EDWARD HASBROUCK, [email protected]
Hasbrouck just wrote the piece “As U.S. Military Threats and Actions Escalate, Coalition Calls for Ending Preparations for a Military Draft” for AntiWar.com. Late last year he wrote “Congress Quietly Moves U.S. Closer to Military Draft” for Responsible Statecraft.
His latest piece states: “A diverse coalition is mobilizing opposition to a recently-passed federal law that seeks to step up preparations for and readiness to activate a military draft. The new law authorizes the federal Selective Service System (SSS) to begin using automated involuntary registration to increase the number of individuals currently listed in the agency’s database of potential draftees.
“A statement released today by the coalition argues that, instead of attempting to automate draft registration, Congress should repeal the entire Military Selective Service Act that authorizes registration and other planning and preparation for a draft. …
“The switch to automatic registration is scheduled to take effect at the end of 2026 and will deny individuals the opportunity to object or show they don’t qualify for a draft. The coalition points out that the switch to automatic registration was enacted with no hearings, no debate, and no budget review. …
“The coalition’s statement has been endorsed by peace and anti-war groups, draft resisters, religious organizations and civil libertarians. They are calling for Congress to end SSS registration with a repeal of the Military Selective Service Act — before the new law directing the SSS to try to find and automatically register potential draftees takes effect in December 2026. …
“This past Sunday, for example, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt was asked by Fox News about the possibility of a draft for a ground war in Iran. Leavitt didn’t mention the draft in her response, but said that President Trump ‘does not remove options off of the table.’ Repealing the Military Selective Service Act would take the draft off the table and remove it from the arsenal of threats and escalation options available to any President or Congress, regardless of party.”
Hasbrouck maintains the Resisters.info website and publishes the “Resistance News” newsletter. He was imprisoned in 1983-1984 for organizing resistance to draft registration.