This IS your father's army

In theory the US Army is staffed by volunteers, each of whom sign a contract with the government, serve for several years and are discharged on a specific date that is defined in their contract. Using an administrative trick also used in the first Gulf War the US Army has quitely reimplemented the "draft" by indefinately extending the enlistments of soldiers whose discharge dates have or will soon pass. These soldiers are "compeled", literally by men with guns and threats of prison, to remain in fox holes in Iraq and Afganistan. Like the soldiers of the vietnam era, these men and women have been drafted.

Just like daddy the current president does not have the courage to ask Congress for a formal draft. Instead each Bush has manned his war using administrative rules originally intended for use only in cases of extreme national crisis where there isn't time for Congress to act.

Army Stop Loss program