Misguided Ideas About Mandatory Service

For post 9-11 veterans, the idea of a draft seems dated and weighed down with baggage from past eras. However, there are still advocates for mandatory service. Not surprisingly, only a few of them have served in uniform. T.S Allen, a former Marine lieutenant, takes aim at draft advocates who see mandatory service as a simple and all encompassing solution to future security, and even some social problems in the United States. Too much ground to cover? Escalating conflicts? Manpower issues? Draft. Lack of investment in community and sense of camaraderie between Americans? Draft. Financial woes? Draft.

Allen takes these all in turn, drawing attention to the difference between professionally trained volunteer service members compared to conscripted ones. Though those in favor of the draft are few in number, as the wars of the last decade fade from the spotlight, it is imperative that this argument remain in the foreground and not settled quietly somewhere out of sight.