to establish a trigger for initiating a draft for military service if a commitment of over 50,000 soldiers is made.

Given the degree to which we have burnt-out our volunteer military and their families, and exploded the cost of war through the use of extra-military, for-profit resources, we must establish an automatic trigger that will initiate a general draft, if more than 50,000 soldiers are committed to any action. This will increase the likelihood that we will think more carefully about such commitments before they are made. Congress will never find the courage to initiate a draft if such a trigger is not established. The executive branch must take the initiative to propose this legislation. Our all-volunteer army has some advantages, but the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have highlighted the short-coming of this strategy. Perhaps the trigger number should be lower, but 50,000 would be a start.