It has become too easy for U.S. presidents to use military force overseas. Since 1973, the commander-in-chief has been able to deploy troops abroad without calling young men and women up through the draft. Presidents have relied on military technology, air power, and professional soldiers to project force while much of the electorate remains insulated from consequences of these decisions, including fears about how such decisions might affect members of their own families.

When President Donald Trump involved the United States in a major, protracted conflict in Iran, he could be relatively confident that the issue would not become a dominant force among voters. Although the decision generated controversy and division, including among Republicans who still adhered to the “America First” agenda, the consequences were unlikely to be front and center for most U.S. families. Few would have to contemplate the risk of air operations escalating into a large-scale ground war involving their own children, other than those who had signed up to serve. The absence of a draft has in effect created a firewall between U.S. military actions abroad and the daily lives of most Americans.

It has become too easy for U.S. presidents to use military force overseas. Since 1973, the commander-in-chief has been able to deploy troops abroad without calling young men and women up through the draft. Presidents have relied on military technology, air power, and professional soldiers to project force while much of the electorate remains insulated from consequences of these decisions, including fears about how such decisions might affect members of their own families.

When President Donald Trump involved the United States in a major, protracted conflict in Iran, he could be relatively confident that the issue would not become a dominant force among voters. Although the decision generated controversy and division, including among Republicans who still adhered to the “America First” agenda, the consequences were unlikely to be front and center for most U.S. families. Few would have to contemplate the risk of air operations escalating into a large-scale ground war involving their own children, other than those who had signed up to serve. The absence of a draft has in effect created a firewall between U.S. military actions abroad and the daily lives of most Americans.

The United States did not maintain a permanent draft for most of its history. Until Congress prepared for war against Japan and Germany in 1940, the nation relied on temporary wartime conscription, volunteer enlistment, and state militias to staff its combat forces. Public skepticism toward a standing draft reflected a broader aversion to a strong federal government. Geographic isolation, with the country protected by oceans on both sides, further reduced pressure on elected officials to sustain constant wartime footing. The result was that even after the Civil War and World War I, the country abandoned mandatory selective service once conflict ended.

Global war in Asia and Europe ultimately shifted public opinion. During the 1940 election, both President Franklin Roosevelt and his opponent, Republican Wendell Willkie, recognized that a peacetime military draft would likely be necessary, yet each understood the........

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