[snoringbear]

Aging - has always been a risk of an all volunteer army. While I do agree that today’s military is the best we have ever fielded, there’s a downside to it. The downside being that very few Americans have any skin in the game. This has led to an elitist mentality of a good part of our population who believes that the serving and fighting should be left for others. Personally, I’m for reactivating the draft, with so exemptions or deferments except for physical or mental problems. Yes, this means no national defense deferments for working for defense contractors, nor for being cops, teachers, peace corp, college, senate/congressional aides, etc. when ones number comes up one serves. We could use the additional bodies to militarize the border as one action. And, being this war on terror will be multigenerational, our military forces will require beefing up across the board. It’s all about skin - skin in the game, skin, skin, skin.........

[trebb]

When I was in Italy, I learned about their conscription process - all able bodied males have to serve two years. Those conscripted get very low pay and most do the time and leave. The 'real" military is comprised of those who decide to stay longer and/or make it a career.

There are pluses and minuses to the system - they get cheap labor for simpler tasks and don't waste training resources on those who will not stay. They also have a bunch of untrained folks at any given time who could potentially drop the ball if called in for some serious support.

[PeteB570]

I am not in favor of starting up the draft again. It is involuntary service.

Almost all of the draftee’s will serve well, do they duty and get out when their time is up.

But a number will be dragged kicking and screaming into service and become every First Sergeant’s nightmare taking up far too much of the unit’s time and energy.

Also the service time will have to be short to remain politically palatable to the American population. It was two years the last time and I would assume it would be similar if reinstituted.

Special Forces training is two years long from street to graduation.

Is the training worth the amount of service you’ll get out of the trainee after AIT.

The Military does not need everyone to reenlist - but they do need to get some bang for the buck out of their troops who only do one tour and out.

And bringing back the draft is the left’s dream. Think of all those college protests being brough back.