Secret Internal memo on the SKILLS DRAFT (thru Freedom of Information Act)

[Dems Will Win]

This is a 2003 DoD skills draft memo gotten by Eric Rosenberg of the Seattle PI we at DU turned into HTML a while back.

REMEMBER AS YOU READ THIS, THAT THIS IS AN INTERNAL SECRET MEMO, GOTTEN THROUGH THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT. YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE READING THIS!

11 February 2003
ISSUE PAPER

Synopsis:

With known shortages of military personnel with certain critical skills, and with the need for the nation to be capable of responding to domestic emergencies as part of Homeland Security planning, changes should be made in the Selective Service System’s registration program and primary mission.

Situation:

Currently, and in accordance with the Military Selective Service Act (MSSA) <50 U.S.C., App. 451 et seq.>, the Selective Service System (SSS) collects and maintains Personal information from all U.S. male citizens and resident aliens. Under this process, Each man is required to “present himself for and submit to registration” upon reaching age 18.

The methods by which a man can register with Selective Service include the internet, mail-back postcard, checking a box on the other government forms, and through the driver’s license applications process in many states. The collected data is retained in an active computer file until the man reaches the age 26 and is no longer draft eligible. It consists of the man’s name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. Currently, 91 percent of all men, ages 18 through 25, are registered, enabling the SSS to conduct a timely, fair, and equitable draft in the event the Congress and the President decide to reinstate conscription during a crisis.

However, the Secretary of Defense and Department of Defense manpower officials have stated recently that a draft will not be necessary for any foreseeable crisis. They assume that sufficient fighting capability exists in today’s “all-volunteer” active and reserve Armed Forces for likely contingencies, making a conventional draft of untrained manpower somewhatt obsolete. Yet, Defense manpower officials concede there are critical shortages of military personnel with certain special skills, such as medical personnel, linguists, computer network engineers, etc. The costs of attracting and retaining such personnel for military-service could be prohibitive, leading some officials to conclude that while a conventional draft may never be needed, a draft of men and women possessing these critical skills may be warranted in a future crisis, if too few volunteer.

Proposal:

In line with today’s needs, the SSS structure, programs and activities should be re-engineered towards maintaining a national inventory of American men and (for the first time) women, ages 18 through 34, with an added focus on identifying individuals with critical skills.

An interagency task force should examine the feasibility of this proposal which would require amendments to the MSSA, expansion of the current registration program, and inclusion of women. In addition to the basic identifying information collected in the current program, the expanded and revised program would require all registrants to indicate whether they have been trained in, possess, and professionally practice, one or more skills critical to national security or community health and safety. This could take the form of an initial “self-declaration” as a part of the registration process. Men and women would enter on the SSS registration form a multi-digit number representing their specific critical skill (e.g., similar to military occupational specialty or Armed Forces Specialty Code with Skill Identifier), taken from a lengthy list of skills to be compiled and published by the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security. Individuals proficient in more than one critical skill would list the practiced skill in which they have the greatest degree of experience and competency. They would also be required to update reported information as necessary until they reach the age 35. This unique data base would provide the military (and national, state, and municipal government agencies) with immediately available links to vital human resources…in effect, a single, most accurate and complete, national inventory of young Americans with special skills.

While the data base’s “worst-case” use might be to draft such personnel into military or homeland security assignments during a national mobilization, its very practical peacetime use could be to support recruiting and direct marketing campaigns aimed at encouraging skilled personnel to volunteer for community or military service opportunities, and to consider applying for hard-to-fill public sector jobs. Local government agencies could also tap this data base to locate nearby specialists for help with domestic crises and emergency situations.

With the changes described above, SSS programs would be modified to serve the contemporary needs of several customers: Department of Defense Department of Homeland Security (FEMA, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs, INS), Corporation for National Service, Public Health Service, and other federal and state agencies seeking personnel with critical skills for national security or community service assignments. The SSS would thus play a more vital, relevant, and immediate role in shoring up America’s strength and readiness in peace and war.

# # #

II. Are today’s SSS capabilities in sync with DoD needs?

A. Is there a need to preserve the capability of conducting a draft of untrained Manpower? If so, is the time frame still M+193?

B. How likely is it that DoD will need SSS to conduct a Health Care draft?

C. How severe are any other critical skills shortages in the military?

D. Are the Clinton-era’s abstract reasons for preserving the SSS and peacetime registration still valid?

E. Would DoD still fight nay and all Congressional initiatives to cut or eliminate the SSS?


III. Consider restructuring the SSS to address contemporary national security needs


A. Focus might be on relieving critical skills shortages

B. Include potential service to DHS and other government agencies that must attract/recruit skilled personnel

C. Explore the feasibility of developing a single-point data base of virtually all young Americans, 18 through 34 years old, immediately identifiable by critical skills possessed and practiced. Data base could be used for a draft in war and for recruiting in peacetime.




1. Would require modification of SSS mission and changes to authorizing law.
   
   
2. Cost considerations


IV. Next steps – Statement of Administration Policy needed



A. DoD decides what services it needs and wants from SSS: Three options for consideration:



1. SSS status quo; however, redefine the DoD mission guidance and time lines to make the SSS more relevant to DoD’s needs and the SECDEF’s policy. The current guidance of providing untrained inductees at M+193 runs counter to the SECDEF’s views and is out-of-sync with possible wartime scenarios.
   
   
2. Return the SSS to “Deep Standby” status. If a draft of any kind is highly unlikely and undesirable, eliminate peacetime registration and dismiss the 10,000 trained volunteer Board Members. However, should a draft be needed, it would take more than a year to get the system capable of conducting a fair and equitable draft from Deep Standby status.
   
   
3. Restructure the SSS and shift its peacetime focus to accommodate DoD’s most likely requirements in a crisis. Plan for conducting a more likely draft of individual with special and critical skills.
   
   
   a. Minimum requirement: SSS mission guidance and time lines must be redefined promptly by DoD to allow more relevant pre-mobilization planning and funding for the possibility of a critical skills draft at M+90 or sooner. Peacetime registration of men 18 through 25 would continue, but consideration would also be given to identifying men with certain critical skills among these year-of-birth groupings. A post-mobilization plan would also be devised and computer programming accomplished for a full-blown critical skills draft. The HCPDS program is completed, brought to the forefront of SSS readiness planning, and tested through exercises. Without a reaffirmation of relevance and adjustment of mission, the SSS will be an easy target for reduction or elimination by detractors in the Congress and the Administration.
   
   b. Expanded pre-mobilization requirement. SSS peacetime registration expanded to include women and men, 18 through 34 years old, and collects information on critical skills within these year-of-birth groupings. Requires change of law and additional funding (see Issue Paper dated 11 Feb 2003).
   
   

B. If more examination of the issues and options is needed, consider forming an interagency task force to provide the Administration with a policy recommendation. Possible players: DoD, SSS, DHS, NSC, OMB, Corporation for National Service, PHS, others.

C. After suitable analysis, obtain a White House Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) announcing plans for the future of the SSS (course of action 1,2, or 3, above).

D. If the SSS is to expand its pre-mobilization activities to include registration of women and collection of critical skills identifiers, it will be be necessary to market the concept for approval by the Armed Services Committees and Appropriations Committees and draft implementing legislation for congressional consideration. The changes will be implemented after the amended law is signed and funding is identified.

http://www.blatanttruth.org/selective_service091304.pdf

PLEASE RECOMMEND FOR "HARD WORK"!

[TahitiNut]

1. It's a fascinating reversal (capsize?) in national priorities.

Once upon a time, a "critical occupation" was a category of draft deferment. The military placed a great deal of emphasis on developing skills (through training and education) internally, which tended to both attract people interested in military careers and encourage military personnel to 're-up' for the bonuses offered to such personnel.

Today, the interest in actually developing the human resources in the military has taken an even further backseat to appropriations for funding large-ticket weapons systems that fill the coffers of defense contractors. Compounding this, the military is out-sourcing (with generous payment) many of the functions that the military staffed and performed using military personnel. Mess halls (food services), supply depots (logistics), motor pools (vehicle maintenance), and a broad array of functions that have civilian economic sectors are being increasingly sacrificed in favor of the combat specialties (armor, infantry, artillery, etc.).

It appears quite clear that the same (mis)management attitudes in American corporations has crept into the military. Rather than invest in training and development, companies have resorted more and more to a commoditized human resourcing process - hiring and firing as desired - throwing more and more of the burden of obtaining the specific kinds of training upon the workers themselves, usually in some proprietary product.

Externalization at all levels - shifting costs to the general public, the customer, and the employees - has transformed enterprise, and now government, from symbiotic organisms within our body politic to being destructive parasites.

[elehhhhna]

2. Here's the dealio --

Remember Rummy's vision of a sleek little army made up of like maybe 5 video-gamers-types and a trazillion dolllars in space-agey hardware? Well, it doesn't work so well. Guess what else? Turns out that "contract" cooks, laundry people, drivers, etc. don't HAVE TO stick around when the BOMBS drop! SERIESLY!!1! They quit! Any moron who's managed one person, ever, could see this coming, but I digress...

Why doesn't the media mention this hugh flip-flop? Teensey-Tinsey army was the plan, now big fat army is the plan. What changed?-

[thingfisher]

3. The state used to serve the needs of the people (ostensably)

Now the people are to serve the needs of the state.
Isn't it obvious that Americans are no longer free and brave but rather hman resources to be utilized and discarded as needed?
Destructive parasites indeed! Citizens ought to be incensed about things like this, but the foe seems to be all powerful and who has the time or energy to fight it? Guess we just go with the flow and hope we don't get abused to badly.

[Dems Will Win]

4. You Will Be Assimilated! Resistance is Futile!

[Morgana LaFey]

5. the people serve the needs of the state which serves the needs of

corporations (and itself, of course)

Oh -- this is fascism, btw.

[TahitiNut]

13. The 'state' will invariably serve the interests of those who participate in the 'state'.

The People, in abdicating participation, can only expect that those whose self-interests motivate them to participate will see only those self-interests served. We can have no complaint if we abandon our role in our own governance. If there's one stone I'll throw at the "60s generation" it's that participation in their own self-governance was seen as somehow 'benath' them. Timothy O'Leary's advice to "drop out" is ill-conceived, imho.

[thingfisher]

16. I understand where you are coming from.

It's just that I get a creepy feeling that the game is and has been rigged for quite some time against the interests of the governed no matter how much participation of the governed takes place.

The experience of the last two presidential elections certainly must point to that possibility. The most recent election has provided us with some hope that the course of things will change. But my hopes are minimal due to past experience.

O'Leary has been exposed as the rogue he was by his complicity with the intelligence people. HIs advice was probably more to do with defusing student protest and political activism than it did with any haughty prideful refusal to participate in their own governance. Working outside the "system" the 60's generation did a lot to oppose that unjust war, depose Johnson, support McCarthy (and work in his campaign), supporting Bobby Kennedy before having the hope crushed out of them, finally, by yet another murder.

The chimp was also of that generation, but he hardly represents the hopes and aspirations of it. The tragedy is that such as he manage to gain high office not due to meaningful participation in the system but by being of the ruling class and serving his masters well.

I'm glad you are still plugging for self governance!

[illinoisprogressive]

6. Does this mean the Bush Twins can be drafted??

They have many skills. Fancy education and government experience. perfect candidates.

[lovuian]

7. This is a carte Blanche to draft anybody

I know this is Homelands Security stuff too

[tomp]

8. no draft, no way, no how! nt

[H2O Man]

9. Thank you.

This is very, very important for people to read and understand. If there is a draft, it will not mean that there is a shared sacrifice, as Rep. Rangel says. Quite the opposite: it means rich kids will get paid to continue their education stateside, while the poor and middle class fight the wars that enrich the wealthy.

[Dems Will Win]

10. Exactomundo, WaterMan

There are STILL deferments. Medical deferment for the combat draft and "essential community service" for the skills and medical drafts.

THe rich will hire counselors to make sure their kids never get taken, the poor will be shoveled up and sent to Halfaganistan and Iraqnam.

[originalpckelly]

11. Oh, come on, we don't look out for the poor!

We care about big corporations, and the best way to "end" the Iraq war is to throw more fuel on the fire! But don't let my son go off to Iraq, so make sure there's an out for him OK!?
:sarcasm:

[knitter4democracy]

12. What if both husband and wife are draftable, then?

I have linguist skills, and Hubby is an internist. I know couples in which both spouses are doctors. Would they draft both and leave the kids without parents? It sure sounds like they're not only going to draft the men and leave the women to keep things running at home if they need the skills the women have. Sick.

[Dems Will Win]

14. The DoD tries not to send mother and father off at the same time

to the front, but it has happened -- because of skill shortages! With a draft, it could be less likely -- but the war could be worse in the short-run and the warm bodies needed on the front.

The list of Military Occupations, btw, is 700 jobs long, and includes musician and comnputer graphic artist.

Actually musicians are in the top bracket of shortages because of millions of WWII vet funerals.

Also ANYONE with ANY healthcare experience is very vulnerable in a medical draft -- even medical data entry personnel!

[Junkdrawer]

15. Hey "College Republicans". You may want to rethink your politics...

Betcha a good 80% of them change their stripes overnight if this is enacted...

[Dems Will Win]

17. k

[Mme. Defarge]

18. Mark (Marc?) Maron,

who was filling in for Sam Cedar this week, suggested a truly horrifying "conspiracy theory." It's the idea of a "debtors army." It would work like this -- the government would pay off an amount of your credit card debt in return for your agreement to serve in the military for a designated period of time. Length of service would be a function of the amount of debt paid off by the government.

This was Maron's reaction to the President's advice to the nation to just go shopping as an act of patriotism.