It has long been a controversial topic of debate in the United States, whether or not our young men and women should be required to serve in the armed forces. There is proof that compulsory military service would be in our nations best interest. It has historically shown to improve military preparedness, and also has evenly balanced the burden of military service. It also helps to instill a sense of duty into those who serve. From an economic standpoint, there are numerous arguments to be made in support of conscription, including government savings. Numerous scholars write in favor of the subject as well. The government has been debating this topic since the draft system was removed from our country, and many reports written also offer strong arguments in its favor. Although there are strong arguments to keep the current all-volunteer system of draftees, it would be economically and militarily beneficial to re-impose the draft.
As a country prepares to go to war, they are faced with the dilemma of ensuring that they have a sufficient number of trained army personnel to carry out any missions they feel are necessary. The problem that sometimes arises is that the military finds itself understaffed, while already on the eve of war. This results in a scramble to recruit and train battle ready men, while using the small amount of soldiers already trained. In describing the United States military condition on the eve of the War with Mexico, Don Gross supports this concept when he says: “… With the declaration of war in May 1846, Congress authorized the call-up of fifty thousand volunteers, to be raised under the auspices of the state militias for a twelve-month period. The War Department issued the call to the following states...
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...ign Policy, and Income Inequality: The Missing Link." nyu.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Apr. 2014. .
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An accountant might not be very great at shooting an aiming, but he will help the government budget the money to purchase more guns and weapons. Then again, a renound marksman would be better in combat, or even someone who went to a state shooting event and won over the whole state. Any one in shooting sports in fact! They'd be good at aiming and hitting. Someone with people skills could communicate for the army, but maybe she can't do the technical stuff of getting radio signals enough to make the phone calls and emails. The draft eliminates the ability for Americans to choose, and they are forced to serve in the military, when if they had a choice they might pick something still very helpful, but not dangerous or completely obnoxious for them. By reinstating the draft the government would kill the freedom of choice, everyone has a relatable skill set that could in some way benefit the government or military. So if the draft did come back, maybe they could change it so you can pick which job you'd like to train
Although the United States has replaced a partially drafted army with an all-volunteer army, the Selective Service System stills allows men to be drafted if the military is too small (Olson-Raymer, par. 48-50). When the United States invaded Iraq, hundreds of thousands of Americans voluntarily enlisted (par. 55). Despite this, military personnel claimed that there was a shortage of soldiers, and a draft would be beneficial in the war effort (Thompson, par. 7). Fortunately, the draft remained and still remains unnecessary. Whenever a draft has been implemented in the United States, controversy has ensued. Some people think a draft
But in 1980, President Carter reinstated the draft in a way, stating all men born after January 1, 1960 were require to register with Selection Service, but this was not reinforced after about he of 1986. Today, the question is debated about whether or not we, as Americans, should reinstate the draft. Those in favor of reinstating the draft argue that our country would be safer, those drafted would learn important lifelong lessons and build characteristics that today’s generation has lost, and Americans would learn to appreciate more, something our society has forgotten. Those who oppose the draft argue that there would not be many, if any, families that are not military based and have to worry about loosing people in their family. Reinstating the military draft is
Stone, Chad, Danilo Trisi, Arloc Sherman, and William Chen. "Center on Budget and Policy Priorities." A Guide to Statistics on Historical Trends in Income Inequality. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 6 Nov. 2013. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. .
People who support the military draft will say that it is the obligation of every citizen of the United States, and every other person residing in the United States, who is between the ages of 18 and 42, to perform a period of national service. Aren?t there many other ways--less deadly ways--to contribute to the country?s well being? Should we, as citizens, be allowed to evade this ultimate obligation by turning it over to the poorer members of society, those who can't find good-paying jobs or training except in the military? In "A War for Us, Fought by Them," William Broyles, a Vietnam war veteran and the father of a young man who is a soldier in the Marines, argues that the military draft should be brought back, and this time it should be done right: everybody should be drafted, not just ?the profoundly patriotic or the economically needy" (Broyles 695).
Generally, reinstating the Constitutional draft would solidify the meaning of being an American citizen. Often, wealthier and more privileged people are able to ask for exemption from serving, which makes representation of soldiers in combat composed of less-privileged citizens. With compulsory conscription, all American citizens, men or women, ages 18-26 are subject to be recruited for the armed forces. In fact, only 4 members of the 107th Congress who voted in favor of the Iraq war had children serving there. Politicians would know how it feels to have loved ones in a war, instead of freely speaking about wartime without experiencing it in any way.1 Moreover, Americans feel that public support for war in foreign countries is not strong because the soldiers fighting are p...
I never thought I would say this but I think we should reinstate the draft. It has been years since we have wanted or needed a draft, but in view of the United States being attacked on September 11, 2001, I feel our country must be ready and prepared to defend itself. If being prepared means reinstating the draft, a mandatory summons for military service, then I think we should consider this a reasonable proposal. I think the tragic events of September 11 will evoke most people to agree with me. Since September 11 we have seen a surge of patriotism in this country that seemed hidden for many years. I am so glad patriotism was not lost, and I think most Americans would be willing to defend their country in light of this attack. We are a nation and a people who believe in freedom and democracy. It tells other nations who we are and what we stand for. It is these beliefs that lead me to believe that the people of the United States will do anything to preserve our freedom and democracy even if it means reinstating the draft. I want to prove this notion, but am unsure how to accomplish this. I have not read any recent articles in newspapers or magazines that have dealt with this issue. My textbook was not a source either. So I decided to do two things. First, I went to the Internet for any information, articles, discussions, or statements relating to this issue. Second, I decided to conduct an informal poll. This informal poll consisted of male and female respondents with an age span of eighteen to sixty two. My poll started with classmates in my Western Civilization and Studio Art classes and the professors who instruct these classes. My poll included emailing friends and family who live and work in New York, family currently serving in the Armed Forces, and a family member who is a Veteran of the Viet Nam War. Also included in this poll is a random sampling of the townspeople of Los Alamos. Medical personnel at Los Alamos Women’s Health Services, and the lunch crowd at Café’ Allegro rounded out my poll. This cross section of Americans evoked many feelings and opinions and stimulated many conversations and critical thought. These conversations exhilarated me and the results I obtained amazed me.
There is a Time and a place for everything, for instance there were times when a militarized force wasn’t nearly large enough for an impending war as necessary to stand even that of a fighting chance towards victory. Our nation’s solution to this problem was creating the military draft, which most recently was used during the Vietnam War. The military draft, or Selective Service System, is Conscription, or in other words “forced labor demanded by some established authority” (Worddiq). “From 1948 until 1973, during both peacetime and periods of conflict, men were drafted to fill vacancies in the armed forces which could not be filled through voluntary means.” (Landscaper) 2/3 of the American troops entered in that war were volunteers, while the other third were all draftees by lottery by birth. (Roush) Some might say "hey that’s only one third of our military, that’s not too many draftees." The only problems with that statement would be that the war itself didn't move towards our favor even with the draft. The draftees went through a rushed training session and entered a battlefield with nearly no experience what-so-ever, on or off the battlefield.
“Draft Vs. Volunteer Army: Guide To Critical Analysis.”Points of View: Draft Vs. Volunteer Army (2013): 4. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 5 May 2014.
Laird, Melvin. “We Don’t Need a Military Draft.” My Opinions. washingtonpost.com. February 21, 2013. n. pag. Web. 2 April 2014.
The United States should not reinstate the draft in order to save money, to lower stress, and to allow for a more effective military. In order to maintain a stable army the government needs to have the mental and physical ability to tolerate the stress and physical conditions. Paying volunteer soldiers proves less expensive than compensating millions of unwilling servicemen. When drafting people they will expect more of a return for serving their personal time. Forcing these training cadres to put up with the recruits makes their stress levels raise. These ranks already have to worry about 2,600,000 enlisted people, not including active duty soldiers. Coming from an enlisted soldier in the army, why would a volunteer soldier want to fight along
Conscription, also known as drafting, is a practice that requires mandatory enlisting into any of the branches of the armed forces. This practice has been adopted by the United States at the very least two times before and from what I can remember during World War II and the Civil War conscription was being practiced. Nowadays conscription is not practiced in the United States because there isn’t a need for it. Now, if you want to join the army you can do so by volunteering. However, there are people who believe conscription should be brought back. Some people believe that the drafting of younger people might help these young people develop useful skills and cultivate a sense of unity and national pride. Although all of these are valid reasons,
...itary conscription in the name of freedom is an illegitimate, criminal organization. A government that is willing to enslave people cannot be trusted to protect your liberty. A government that forces people to fight for its goals, its protection, and its benefit has created a morally perverse situation where there is no free society left to defend” (Boldin). Another thing we must look at is without an overflow of troops; “unpopular wars are very difficult to fight. The ability to use conscription actually encourages politicians to wage even more wars;the massive resources are a temptation that is hard for the war-lover to resist. When the draft was finally undermined in the 1970′s, for example, the Vietnam War ended” (Boldin).
Conscription would decrease the crime rate, because the soldiers would have been taught to be disciplined. Additionally there would be a significant decline in obesity, because exercise would be a daily task in the training camps and therefore form to a routine and finally become a habit. By doing so a healthy soldier would promote others, such as a female companion, to do the same. Spending time with other cadets extensively strengthens loyalty, brotherhood, patriotism and thus creates a sense of purpose. As a result, there would be less treacherous behavior amongst these youthful men. Conscription also establishes a sense of real equality in the States, because currently mostly minorities and poor citizens join the armed forces “voluntarily” and thus leaves a big gap of white rich men. Just like Charles Rangel, U.S. Representative for New York 's 13th congressional district said, “I believe that if we are going to send our children to war, the governing principle must be that of shared sacrifice. Through much of our history, Americans have been asked to shoulder the burden of war equally, a renewed draft will help bring a greater appreciation of the consequences of decisions to go to war.” I
...datory military service can provide a way for people achieve a greater life. With the military young adult in need of a better environment would become improved in what ever those people were going to do in life. This will give people job opportunities and more dedication to life. A mandatory military service for all people between the ages of 18 and 24 would only bring good to society.