[gundog]

The old catch-all of “failure to adapt to military life” lets some off the hook, if they could brazen it out. Without corporal punishment, that’s a possibility. I’m not sure what kind of disincentives you could tack on. We had a guy recycled into our squadron that just decided he wasn’t going to do anything but sit and bitch. And he did.

Not sure what kind of discharge that would get you. Many would take a bad discharge over punitive service. And you won’t be digging ditches if you’re pregnant.

[Regulator]

“Many would take a bad discharge over punitive service”

Yeah, that’s a possibility. But you could disincentivise that by cancelling any offer of Permanent Residency or citizenship without an honorable discharge.

Maybe a lot would still bail as soon as they knew there was even a bad option. But many might stay if the carrot at the end of the stick was enough. It’s a job anyway, right? That’s all they’re here for.

But merely the threat of being pulled in would be a deterrent to many who don’t realize the options once enlisted. Hell, look at all the people here who are upset about the draft, and they’re citizens.