The stop-loss policy, in the United States military, is the involuntary retention of troops to remain in service beyond their contractually agreed-upon term. Stop loss originated during the first Gulf War; the current policy was enacted in 2001 primarily to fight the War on Terrorism declared by George W. Bush (For the US Navy, it was imposed on October 10, 2001.)

The use of this involuntary measure has been controversial, with many, including John Kerry, Bush's challenger during the 2004 US Presidential Election, calling it a "backdoor draft."

The first legal challenge to the policy came in October 2004, with a lawsuit challenged by an unnamed National Guardsman in California, referred to as "John Doe." A basis for the suit is that stop-loss does not apply to the current situtation in Iraq, which is a military occupation and not a war zone.

See also: Conscription in the United States

External links

• Stars and Stripes article
• Eight soldiers plan to sue over stop loss policy
• "troops in Iraq... enlistment has been extended until December 24th, 2031" - by Rolling Stone magazine, The Return of the Draft 2005