The US Army has been practising digging mass graves in North Carolina as part of an exercise described as the largest of its kind since the Korean War, amid rising fears of a military conflict between the US and Iran.
The drill, known as Phase II of Operation Dragon Covenant, comes at a crucial moment for the armed forces, with tensions heightened ahead of the forthcoming Midterm Elections. Both President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have scrapped their rallies following what has been described as a "devastating" leak of military plans.
Senator Warns of Escalation
Democrat Senator Chris Murphy revealed he had been briefed on an escalation of Trump's conflict with Iran, which commenced on February 28. In a statement, Senator Murphy warned the plans would "lead to devastating escalation and the likely destruction of our commitment to the rule of law."
"The plan that they have developed will lead, in my view, to a prolonged escalation of this war that will be devastating for our security interests," he added.
Preparing for High-Intensity Conflict
Sergeant 1st Class Delbert Ruede told the Army Times that the operation in North Carolina was vital for ensuring preparedness. He said: "This exercise allowed us to take a critical look at how we respect, honor, and systematically manage our fallen in a high-intensity conflict."
"If we went to war tomorrow, we would be making this up as we went along. What we are doing here is taking a scientific, field-tested approach so that we can maintain positive control and respectfully care for our fallen," he added.
Potential for a Draft
On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump's administration had told Gulf nations it was gearing up for a "short, intense military campaign" shortly after the Midterm Elections on Tuesday, November 3. Any escalation of the standoff with Iran could see civilians called upon to enlist, with a draft potentially enforced if they refuse.
The draft was last employed by the US military during the Vietnam War, using a televised lottery with a bin and capsules containing the birthdays of individuals born between 1944 and 1950, or those aged between 18 and 26. The first birthdays drawn would receive call-up papers first.
While it remains uncertain whether Trump would resort to such a method, rough estimates exist regarding how many potential recruits he could call upon. Christopher Lee of Foresight Strategic Advisor said: "The Selective Service's 2025 Annual Report to Congress, puts the number of eligibles in the 15 million men range in the age band. The report also states there is about 19 percent currently unregistered and if you included them, the total would be about 18 million men eligible for any draft."
"Keep in mind, actual mandatory inductions would literally be a tiny fraction of that in real terms. As a comparison, the Vietnam War saw only about 1.8 million men drafted representing only about 7% of the total population. And that was over a nine-year period," he added.
