LAWMAKERS RAISE PROSPECT OF RENEWING DRAFT

WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers concerned about filling the ranks of America's
fighting forces raised the prospect Friday of renewing the draft.

But military leaders said the all-volunteer force of 1.4 million is
sufficient for now, though they suggested better pay, benefits and
living conditions for the troops.

After a House hearing on military readiness, a key defense lawmaker,
GOP Rep. Stephen Buyer of Indiana, said, ``A lot of young people are
escaping their civic responsibilities. There are benefits to a draft.''

Buyer, chairman of the House National Security subcommittee on
military personnel, asked during the hearing, ``Have we reached the
point where we can no longer fill the ranks with the all-volunteer
force?''

Rep. Norman Sisisky, D-Va., said he has been ``preaching'' for several
years that reviving the draft might be necessary if attracting
Americans to the military becomes too hard.

``The worst nightmare for a congressman is to have to vote for
Selective Service. ... But there's a possibility that that's going to
happen,'' Sisisky said.

Almost all male U.S. citizens, and male aliens living in the United
States, who are 18 through 25, must register with Selective Service.
But the United States has not drafted the nation's youth into the
military since the Vietnam War ended.

While some military branches are having trouble signing up recruits,
military leaders told lawmakers it is too soon to consider renewing
the draft. Instead, they suggested raising military pay, boosting
retirement benefits and improving living conditions for troops.

``The time is not now, quite frankly, to talk through that (draft
idea) because of the success we have today,'' said Gen. David
Bramlett, who recently retired as head of the U.S. Army Forces Command.

The House on Thursday approved a 3.6 percent military pay raise as
part of a $270.5 billion defense bill. The Senate was expected to
approve higher salaries as well.

Air Force Gen. Richard Hawley, leader of the Air Combat Command, said
the most serious sign of a decline in Air Force preparedness is the
difficulty in retaining pilots and other specialists who can earn more
in the private sector.

``Our people are getting tired and they don't think the nation
appreciates their service and they are voting with their feet,''
Hawley told lawmakers.

The Air Force offers pilots bonuses and other incentives to remain in
the military and the service is expected to come close to its
recruiting goal this year.

The Navy, on the other hand, estimates it will fall short of its
recruiting goal by 7,000 and is having trouble keeping pilots in the
cockpit.

Military pay has lagged about 14 percent behind the private sector
over the past 15 years, said Vice Admiral Herbert Browne, Jr., who
commands the Navy's Pacific Fleet.

``It's an all-volunteer force that we need to retain and the only way
I know to do that is to pay them,'' he told lawmakers. ``Our Navy is
our people. That is our strength.''

The Army also is having trouble recruiting and expects to fall 1,800
short of its goal this year.

The Marines Corps, meanwhile, is bringing in plenty of fresh faces
thanks to 60-hour work weeks by recruiters and a $10 million-a-year
advertising campaign.

``Our young men and women are not lining up'' to join the Marines,
said Lt. Gen. Peter Pace, commander of the corps' Atlantic forces.
``They're being recruited.''

Buyer, who during visits to bases has asked commanders about
reinstituting the draft, said the military should be appealing to
Americans' sense of patriotism.

``People are joining the military for the intangibles -- duty and
honor,'' Buyer said. ``We should recruit to those intangibles. The
Marines do it.''

Checked-by: Patrick Henry