Draft panic in US over Iran war? GOP strategist calls it 'laughable'

Will the United States begin moving toward reinstating the military draft as the U.S. confronts a widening conflict with Iran? Don’t bet on it.

Social media has exploded with speculation about young Americans being forced into military service. But before panic spreads too far, it’s worth taking a step back and asking a simple question: could it actually happen?

Republican strategist and host of "13-Minute News Hour," Bobby Eberle, says the answer is pretty straightforward.

“Considering the enormous buildup of ground troops we’ve had in the past for conflicts such as the first Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, and others, the idea that America would bring back the draft is laughable,” Eberle told ALL ISRAEL NEWS. 

Still, the rumors aren’t coming out of nowhere.

Draft chatter is suddenly everywhere as the White House technically won’t rule anything in or out at this point.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt recently clarified the issue when asked about concerns from American mothers about ground troops and the potential for a military draft.  

“President Trump wisely does not remove options off of the table. I know a lot of politicians like to do that quickly, but the president, as commander-in-chief, wants to continue to assess the success of this military operation. It’s not part of the current plan right now, but the president, again, wisely keeps his options on the table.”

Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene blasted Leavitt’s response on social media.

“How about the answer is NO DRAFT AND NO BOOTS ON THE GROUND because we campaigned on NO MORE FOREIGN WARS OR REGIME CHANGE!!! Liars, every single one of them! Not my son, over my dead body!!!!!”

Eberle says Greene and others on the so-called “Woke Right” are making this an issue when there just isn’t one.

“The number of ground troops – if any – required for this campaign will be much smaller than in the past. This is just another attempt to cast doubt on the overall war effort.”

Eberle continued: “There are plenty of Americans with legitimate arguments, and so let’s stick to those and not give air time to ridiculous notions such as reinstituting the draft.”

To be clear, legally speaking, bringing back a draft is not something a president can simply do on their own.

Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress has that authority. A president cannot unilaterally order civilians into military service. Only Congress can authorize that through legislation tied to the Military Selective Service Act.

In other words, if a draft were ever reinstated, it would require Congress to pass a law first and the president to sign it.

The United States ended active conscription in 1973, after the Vietnam War, shifting instead to an all-volunteer military force. Since then, every major conflict – from the Gulf War to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – has been fought entirely by volunteers.

However, the draft system itself never actually disappeared. The federal government still maintains the Selective Service System, which functions as a standby database in case Congress ever authorizes conscription again.

Men between the ages of 18 and 25 are still required to register with Selective Service and if Congress ever did approve a draft, the agency could conduct a draft lottery within about 193 days.

Meanwhile, the political implications surrounding a potential draft would likely be explosive. A military draft in the modern era would probably face massive resistance from both the left and the right.

And it would arrive at the worst possible moment politically, with midterm elections approaching.

Quite frankly, I believe a snowball probably has a better chance of surviving in hell than a military draft passing Congress right now.

Some might say approving conscription would likely be political suicide for lawmakers in both parties.

Republicans voting for a draft would likely guarantee they lose control of Congress next year.

While U.S. President Donald Trump may be willing to confront Iran militarily, forcing Americans into service was never part of the MAGA political playbook.

The president still has his MAGA base holding relatively strong at this point during the military conflict with Iran, but even a hint of a potential for a draft could be a non-starter for his diehard base.

And Trump knows it because – like him or not – I believe he has always had strong political instincts when it comes to public perception.

He knows the difference between a winning hand and a losing one and recognizes that bringing back the draft would likely be the latter.