-rE THE SELMA TIMES-JOURNAL, SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 1979 -A3 Pentagon wants to stay all-volunteer WASHINGTON (AP) there are indications the the aim of inducting up to Despite persistent problems American public is becoming 100,000 young men each year and calls for a return to the inclined to accept a return to into the Individual Ready draft Pentagon the draft. A recent Associated Reserve (IRR). policymakers intend to stick Press- poll produced a Army Secretary, Clifford with the all-volunteer method margin in favor of Alexander differed of filling the nation's armed military conscription. with Rogers, who will forces for at least the next Those sampled in the 18-24 become Allied commander in few years. age, bracket those most Europe.
Alexander said a "Defense Secretary Harold likely to be drafted were "would be unnecessary, Brown and all the manpower heavily opposed to the idea. unfair and counterpeople feel the all-volunteer But many of their elders productive to best inforce is a success, one questioned in the nationwide terests of the senior official says. poll seemed impressed by The Army's Individual "It clearly has some claims of critics that the all- Ready Reserve is a main problems, and we are volunteer system is falling focus Congress' concern working on them. But for the short in numbers and quality, about the all-volunteer force immediate future, at least a that it costs too much, that it a term covering both the couple of years, the policy is a is plagued with discipline regulars and the reserves. Mrs.
good one. There is no reason problems, that it is too The IRR is the chief pool of to abandon it." heavily black. trained manpower on which ecca But there is mounting Defense officials the regular armed services, Iren pressure in Congress for acknowledge significant particularly the Army, must resuming peacetime shortages of Army in- rely for quick strengthening mer registration of draftage fantrymen and tank troops. of units in a mobilization and Ken young people in case quick They say that, in general, for replacement of casualties Carl mobilization is needed, and they have to strain to attract in the early weeks of a major Iton even for revival of the draft enough qualified recruits and war. It is made up of persons now, possibly limited to to persuade them to re-enlist.
filling out the balance of sixreplenishing the un- But officials say bonuses year military obligations derstrength reserves. and other tools can solve after finishing active service The renewed debate, which those problems. And they enlistments of three or four seems more intense than at the other criticisms. years. any time since the last man Gen.
Bernard Rogers, Rogers reported the was inducted over Army chief of staff, is the Army's reserve manpower ago, has aroused anti -draft only top Pentagon official to pool is about 500,000 short of forces, including the break ranks publicly on the requirements in event of a American Civil Liberties issue of the draft. He testified war's outbreak. That pool Union, church and student before a Senate Armed shrank steadily after the groups. Services subcommittee last draft ended, but grew slightly However, with the Vietnam week urging immediate last year to a total of about war fading into the past, resumption of the draft, with 187,000 men. Apparently the Arabs threatened with U.S.
arrival By The Associated Press Arab militants threatened terrorism and all-out war as a U.S. delegation arrived in Saudi Arabia today to try to win approval for the Egyptian-Israeli peace pact. The Kuwait newspaper Al Siyassah said Palestinian guerrillas want to reactivate a Black September strike force against U.S. targets and Arab moderates supporting the treaty. Black September claimed responsibility for the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre of Israeli athletes.
The paper said the move came from hardliners of A senior Egyptian official Yasser Arafat's Al Fatah, dismissed report as regarded as the parent of "Syrian humbug. The ofBlack September. Black ficial, who asked not to be September was formed after identified, predicted the oilKing Hussein ousted the rich Saudis would contipue to guerrillas from Jordan "straddle the fence," doling following fierce fighting in out money to both Egypt and September 1970. the Palestinian guerrillas. The Syrian government The reports and denials newspaper Tishrin said came as the U.S.
delegation signing of the treaty will flew into Riyadh, the Saudi force Syria, Iraq and Jordan capital, to try to reverse to go to war to prevent its moderate Arab opposition to implementation, and Arafat the U.S.-sponsored treaty. himself warned "the whole The Americans will spend the Middle East will explode" if weekend in Saudi Arabia, Egypt signs the pact. then fly on to Jordan. MALL New Spring Groups CENTER MISS and New Spring Group BOBBIE BROOKS we OFF Large Group Polyester KNIT TOPS New Spring Styles Colors $590 0 VALUES TO Cotton Rain or Shine COATS SIZES 6-20 $2990 4 GREAT STYLES TO VALUES CHOOSE FROM TO $54.00 gain was too small and the future too uncertain to satisfy Rogers. His solution is to draft young men for six months of active duty followed by 54 years in thraining.
including refresher In that way, they could be ready immediately on mobilization, unlike fresh draftees who by, law must undergo 12 weeks of training before they can be deployed overseas. While the uniformed chiefs of the Air Force, Navy and Marines did not join Rogers in proposing a return to the draft, they did agree with him on the need for reviving peacetime registration of young men and revitalization of standby Selective Service machinery. Army Secretary Alexander also favors peacetime registration, as does Gen. David Jones, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Officials say the Pentagon's top civilian leadership still has not decided what stand to take on peacetime registration.
However, Defense Secretary Brown told Congress in January there may not be any need for such registration and he sees no requirement for a peacetime draft, which he warned "would involve severe social questions." There seems to be no consensus on whether to register women. Rogers, Alexander and Gen. Louis Wilson, the Marine commandant, have said Gen. Lew Allen Air Force chief of staff, said he wouldn't oppose it. But Adm.
Thomas Hayward, chief of naval operations; wasn't en- thusiastic. Jones hasn't given a public opinion. The Carter administration has proposed upgrading the capacity of the skeleton Selective Service System to start drafting more quickly in a crisis. The extra amount of money involved a relatively small $5 million would nearly double present outlays for the "deep standby" draft organization nucleus. According to Pentagon experts, the crucial element in this bargain-basem*nt approach would be providing of modern computers to the Selective Service System and more effective planning for a draft start-up in a crisis.
"We think that, even if there is no peacetime registration, if Selective Service planning is done effectively, we can induct the first man 30 days after mobilization is ordered," said one official. However, he conceded major problems of compliance and enforcement could arise if youths chose not to fall in line. As for the reserves, Brown has said he expects a series of initiatives which began last year to reverse the downward trend of recent times, "and show a significant High on his, list were enlistement and reenlistment bonuses and education aid. A recently begun Army program offering a shorter, twoyear regular enlistment is expected to help in two ways: by helping overcome the shortage of combat-branch volunteers and later increasing the strength in the Selma Stationery INC. Headquarters for: ART SUPPLIES-GRUMBACHER OIL PAINTS-ACRYLICS 21 Broad St.
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And, according to the latest interim tally available, the Army reached only 88 percent of its recruiting objective in February and 82.5 percent of its goal in the first week of March. Apart from the continuing numbers search, the Pentagon's planners cite statistics on discipline and educational levels to means that lower-quality, illustrate their claim that the poorer-performing men and all-volunteer force is a women are sent home in the success. first six months without The latest available damage to the Army and in summary says instances of such a way as to avoid emdesertion were down to four barrassment for the inper 1,000 personnel late last dividuals involved. year, about one-third the level of early 1973 when the Nobody seems to be willing still to project more than a few Army was heavily into the stocked with draftees. years future when it About 13.5 of comes to discussing whether absent without every leave 1,000 or not the draft will be were needed.
compared to 43.9 per 1,000 in The main early 1973. reason: With the Courts martial end of the "baby boom" registered period, the at 2.46 cases per 1,000 com- supply of total pared to just over seven per military-age youth is on the 1,000 in early 1973, and less- verge of dropping. than-honorable discharges Demographic experts have at rate about half the forecast a decline over the were a 7.76 cases 1,000 of six next 15 years, per years The ago. percentage of Defense Secretary Brown high has said he hopes to fill the school graduates was near a breach in record in the Army: 86 the number part of by women increasing the in percent compared with 71 armed forces, although there percent in the draft era, are still unresolved questions according to Army Secretary about whether women Alexander. ultimately will be assigned to Paradoxically, the Army combat units.
was reported grappling with an illiteracy problem in about As of last September, the one out of twenty recruits, most recent count available, contributing to the 30 percent there were over 134,000 dropout rate in first enlist- women in uniform, the ments. largest number since World Defense officals argue that War II. Current plans are to the high dropout rate is not a increase the number of black mark on the all- women in the services to volunteer force because it more than 200,000 by 1983, DOUG BUSTER'S Photo CORNER STUDENT 1.00 Corner OFF BROAD ST. SELMA Film Of On AVE. This We Color PH.
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