If a service member wishes to cancel their contract early, should they be allowed to?

I think this would help with the draw down instead of forcing out folks who actually want to stay in the military.

No. There are many of us displeased with our jobs or whatever else, regardless of that fact you need to serve the commitment like everyone else does. If the environment starts getting toxic it is generally because they start showing a bad attitude at work which can either be solved by counseling or if it becomes a true and consistent problem they will get the boot and not in a good way.

We may not all know exactly what we signed up for in the beginning of our time in service but regardless of that you make a pledge to serve this country for at least four years. It's a long four years but just do it. If someone is beyond their first enlistment and sick of things then they should have not re-enlisted in the first place. First enlistment just get through it and leave on good terms.

The problem with allowing people to separate early is you get situations like we had a year or two ago when the AF called for E4 and up to voluntarily separate. They had so many rush to take the opportunity that when all was said and done they realized they lost too many. To my understanding there were certain career fields actually trying to call up the now separated airmen and beg for them to come back because manning took such a hit. With that much of an impact to manning for what was a limited number of allowed voluntary seps you can imagine what the AF would be like if they just opened it up for everyone.

There is no quitting here. Every time you sign for those four to six years you are pledging your life for those years. You know what you are signing.

Unless they have a really good reason...NO....they need to do their time they pledged to do.

Should a member have to pay back the government for their time and education if said member decides to just quit?

You have breach of contract where one party doesn't uphold their part of the contract. You could have a termination clause in your contract. And then there is rescission or unmaking of the contract to the time before the contract, but you would need consent from both parties.

If I got discharged after they paid for my college, I'd be in a breach of contract situation since mine is 8 years. Or, I could talk to manpower and ask for recession or cancellation. There is no termination clause and worst case I join the IRR.