Pros + Cons of Restoring the Draft

Pro: huge increase in easily available troops

Pro: given that going through the draft & military experience was a common experience for young American men*+, it provided an opportunity for people from a vast variety of socio-economic groups & regions to connect.**

Con: it's generally accepted that the current, all volunteer force is one of the best, if not the best, militaries in the world. Conscript armies are never as well-trained as all-volunteer armies, even if they are larger. The horrendous performance of Russian's enormous, conscript-heavy force is a perfect example of this.

Con: related to the previous point, conscripts, by and large, don't want to be there. This absolutely relates to the above con to a draft. The combination of these first two cons is a major reason why most in the leadership of the US military don't want the reinstatement of the draft.

Con: again, related to the above points, the elites of any society have always had ways to avoid sending their young men to war that their poorer counterparts never have. A rich or connected father may, for instance, pull strings to get their son enlisted in their state's National Guard, which provided guaranteed stateside service during the Vietnam War***. Or, a property-owning father can lean on a doctor tenant to create a bogus diagnosis for his athletic son. Or, perhaps a bright enough son could get a prestigious scholarship, like a Rhodes Scholarship, that would keep him overseas. Or a wealthy father who supports the war, as long as his sons aren't fighting in it, can keep his son(s) enrolled in college****. The ends are listless, you might say. Poor families have none of these options, except for perhaps the scholarship route, but even that is available for only a select few young men.

Personally, I like the idea of a “National Service” requirement, but that this cannot be limited to military service. It should be required of all young people, irrespective of sex, race, economic class, period. And it cannot be limited to military service. One night fulfill their service by serving in the military, or by working in the Peace Corps, or as a Park Ranger at one of the US’ many national parks, or in “Teach for America.” Those are just a few ideas that I chose off the top of my my head, many more will present themselves to people actually designing such a system.

-Z

*+ I say “young men” for the simple reason that the US has never drafter women. Curiosly, I've never heard anyone, of any sex, demanding that.

** Just b/c y draft provided am opportunity for young men to connect across socio-economic and regional lines doesn't mean that everybody took that opportunity.

*** This got a lot more difficult after the Tonkin Gulf incident. Before this, serving in the National Guard was just this, & not at all difficult. After Tonkin, & the massive escalation that followed, is where you began to need connections to get into the Guard.

**** This phenomenon lead to the term “chickenhawk,” referring to someone who loved the war as long as they themselves didn't have to fight in it. This has happened in wars for as long as we've been fighting them.