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Angry Planet

50 Years Since the Draft

Angry Planet

Matthew Gault

War, Politics, Conflict, Government, History, News

4.3882 Ratings

🗓️ 27 February 2023

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 1973, as most American troops left Vietnam, President Richard M. Nixon ended compulsory military service for males over the age of 18. It was an end of system that had been in place since the Second World War and came in answer—at least in part—to an ever-growing anti-war, anti-draft movement. Historian and writer Max Boot joins us to talk about the history of the draft and the all-volunteer force that now has 50 years under its belt.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Love this podcast support this show through the a cast supporter feature

0:05.1

It's up to you how much you give and there's no regular commitment. Just click the link in the show description to support now. People live in a world with their own making.

0:25.0

Frankly, that seems to be the problem.

0:31.0

Welcome to Angry Planet. I'm Jason Fields. Matthew Galt is watching the skies.

0:50.0

38 years ago I signed on to the selective service system.

0:55.0

Five years ago, my oldest son did.

0:57.5

Last year, it was my second son.

1:00.1

I think many, if not the most 18-year-old old men sign on without giving too much thought to it.

1:06.0

You have to or you're not eligible for certain student loans and other privileges.

1:10.0

Still, selective service is there for a reason. It's about keeping America prepared to fight a war of such a size that we need a larger military.

1:20.0

In some ways, it's like what Russia is doing now.

1:23.0

Hopefully there's some differences.

1:24.8

The active draft ended 50 years ago in 1973,

1:28.8

and historian and writer Max Boot

1:30.6

made note of it in a terrific column for the Washington Post. Today we're going to talk about the

1:36.0

draft what it was, what it is now, what it could be, and what it should be. Max Boot, thanks so much for joining us.

1:43.3

Thanks for having me.

1:45.1

So can we start, we always start very much at the beginning.

1:50.7

What's a draft? A draft is the involuntary military

1:58.2

service of young men and in the past young men now it might well be young men and women called to serve in a country's military which is something that a number of countries around the world currently have.

2:14.2

I mean, Taiwan, for example, just recently extended their draft

2:17.3

to one year of mandatory service,

...

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