What is back door draft?

Question

I heard a man the other day telling someone that his nephew had got called back up after he had been out of the service for 2 years. He stated that it was nothing but a back door draft , and the gov. isn't letting the people know how bad it is in Iraq and need more men and women to go back over to Iraq. I would just like to know what that is ?

I forgot ,he also stated that his nephew had been to Iraq twice.

Answer 1

So far most of the answerers have referred to the IRR and fulfilling the minimum 8-year obligation on your contract (which, by the way, they don't usually tell you about until you're at the point of signing the contract... it wouldn't sound as good to potential recruits to tell them of that little "gem" when they're regaling them with all the benefits they'll have if they join). The "back door draft" does not refer to IRR activations alone, however. It also is used to refer to when people who are still in active duty are stop-lossed or stop-moved, preventing them from getting out of active service when they normally would. Usually this is used when their units are about to deploy, or are still deployed, and no, it's not a standard practice--at least it didn't use to be. When OIF started and I was there, the Army still let people return individually and outprocess, and no, it wasn't much of a detriment to deployed units since they got new replacements sent to them all the time. When the Army started barring people from leaving, in some cases more than a year past their ETS date, is when people started complaining about it--and well within their right to do so. So that, coupled with IRR activations, are what "back door draft" refers to.

Also... just because someone has a problem with the Army keeping them from leaving, or pulling them out of the IRR, does NOT make them a whiner. One does NOT have to fulfill all eight years of the minimum service requirement on active duty; if this were so, then contracts would always start out with a minimum of eight years active service, instead of the typical three or four. To insult someone who is opting to get out after that first term for being a "slacker" is unforgivable, because you're also insulting those three or four years that they DID serve in the process, not to mention the support they gave to the armed services in that time. Not everyone finds military life all that great, nor do they all find it the best option for them or for their families. If you do, fine, but don't go around insulting people who don't have the same mindset or lifestyle you do.

Answer 2

Each of the people who stated that any service member's complete obligation or term of service is printed in the contract they sign when they enlist is correct.

No this is not a back door draft. It is just a term used by those who failed to read their contract and by peoplr that will do or say anything to castigate, ridicule and try to demoralize or troops serving their country.

It's a pity that the parent(s) of your nephew failed to teach their son the value of reading any document (especially a contract) prior to signing. And if they did teach him and he decided not to read it (it does after all require time and effort) or he didn't ask questions about the 7 year obligation then he has only himself to blame.

Either way, if the young man is angry about being recalled (you didn't mention if he is)...he has certainly learned this lesson the hard way.

Best of luck to your nephew and may he come home safe.

To BIGU23: Thanks for bringing up accurate info on the IRR. When I earned my commission in the FA...on my gosh...30 years ago, my total obligation including the IRR was 6 years. I was accepted into a new commissioning plan which selected 50 recent college graduates to go through BCT and the OCS. Failure to complete OCS meant you finished a 3 year tour starting as a PFC. If commissioned then at that time (1976) we had a 2 year obligation. Three years after I left active duty I received orders seperating me from the service and the paperwork & certificate of my honorable discharge.

I spoke with the army after I returned from Iraq to see if I could re-activate my commission as serve in Iraq. Unfortunately at my age (52) and only 6 years of service, I didn't have enough time available to serve until mandatory retirement. I missed it by 3 years.

Your right, fortunately there are people like you and me that are willing to go back in and pick upyhr slack for the whiners.

Thanks for serving...

Answer 3

everyone so far has been rather incorrect,

the ppl that so called left were in the Individual Ready Reserve after they left active duty of the military. this occurs most of all for officers, warrant officers and very very select few enlisted

what it states on their contracts including mine's saids "serve 8 years in the United States military", and in each person's contract there is a difference on how many years they serve on active duty, most west pointers have to serve 4 to 5 years, army rotc scholarship graduates have to serve 4 years, rotc non-scholarship and most ocs graduates have to serve 3 years on "active duty" and the rest on the Individual Ready Reserve. In the past if you were on IRR, the possibilty on been called back up were next to non, but since of the OPTEMPO is very high right now they are been called up,

when ppl left the for IRR they got a set of orders setting they have been placed on the IRR, and after their actual obiligation is over at the end of a total 8 yrs than they have a letter of discharge.

it is not a backdoor draft, ppl just need to serve out the length of their obiligation instead of whining, and read before you blow your hole, i m close to been done with my active duty obilgiation but i m not going into the IRR because its for slackers who are too chicken-crap to serve their obiligation, and wants to whine how badly they getting screwed. if someone has enough points, they can petition for hardship and get out of it

if they are an officer and afraid to do their job than straight up resign your obiligation, you dont have to serve again, but you cant use your title or reference ever again

Answer 4

A backdoor draft is one that prevents somebody from leaving the military. To be out of the service they have to have served 8 or 12 years. If they got out of the military early, they still have to do their time in either the national guard or the reserves.

Answer 5

It's a draft specifically for people who have already served. It doesn't include the rest of the population. And yes, there is a back door draft going on.

Answer 6

You described exactly what it is...recalling people who have been discharged from the service. Some have been out of the military for five years...they can "recall" a person for up to seven years.

Read the "fine print" before signing any contract...especially one with the government.

Answer 7

If they read the contract, they will know that is a possibility before they sign.

It's in all of the contracts. It's NOT a back door draft.

Answer 8

quote
You described exactly what it is...recalling people who have been discharged from the service

Not true
They were SEPARATED from active duty not discharged (enlisted ranks)

An Officers contract is completlly different

Answer 9

A stupid statement. When you enlist (see volunteer), you are obligated to the service for a set period of time.

Answer 10

It is whining by stupid people that failed to grasp the contract they or a family member signed when going in the military.