Posted on 07/13/2024 9:19:38 AM PDT by hardspunned
After decades of becoming increasingly rare, the military draft is back in the debate.
Israel—which has long had mandatory conscription—is currently debating whether or not to lengthen its service for reservists as a result of its ongoing war against Hamas and Hezbollah, and it may soon expand the draft to the currently exempted ultra-Orthodox population following an Israeli Supreme Court ruling voiding the exemption last month. In May, Ukraine expanded its draft in order to replenish its forces as it continues to fight off the Russian invasion. Russia has similarly broadened its compulsory military service in response to mounting casualties in Ukraine. In the Baltic states, Latvia reintroduced the draft in 2023 following Russia’s attack on Ukraine; Lithuania reintroduced it in 2015 in response to Russia’s 2014 invasion of Ukraine; Estonia never abolished it. And halfway across the world, Taiwan recently lengthened its conscription period in response to increasingly menacing threats from China.
(Excerpt) Read more at foreignpolicy.com ...
They've done it before during Vietnam when they were taking just about anybody. In fact, some of the most bad azz and most heroic turned out to be draftees.
The problems with the draft show up when the military is involved in something unpopular. If you look at that 33 years of the draft remember we came out 1-1-1 in those wars. Now sure 90% of the problems with the ones we didn’t win was bad leadership. But it all is on the same continuum: bad leadership doing a bad job of managing an unpopular war using people that don’t want to be there.
Do you really think the hardcore people in the military now want to fill the ranks with people who hate them and everything they stand for? Because in modern America that’s going to be at least 50% of your draftees.
You bet they will. They did it during Vietnam. In fact they'll beg for them and threaten them with jail if they need them. And they're getting close to that now.
Not a chance. Only a suicidal idiot would want his back to be watched by somebody that hates him.
Vietnam War dead were about 70% volunteer and 30% draftee, while WWII was the opposite.
WWII war dead were about 30% volunteer while 70% were draftees.
I was a member of the last draft pool in 1972. I had no worries, as I was already headed to Gonzaga on an ROTC scholarship.
My time on active duty, 76-84, was at the advent of the AVF. We had our struggles, but I could see improvement year over year.
My sons and nephews have heard a few of my "war stories", all positive, about my time in the Army. I have also warned them to stay out of the military, due to the wokeness and disappearance of the chain of command that I knew and experienced. I knew my senior leaders had my back and proved it to me in spades.
I'll bring a lighter to assist those that burn they're draft cards.
Get real. Tens of thousands of draftees, who I can assure you did not want to go to war, have served well and gave up their lives doing so.
If this rotten government gets themselves into another bind, you can bet the rent they’ll reestablish a draft.
I believe that.
Volunteers dropped off steadily after the first year of the war as I remember.
If you’re a WW II buff and haven’t already read it, you would really enjoy “The Second World Wars” by Victor Davis Hanson.
And the rich & elites bought their way out of the draft, just as they have done since the War of Northern Aggression.
Pure fantasy, draftees are vetted, tested, and examined, and investigated if clearances are needed, they are not picked up randomly from gangs and those who are unfit.
For some reason you think that the draft with the choice of 10s of millions would be drafting men who aren’t up to the job like the people who aren’t showing up (and who are) in our inadequately manned (personed) volunteer service.
I ETS’d as the new volunteer army was starting up.
Thanks for your service.
Hell yes, we could be passing out the BICs.
A real problem they had in WWII was the guys wanting to avoid the Army and Marines, as you know, a common wartime issue.
Get real yourself. And bother to read the post you replied to. I already explained why the draft changed from WWII through to Viet Nam and why it would only be worse now. Draft people into an unpopular war that’s run by “this rotten government” and nothing good will come of it.
I deeply and intensely opposed the draft, fought it, got my permanent deferment, and then enlisted in the Army as I had wanted to all along, being in the Army led me to see the draft differently, I came to understand it better.
Careful. Hidden behind those numbers is that millions of young men volunteered before they were drafted, which was the intent of issuing individuals a draft number months before they were to be drafted.
Yes, the hardcore would love to get their hands on the vast pool of young men and able to choose from among them by having them checked out with school and arrest records, medical examinations, intelligence tests, and psychological evaluations.
There was always one who thought he was cagier than the LT (me). That soldier would come back six months later, to tell his buddies that "the LT was right."
The discipline in my platoon(s) was actually handled by my NCOs, many who had at least one tour in Vietnam. I was only brought in at the last moment.
Uh huh, I wonder what the tens of thousands of draftees who died fighting for this country would say to your comments if they could respond. They'd likely spit in your face.
That’s right.
I remember a story about an Air Corp tail gunner arguing with a gunner on a Sherman. They each swore the other had an easier, less dangerous job. Lol
They ended up getting drunk together.
You just described a VOLUNTEER army. The draft doesn’t do any of that.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.