Our all-volunteer military has performed admirably for the United States during the past three decades. They are, without doubt, the finest armed forces in the world. BUT, the recent engagements against Muslim radical fundamentalists in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere have shown that this country cannot repeatedly ask these men and women, along with reservists and National Guard units to be the only military defenders of our country. We simply cannot keep sending them back, over and over, to carry on the long term war against these Islamic thugs.

     Whether the American people admit it or not, the war against Muslim extremism is a war that will persist for decades and the all-volunteer military cannot be expected to be the only citizenry that must bear the brunt of this ongoing conflict. The all-volunteer military serves the purpose admirably well in conflicts that are limited in scope and duration - there are none better. BUT, the war against Islamic terrorism is limited neither in scope nor in duration.

     While the all-volunteer military has fulfilled this country’s needs in the years following the Viet Nam War, we must now adjust to the realities forced upon us by a relentless and pitiless foe. Americans must assume a greater role in this ongoing war. We must do what Americans have always done in times of war. More of us must serve in the Military - voluntarily or otherwise. If otherwise, then a form of military draft must be reinstated. In Israel, nearly all citizens of military age must serve in the military. There are no exemptions for college students or employment in defense related industries as was the case with the draft in the United States during the Viet Nam War. America does not need nor can it afford to have everyone perform some military service, but, it could put in place a lottery-based draft system with no exemptions for the needed number of men and women who would be required to serve for a specified period of time. I’m certain that other equitable systems can be developed. The main point is that the burdens of freedom must be shared equally and equitably and not by a few.

     The time to begin a reform in the Military is now rather than later. The volunteer military must continue and they must constitute the core of our defense, but they can’t continue to carry the entire load. The otherwise non-military segment of our population must join in and assume their responsibilities. Freedom is not free. The rest of us must pay our fair share, in terms of our money, our blood, our sweat, and our tears. The time for letting someone else do the work is over.