6-Month Draft Seen Remote By Pentagon

A proposed six-month draft is only one of several suggestions under consideration for the new reserve program--not a definite plan--Admiral J. P. Womble, Director of the Defense Department's Personnel Policy Division, said yesterday.

Womble refused to give any details on alternative programs.

At the same time he stated that the government has no intention of either dropping the draft or limiting the regular draft to six months.

Details Not Complete

Womble said the newspapers and press services exaggerated and misrepresented Assistant Defense Secretary John A. Hannah's remarks before the Senate Armed Services Committee last Thursday. He explained that although the new, expanded reserve program is near administration approval, many of its important details, such as that of a possible six month draft, have not yet been formulated.

The six month period, Womble noted, would be used only for training the drafted reservists. After this time, the men would serve in the active reserve and as such would be liable to recall in the event of an emergency.

Under the new plan reserve units will supplement the regular army, which for the next year or two at lest is expected to remain at approximately its present size.

Defense officials have not yet specified the method which would be used to decide whether a man would enter the reserve or regular army.

Two Plans for Draft

Edward Braswell, staff member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, did reveal yesterday, however, that two plans have been suggested in the past for this purpose. The first calls for the prospective soldier to apply to a reserve unit, in the same manner as he might for a division of the National Gurad. The second method provides for a nation-wide lottery, such as that suggested in last December's Adler Manpower Report.

Braswell also noted that the method used would not favor the 19 year old over the student deferred through College.