What do you think about the social contract?

I never signed one

I think the social contract must evolve. In the not so distant past, we had a conscription force and our conflicts were felt by the entire population - think rationing, war bonds, etc... The idea of caring for veterans was shaped by the fact that most people in society were directly impacted by the conflict and there was no expectation of a career in the military - people served their time and then went back to their civilian lives.

Now, we live in an era of the all-volunteer force (much smaller) and the skill sets necessary to fight and win can not simply be drafted as easily. The social contract must evolve to reflect the needs of the typical veteran of the present as well as the cost that the rest of society is not paying.

I would argue that is is both. The Social Contract is established between society and the military - the individual agrees to join knowing that (s)he will be repaid in certain benefits for his/her service.

To add to the question - is the social contract changing or will it change?...