JOSEPH R. BIDEN, Ja romeo eB Wnited States Senate August 20, 2004 Wilmington, DE 19804 Dear Mr. Allison: ‘Thank yon f about the poss reactivated. | appreciated hearing from you on this important matter and I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. We have not had a military draft in this country since 1973, and our armed forces are staffed by an all-voluntary military which has served this nation very well. However, major military actions in Iraq in both 1991 and today led to questions about whether a return to the involuntary induction of young men into the Army would be required to meet our military needs. These concerns have also been heightened by the attention given to the heavy reliance on the National Guard and Reserves in Iraq that has caused difficult, often unexpected, burdens for many of these service members and their families. The Army needs to be large enough to do the missions that America asks it to do. Our ‘men and women in uniform provide stability. Without adequate numbers of “boots on the ground,” we can't get security and stability. That's true in Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea or the Balkans. Right now, I think the Army needs more soldiers. But I do not believe we need to do this by reinstituting the draft. That is why I worked to recently get approved an increase of 20,000 persons in our troop strength, but to do this through the present system of recruiting volunteers. We do not expect reaching this goal to be a problem. Moreover, I want to assure you that there is no activity underway in the Congress to reinstate the draft. An email message that has been widely circulated over the internet incorrectly suggests that there are ongoing secretive efforts to pass the Universal National Service Act ~ a proposal introduced by Congressman Rangel and Senator Hollings to establish compulsory 2-year military service or alternative civilian service for all persons between the ages of 18 and 26. ‘They introduced their bills not to expand forces in Iraq (indeed, ‘Congressman Rangel opposed the war in Iraq), but rather to see that persons ftom all socioeconomic backgrounds share in the responsibility to defend our nation. ‘The measures have been referred to the committees with jurisdiction in the House and Senate, but no action has been taken to move them forward.August 20, 2004 Page 2 If our country’s circumstances change and our military leadership suggests that returning toa draft is needed for our nation’s defense - which is not the case today — this would be a most hotly debated issue, both among the American people and within the Congress. Again, I was glad to hear your views. 1 hope this information is helpful to you and that you will always feel free to call on me. Best wishes. ea Joseph R. Biden, Jr. United States Senator