Mandatory Service? Conscript or not?

2014-11-02T20:50:15-05:00

After doing a quick wiki search 37 countries still require mandatory military service, while 55 do not. What is your thought? I'm all for a 2 year mandatory military service....here in the US. I actually think our politicians would think twice about sending their children to combat and we could potentially avoid costly needless wars. As well as have a huge military reserve in the event of another World War. Does anyone agree? As always the religious, philosophical and conscientious objections come up...I guess we could keep those in the rear with the gear, or send them to Alaska or Guam, or Cuba, or is that unfair. I don't want to be on the front line with anyone that doesn't want to be there. Would conscription improve the quality of personnel in the service as well as improve the quality of the citizen, once discharged? Or am I looking at this with rose-colored glasses?

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 2 at 2014 8:52 PM

2014-11-02T20:52:00-05:00

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member, I'm with you. I'm all for mandatory military (or civil) service, and I think 18 or 24 months is about the right length. The conscientious objectors and others who cannot perform military service for various reasons should have a civil service option (hospitals, schools, community service, etc.).

There's an RP survey on this topic. I'll find it and post it here. Here's one survey on this topic:

https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/mandatory-military-service

Would you support mandatory military service for citizens once they turn 18? | RallyPoint

Also to consider, do you think that women should also be included?

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 2 at 2014 8:58 PM

2014-11-02T20:58:19-05:00

Maybe we can turn them into Conservative...Liberals...

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 2 at 2014 9:00 PM

2014-11-02T21:00:46-05:00

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member, take a look of some the links below that may be similar to the topic you just posted about mandatory service. Perhaps they may touched on some of the questions/concerns you inquired?

https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/what-is-your-opinion-on-mandatory-service

https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/are-we-to-the-point-of-mandatory-service

https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/mandatory-military-service

What is your opinion on Mandatory Service? | RallyPoint

I think it would be a good idea to make it mandatory in the US for all 18-25 year old citizens to perform 2 years of civil service (military, law enforcement, fire-fighter, etc.) I believe this would be a good idea because it would give their lives some much needed order, purpose, and direction while making our country a better place at the same time. What are your opinions, if any on this?

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 2 at 2014 9:14 PM

2014-11-02T21:14:31-05:00

SSG LoGiudice....although I think there is merit for mandatory service, with the current (and sad) state of our younger generations, I think mandatory service would cause more problems than what it would be worth. Completely agree with the political side of the arguement, but there "everybody wins" generation is already causing problems in the service with respects to lack of discipline. Additionally, and I don't know the exact numbers, but there is an extremely large percentage of military age males and females in the US who are not physically fit for military service. Dealing with that part alone would be too time consuming. I just don't think the bang is worth the buck here.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 2 at 2014 9:17 PM

2014-11-02T21:17:57-05:00

Practical reasons for opposing mandatory service; a draft would actually exacerbate the manpower problem. I know that's counter-intuitive. If we allow conscript troops we have to reorganize a force that we are already trying to reorganize. In fact we'll have to completely scrap the recently completed Transformation. Conscripts require greater supervision than volunteers. That means a greater need for NCOs, especially junior NCOs. When you do this it increases the size of the Team (the smallest element of an army unit), this increases the size of the squad, the platoon, the company and all the way up. We have to buy more trucks and we have to scrap or APCs the Bradleys and Strykers, that were designed to carry a squad each.

But that really isn't the heavy factor here. The one thing that absolutely will have to change is Basic Training. With crops of recruits arriving at the induction centers who are not self-motivated to be there, motivation must be imposed externally. That was accomplished, when we had conscription, by Drill Sergeants who were allowed to beat the tar out of recruits that did not do as they were told or who overtly challenged the authority of the training structure. In 2005 there was a batch of Drill Sergeants and a Company Commander disciplined for comparatively mild mistreatment of recruits. Perhaps the idea that someone's sweet boy might have to face a Full Metal Jacket-like R. Lee Ermy type appeals, I know for many it would. But I don't believe that a society that shrank from casualties in Iraq that were far less than the number of killed on our roads here at home could handle this idea.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 2 at 2014 10:10 PM

2014-11-02T22:10:28-05:00

You already said it yourself. I don't want to be on the front lines with people who don't want to be there. Currently, not counting those who can't qualify, 98% or so of our country don't want to be there. Not just conscience objectors. So, no I don't want a conscripted service requirement. I want to be in the right with fellas who joined up and want to be there.