Since the United States’ military draft ended in 1973, the call of national service has fallen on a more concentrated group of Americans. Today the all-volunteer force is comprised of less than 1 percent of the total U.S. population — an often-overlooked class of citizens that has carried the burden of fighting the nation’s war on terror for nearly two decades. Is the present system fair? How would a return to mandatory conscription affect the country’s opinion of America’s involvement abroad? In the wake of all combat-arms jobs opening to women, should they also be required to register with the Selective Service? On the 18th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan, historians, academics and journalists will come together to discuss all these issues and more. 

Lauren Katzenberg, the editor of The Times’s At War channel, will moderate a conversation on October 7, 7pm, with C. J. Chivers, Pulitzer Prize-winning Times journalist and Marine veteran; Elizabeth D. Samet, a historian, author and professor of English at the United States Military Academy; and Dennis Laich, a retired Army major general and the executive director of the All-Volunteer Force Forum.

Get tickets here. Veterans receive a discount with code NYT. 

Track the event and discussion on Facebook.