/jK4dG65W1I
— Turning Point Action (@TPAction_) June 15, 2024
In fact, it was Republicans who passed the House defense bill last Friday. The bill includes provisions for automatic youth enrollment. men Require it to be done manually for Selective Service (basically the database used if the draft is approved) and risk federal felony charges if you don’t, as is currently the case. The former president’s son appeared to be referring to Thursday’s vote by the Senate Armed Services Committee to advance the National Defense Authorization Act to the Senate floor with provisions requiring women to serve in his remarks about forced service. Register for Selective Service. but… This is very different from those reportedly considering the possibility of enforcement in Trump World. every young people actually provide In the military. (We’ve reached out to Donald Trump Jr. to ask which policy he’s referring to, and we’ll update you when we get more clarity.)
However, Trump’s crew does not have a track record of sticking to evidence when it comes to military service obligations. Do I need to remind you about so-called bone spurs?
