The debate “Is a Military Draft Necessary in a Free Society?” featured Lt. General Josiah Bunting, President of the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, who argued in the affirmative, and Doug Bandow, senior fellow with the CATO Institute, who argued in the negative.

The event was held Thursday, November 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Faculty Club Main Dining Room at OSU (181 South Oval Drive, Columbus, OH).

During the last fifty years the United States has been in engaged in just about every style of international warfare. From world wars to covert operations aimed at over throwing whole regimes the American military apparatus is consistently forced to rethink the notion of a volunteer force. With increasing uneasiness over foreign entanglements, many have questioned the “all–volunteer” theory in favor of a modified draft or some form of standardized national service.

About the speakers:
Lt. General Josiah Bunting, III is President of the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation and is Superintendent Emeritus of Virginia Military Institute. He previously served as President of Hampden-Sydney College and Headmaster of the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. In addition to a successful career in the Army that included Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam, General Bunting is a former Rhodes Scholar and the author of several books.

Doug Bandow is a senior fellow with the CATO Institute. He has worked as special assistant to President Reagan and editor of the political magazine Inquiry. Bandow writes a weekly nationally syndicated column and speaks frequently at academic conferences, on college campuses, and to business groups. He holds a J.D. from Stanford University.

To find out more information about this debate, contact Douglas Schneider at (800) 526-7022 x164 or media@isi.org.