Should the US Government impose mandatory military service

When you turn 18? You have to complete 2 years of active duty and 2 years of reserve..?

Similar to israyel and S. Korea?

I believe it would have done you a lot of good. Or more accurately the rest of society.

No! Any free individual should be able to choose if they want to fight in a war that their elected officials deem necessary. I for one don't trust anyone in the government, let alone would I ever be willing to sacrifice my life for their warped world view.

I firmly believe that every man should serve at least 2 years for his country is some form.

If the congress or the president alone orders the invasion of another country, there must be a lottery draft.

I take it would benefit the United States society as a whole.

I think it would...

With younger kids (under 18) there should be a 3 strikes system....you get arrested 3 times before you're 18 you are automatically enlisted once you turn 18.  That could help stop the career criminals IMO.

2 years of mandatory military obligation on active duty in one of the branches. No sacrifice by any Americans in the last 10 years as we have sent our men and women in uniform into an unlimited number of combat tours.

just make sure that law applies to all women, not just men.

I guess all you guys wanting this have gone down and signed up right? And I don't want to hear you're 60 now either!

I served 20 and now I am in DHS's number 1 terrorist category. Nice!

I joined voluntarily and I was in when we had a draft. Some of my fellow soldiers were drafted. They hated it, but I don't remember any going AWOL. They only had to serve 2 years, while those who joined had to serve 3 years or even 4.

It's so different now with technology.  However, it just wasn't right for today's volunteer soldiers and the National Guard to have to go Iraq/Afghanistan 3 and 4 tours. Just not right.

Couldn't agree more.

just make sure all the women and gaaays get drafted first

Pretty sure you were a casualty of "Don't ask, don't tell". Lord knows you told and told and told..........................................

Yawn.

I think that the overall implications for the society would be good. 

I also feel that it would be 100% unconstitutional.  I think of the people I served with in combat zones that did not want to be there for whatever reason, and wonder how bad it would be if a majority of them didn't sign the dotted line themselves. 

we should definitely do a better job making it culturally expected for young men to serve, and tailor enlistments that reflect the desire for people to serve, IE the 2 years active and 2 years reserve idea,  but the problem comes In with job training. 

Specialty MOS designations can take 2 years to get the proper training.  Then what is the point in spending massive amounts of taxpayer dollars in training someone who will never utilize their knowledge for mission capabilities. 

 

Mostly I think the system we have now is good regarding enlistment etc. 

I just wish it were more culturally expected for people to serve. 

Less than .45% of the population have served in the nation's longest ongoing war in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

 

Rick, thank you for your service....

I appreciate your real and personal perspective on the issue, especially because you did actually serve.

It appears that not everyone is capable as you do have respectful and intelligent discussion...

I agree with you that it should be more culturally expected, but also think that it should be continued to be incentivized and perhaps more so than it already is.

The problem I think is that based on 21sr century history the perception was that enlistment and recruiting was about turning "welfare recipients into warfare participants" and not trying to target the best and brightest. Perhaps if there was enough incentive, it could attract the best and brightest. Especially if it could lead to a solid career path.

And this is where perhaps privitization might work in that people can go from working to the government into private companies that have government contracts because they are already familiar with what the companies do.

Privatization only works of course if some basic free market capitalism comes into place rather then what /1st century history shows us with the corporate socialism of the blank check monopoly that Halliburton had, draining the nation of it's wealth to go move to Dubai...

Current system works fine.  Rick3117 is right.  Mandatory recruitment would be wasteful and unnecessary because the military doesn't need everybody.  Instead money would be better spend on education or apprentice programs to reduce labour shortages in trades and technology.

If we didn't stick our nose into everyone else's business we wouldn't need to have this discussion.
We could implement mandatory apprenticeships for people so they learn a life skill instead of teaching them how to be a soldier.
Just a thought