The common defense - The Washington Post

One intention the framers had when creating the U.S. Constitution was to “provide for the common defense.” But who shoulders that duty has not always been so clear.

At many points throughout American history, it’s fallen to the poor more than the rich; to the young more than the old; to men more than women. Some who’ve wanted to fight have been barred. Some who haven’t wanted to fight have been compelled.

The Vietnam War era of the 1960s and ‘70s, in particular—with its widely unpopular military draft—forced the United States to clarify its logic on this. In the public sphere, in the Supreme Court and in Congress, the nation grappled with who’s required to provide for the common defense of America, who isn’t and why.

Today, the United States is closer to a clear system that depends solely on the military service of citizens who voluntarily enlist. But even though a draft no longer exists, military registration still does—and it's required, despite some renewed questions about its constitutionality, only of men.

This episode examines the history and evolution of the draft in America with Jill Hasday, a professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, and with Bernard Rostker, former director of the Selective Service and a senior fellow at the RAND Corporation.

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