Posted on 06/23/2005 8:54:27 PM PDT by Crackingham
The Defense Department and a private contractor have been building an extensive database of 30 million 16-to-25-year-olds, combining names with Social Security numbers, grade-point averages, e-mail addresses and phone numbers.
The department began building the database three years ago, but military officials filed a notice announcing plans for it only last month. That is apparently a violation of the federal Privacy Act, which requires that government agencies accept public comment before new records systems are created.
David S. C. Chu, the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, acknowledged yesterday that the database had been in the works since 2002. Pentagon officials said they discovered in May 2004 that no Privacy Act notice had been filed. The filing last month was an effort to correct that, officials said.
Mr. Chu said the database was just a tool to send out general material from the Pentagon to those most likely to enlist.
"Congress wants to ensure the success of the volunteer force," he said at a reporters' roundtable in Washington. "Congress does not want conscription, the country does not want conscription. If we don't want conscription, you have to give the Department of Defense, the military services, an avenue to contact young people to tell them what is being offered. It would be naïve to believe that in any enterprise, that you are going to do well just by waiting for people to call you."
On Wednesday, The Washington Post reported that the notification in The Federal Register had drawn criticism from a coalition of eight privacy groups that filed a brief opposing the database's creation. Yesterday, many of those privacy advocates, learning that the database had been under development for three years, called its existence an egregious violation of the Privacy Act's rules and intent.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
This is new? I thought registration was mandatory at 18.
This is news I was getting these calls when I was in that age bracket and that was 10 to 15 years ago.
Ridiculous, the DB should be wiped, and those who made it fired.
I belioeve this is very necessary, as I do believe very unfortunately that we are going to have to resort to the draft in case another conflict (Iran or N. Korea) springs up. Since most of our forces are stationed with the purpose of fighting in Iraq, we are going to need another source of manpower. I believe this database expansion is in order with reports of increased funding to local draft boards.
I didn't say I liked it but just that this probably isn't new.
Sniff?
I got nonstop recruiting calls when I maxed my ASVAB. I was actually flattered by all the attention.
I think you may be posting to the wrong thread.
The one you are looking for is at democraticunderground.com
We should stop pussyfooting round with all this talk of databses and just start up the draft in the form of a requirement for National Service. Israel has successfully integrated this with their society and no one can doubt the effectiveness of their military. It would also get rid of all manpower issues.
Lotta ozone in the air tonight...
and with the parents permission and knowledge
I don't see this is as a problem, so long as the military is responsible with it's usage. If the military sends you mail, and you don't wan't to join, just throw the mail away. Simple as that.
naww, sorry it sounded like a lefties opinion, but I think the draft would allow us to project US force globally even better than our current system. Again this is coming from a hard-line conservative who does feel slightly queasy at the GPA part of the database , but has no issue with any other part.
My hat is off to all the youngsters who dedicate a few years of their lives in the Military for this noble cause we call FREEDOM
May God Bless and Protect them All
This is our weakness as a great power. We cannot fight long protracted wars overseas with a volunteer force. A draft will destroy the fragile support for the war. Right now I think public support can hold on until the new Iraqi Army reaches effectiveness by Jan 2006. By then hopefully Iraq will do all the fighting and the US forces can be drawn down by 50 percent and will serve as a back up force. 14 000 casualties in three years of fighting and cracks are developing in public support (expressed by a drop in new recruits) for the war is not a good sign. We can blame it partly on the MSM, and the politicization of the war by the Dems, but it is also a reflection of our affluent society. This is our political and social Achilles heel, and our enemies are taking note. One note of interest, despite the drop in new recruits, our re enlistment rate has held. Many soldiers do not want to leave their fellow soldiers behind in Iraq, but I also hear the ones who do not re enlist do so because their spouses cannot take it anymore. Long deployments are killing their family relations. I know this issue has hurt the reenlistment in the Guard and Reserves. Any active military, Guard and Reserve freepers, please comment and provide insight.
So what is the problem...?
Sleeper..?
I agree it is hard to sustain long wars oversea with the volunteer force as ou state, but and this is extremely displeasing to me as I thought our fellow americans would have more backbone than this, all the latest polls show that a majority oppose the Iraq war, and want our troops home by next year, even if reconstruction isn't finished. It truly is a great quandary.
You have no idea the kind of data and surveillance our government collects on us. You would shudder with fear if you really knew. God help us if it falls into the hands of a President Hillary Clinton.
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