Pros of a Military Draft
Compulsory military service, or the draft, is a hot-button topic in America. There are always people willing to talk about the downsides of the draft, such as how it reduces troop morale and how conscripts aren't as dedicated as volunteer troops. However, there are a number of benefits to a military draft.
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Representative
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Ideally, a draft would create a military force that has representatives from all segments of society. The current volunteer army does not accurately represent American society, and it has a notable under-representation of women and the upper class. In theory, an ideal draft would change this by taking those who come up in a lottery regardless of their gender (women are currently excluded from the draft) or social standing, which would make the army more representative of American society as a whole.
Training
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Supporters of a military draft say it would be cheaper to train draftees than to train an all-volunteer force. The fact that the number of people entering the service would be steady means training could be streamlined. Instead of waiting for the required number of recruits, trainers would have draftees entering basic training regularly.
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Cost
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Another benefit of a draft would be lower military costs. While the Army would have to pay soldiers more (because the numbers serving would increase from current levels), and the costs to feed and equip them would go up, advertising and recruiting costs would nearly vanish. As long as only the necessary numbers of soldiers are drafted, the money saved on recruiting could trim some military costs.
Size
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The obvious benefit of a draft, and possibly its entire purpose, is to maintain a standing military of a certain size. There would be no shortages of personnel or failed recruitment goals because all openings would be filled by mandate.
Support
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It has been argued that by instituting a draft that takes from all levels of society, the military would achieve greater public support. Since it ideally would be a shared burden across society, the draft could act as a way to bring people together across class and ethnic boundaries.
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References
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Comments
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Neal, I think you've written a good article and you've correctly pointed out many pros of having a military draft. Military Service is an obligation and should be treated as such. It is a responsibility that should be shared by rich and poor, conservatives and liberals, native born and immigrants. As you state, there should be "representatives from all segments of society". Its true that there are pros and cons to the draft but its beginning to look like the pros are outweighing the cons. Many young people born since the draft was discontinued know little or nothing about the military. They know the military by observation only. They don't know about the parts of the military that help a person mature and become a responsible citizen; things that help one for the rest of their life. They are afraid of and don't know the rules and responsibilties that come with gun ownership, unless they are criminals or prior or existing military types. Why else would some of our young people want to gun down their classmates? Has this ever happened in our history before, except when perpetrated by a criminal or an insane person? Now it happens all too frequently. Instead of handling this problem by teaching our children about gun rules and responsibilites many of us think guns themselves are the problem, not the person holding the gun. Again, a dodging of responsibility. I feel that if the U.S. really had a need to defend itself on our own shores that most of our young adults just simply don't have what it takes to get the job done. They would immediately want to wave the white flag in order to get back to their favorite TV program or to their computer. It would be an extension of the slave mentality. We would have to turn to those few military types still in existence and criminals to defend the rest of us. And they would not only have to fight any enemy but also flawed public opinion.
