In comments supportive of the idea of military conscription, something virtually unheard of among modern US officials, Secretary of State John Kerry, visiting the University of Texas today, declared himself to “have deep reservations about an all-volunteer military.”

Kerry insisted that military families have an “enormous burden” from all their overseas deployments and that the US needs to find a way to ensure that all Americans are made to “share responsibility” for the wars, adding “everybody ought to give back something.”

Ironically, during his presidential campaign in 2004, Kerry not only promised to maintain an all-volunteer military if elected, but accused then-President Bush of having a “great potential” to impose a new military draft because he is “out of touch.”

Pentagon officials have repeatedly expressed opposition to the idea of a return to conscription, insisting that the volunteer force is superior. Recent debates have centered on the possibility of ditching the Selective Service system outright, since there is no serious prospect of a new draft and the system is just a waste of money.