Advantages of the Military Draft
The United States has had a volunteer army since 1973. But, there have been recent calls from senators, congressmen and scholars to reinstate the draft, with many citing the advantages of such a move.
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History
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The first draft occurred during the Civil War. A draft was used again in World War I. From 1948 to 1973, the U.S. used the draft to staff the military during peace- and war-time. Protests during the Vietnam War helped end the draft in 1973. Since 1980, males ages 18 to 25 have been required to register with the Selective Service, in the event a draft needs to be quickly organized.
Major Advantage
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The draft is the easiest and cheapest way to expand the military. Less money and time would be spent on recruitment. The number of men and possibly women needed to maintain the optimum military force would be signed up with little trouble. The U.S. would continue to have the largest and finest military in the world.
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More Advantages
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Men and women drafted would benefit from the training and discipline the military offers. More people from different backgrounds would share the military experience. Some of those drafted might choose to re-enlist or join the reserves or National Guard after their active duty was over.
Disadvantages
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The U.S. would be enlisting hundreds of thousands of people who had no interest in the military or any desire to excel in the armed forces. The military would also be disrupting them in the prime of their lives, taking them away from their chosen careers and families, and ruining their potential earning capability.
One Theory
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One theory of how a modern day draft might work is instead of the traditional lottery method, the military would simply require that no four-year college be allowed to accept a male or female student until they completed a 12-month to two-year term of service. All who served in the military would receive a stipend and a college grant.
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References
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Comments
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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.
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deuxsox
Feb 06, 2010
This piece is illogical, often states opinion as fact, and is making a plea for conscription, not what most Americans associate with a lottery type draft throughout the entire article, not just in the "One Theory" section. Many people may benefit from the training and discipline of the military, but certainly not all. The saying goes "strength in numbers," but there is also a saying "quantity does not equal quality." What is the point of having troops that resent being in the armed forces just to have an optimal number (which was mentioned as a Major Advantage AND a Disadvantage)? This "argument" also lacks to take increased military spending into account. Finally, the "Theory" offered makes little to no sense, and clearly was not thought out. There is no way the US Government would be able to pass a law that requires all citizens to serve in the military for a mere stipend, ...
