Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) noted that the National Guard is “stretched pretty thin in a range of areas” and ventured to ask whether Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld would recommend reinstituting the military draft. Rumsfeld replied, “The answer is flat no.” He continued, “ All we need to do is what anyone else with a volunteer entity has to do, and that’s adjust the incentives so that you can attract and retain the people you need.”
Senior U.S. lawmakers expressed frustration that they are being cut out of some of the Trump administration’s most central decisions on military policy and spending. Their concerns, which are shared on both sides of the aisle, concern the budget reconciliation process as well as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plans to slash…