To the Point

Today-s Military

With the draft abolished in 1973, America now depends entirely on volunteers like 19 year-old West Virginian Jessica Lynch, who engaged the enemy and survived captivity, and Guatemalan Jos- Gutierrez, who died for America before he became a citizen. Women make up a larger percentage of America-s fighting forces than ever before. Despite continuing racial imbalances, the military also enjoys a higher percentage of minority leadership. Who are America-s fighting forces and why do they want to fight? Is it time to reinstitute the draft? We look at the make-up of today-s fighting forces, why they-re there and what they expect, with a military sociologist, policy analysts, and pro- and anti-recruiting advocates. Making News: Plans for a Parallel Regime Iraqi TV is showing pictures of Saddam Hussein surrounded by adoring crowds. Military analysts are trying to determine if the footage is real and when it was taken. Meantime, some American troops think the end of the war is in sight. Alex Perry of Time magazine, who-s embedded with the 3rd Infantry on its way to Baghdad, discusses US plans to isolate Saddam and establish a parallel regime. Reporter's Notebook: The House of Saud Saudi Arabia controls 25 percent of the world-s oil and the surplus capacity that assures stability. A disruption of Saudi oil would be disastrous for the global economy and particularly for the United States. Robert Baer, a 21-year veteran of the CIA-s Middle East operations, says America has chosen to ignore the -signs of impending disaster.-