[dylan604]

>would you want to wait until they are here and volunteers start coming in?

I think the response to the 9/11 attacks shows that when something major happens, lots of people feel motivated to get up and do something. Volunteers flooded the different branches and even gov't services. My point being that I'm not sure a draft would be needed in your proposed situation.

[ch4s3]

I mostly agree with the broader point here, but 9/11 is IMHO a bad example. People were signing up for essentially a war of adventure against adversaries that were really no match. It’s a very different situation that the people of the Philippines up against the imperial Japanese army in WWII.

[dylan604]

WWII saw similar response, so precedent is there when Americans see a direct threat. Some political action that nobody agrees with like Vietnam/Korean conflicts is where you see the lower interest. That's more in line with your example.

[ch4s3]

Like I said, I agreed in general.