At the Aspen Ideas Festival, McChrystal said, “I think if a nation goes to war, every town, every city needs to be at
risk. You make that decision and
everybody has skin in the game.” Tom Ricks has some ideas as to how a different kind of draft might work. In some ways he would reinstate the WPA as some of the draftees would perform non-military tasks. Ricks thinks that this "new draft that maintains the size and the quality of the current
all-volunteer force, saves the government money through civilian
national service and frees professional soldiers from performing menial
tasks would appeal to many constituencies".
His plan would provide three options for high school graduates:
- Serve 18 months doing basically menial tasks that are currently outsourced: paperwork, painting barracks, mowing lawns, driving generals around, etc. Pay would be low but benefits (including free college tuition) great.
- Perform civilian national services like teaching in low-income areas, cleaning parks, rebuilding crumbling infrastructure, or aiding the elderly for two years. Again low pay, but good benefits.
- Decline to serve in any capacity but pledge to take no government aid such as Medicare, subsidized college loans and mortgage guarantees.
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