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The Pros And Cons Of Military Conscription

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Conscription is the process, by which a government makes military service obligatory for citizens in a certain age group. Many studies that have been conducted are against this policy as it can be detrimental to a nation’s economic growth and security. More specifically, if implemented in the United States of America, conscription would result in a less lethal military, by producing discontent among its citizens, mediocre performance in the military, and a downward spiral of its economy. The idea of being told to be a soldier against ones will would undoubtedly cause a feeling of resentment towards the American government. In this day and age, where war is just around the corner, one could even say it goes against their rights and directly contradicts the U.S. Constitution. The sense that one is being sent to their death by the government will not bode well with American citizens. Furthermore, the parents of those that …show more content…

“Relative to an economy with an all‐volunteer force, output levels and growth rates are expected to be lower in countries that rely on military draft to recruit their army”. Furthermore, “military conscription indeed has a statistically significant negative impact on economic performance”. (Keller et al.) By the parameters set by a conscription policy, many of the younger workforce would be forced to leave their civilian jobs producing a loss in employment and productivity levels. The age group of conscription would be in the point of life of many Americans, where one would be entering the job market or pursuing a higher education. By ripping one out of civilian life, this would greatly decrease their odds of success post conscription requirements, and ultimately their future earnings. This policy would set those conscripted back in educational goals and would limit their marketability when it comes to a successful civilian

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As the war rolled on, people became less enthusiastic to fight. The army created drafts requiring people enlist for war. At first, the drafts required men between the ages of 18 and 35, but as the end became unclear for both sides, the age pool was changed to men ages 17 to 50. The federal government established the Draft Act of 1863.

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If the military draft was reinstated in the United States, it would give more responsibility to the citizens of this country. Americans have proven to very lazy, especially in recent years. Nobody is willing to do their part, even having been given complete freedom in their lives. Although we as citizens pay our taxes, there are so many other things that can be done in order to pay back our country for the right to be

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Obviously, it’s unfair to just yank someone out of their home or school and throw them into a war that some of them know nothing about. However, this is about the target range and some of the protections that are not afforded by it. There is one safeguard currently. One is exempted from the mandatory draft if they are currently enrolled for college, or are in a job that the government deems more important, such as a doctor. . . Another thing is family.

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So, many saw enlistment as an opportunity for better pay, employment, education, and travel (Deadly Story, 2015). Others wanted to prove themselves as equals to those of European background (Department of Veteran's Affairs, 2023). Yet, few got the chance to fulfill their desires by reason of the legislation in force. The legislation exempted “persons who [were] not substantially of European origin or descent” (Defence Act 1910, 1910) from military service. Men and women deemed insufficiently European could not serve.

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From the beginning of the United States’ history, conflict has always been prevalent. The need for armed forces continually grows, especially in times of war, as the fight for freedom becomes more challenging. Conscription, better known as the draft, was first introduced during the Civil War as a way to get more individuals involved in the military to fill vacant positions. The practice of the draft was finally discontinued in favor of an all-volunteer military system, when the need for troops was no longer necessary. After almost two decades of being involved overseas, the demand for armed troops is imperative once again.

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While some were patriotic and wanted to help to fight for their country, others thought it was a waste of lives and that war was stupid. Among the people who went to war, many of them fought and returned home. Some strongly believed that conscription was needed in order to maintain full strength on the battlefields. One of the main reason that triggered conscription was that

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Conscription was first implemented in the United States during the American Civil War in 1863 (“Northern Draft of 1863”). It was common for wealthy men to pay for substitutes to take their place during this time. Support for the new law was very rare in the North during this time, and it created the “Civil War Draft Riots” (Harris, “The New York City Draft Riots of 1863”) . The draft would not return for over half a century. In 1917, the US army had just over 100,000 troops.

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Throughout history, countries are inevitably pulled into conflicts that result in war. These conflicts usually occur because of interests in: economic gain, territorial gain, religion, and nationalism. America, like every country, needs a military to defend itself, especially when tensions arise in other parts of the world and when militia numbers start to decrease. This then allows the government to draft its population to serve in the military. People argue that young men and women’s bright lives are often cut short, and not allowed their Constitutional right to “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”, but there are many benefits for the nation and the individual by serving one’s country.

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It well safeguards the position of the capitalist American society and the American civilization and further points out on them to be unable to be educated and be aware of their own society. 7) What could be improved on? By bringing the other side of the coin into the picture the draft can be improved and a conclusion can be drawn, Also, putting up empirical evidence and research work can strengthen the claim in the draft.

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“The Draft,” as it is commonly referred to, was enacted in September of 1940. Even though the United States was not yet involved in World War II when the act was passed, President Roosevelt regarded it as a vital method of training American men for military service. By 1940, tensions between the United States and Germany were rising as the Nazis had invaded numerous European countries and the news of concentration camps was spreading. Throughout July of 1940, England was the next country to face Nazi aggression, as they faced attacks from the German airforce and navy. With fears that America would be the next country to face a German invasion, Roosevelt signed into law the Selective Training and Service Act, also proclaiming, “America stands

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In David Barno’s , “A New Moral Compact,” he stresses about our countries current military situation, which is all-volunteer. Barno has also served time in the military himself as a lieutenant general. He claims that the countries current dependence on the all-volunteer military, allows us to rush into war without thinking about the consequences first. Barno proposes the idea, “that every use of military force over 60 days would automatically trigger an annual draft lottery to call up 10,000 men and women” (p.20).This solution is useful but it is not useful enough because it targets sympathy from the people while he needs to target the president because the president can initiate a war without consent of the people or Congress.

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Presidential Doctrine Definition A presidential doctrine in the United States of America can be defined as the sole policy the government uses to determine the exercise of its powers with regards to foreign relations (Fisher, 2007). The presidential doctrine simply involves the powers exercised by the executive branch of the government and cannot be constrained by the legislature and judiciary. The president comes up with the direction that he or she wants to shape foreign relations. This was especially evident during the Cold War.

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1110 Words | 5 Pages

Conscription, also known as drafting, is a law that the government made for people to go to war. This law stated that anyone who was old enough and was able to fight in the war had to go, whether they wanted to go or not. People thought conscription was very beneficial, I on the other hand disagree. Personally, I do not think conscription is a good idea. It is unfair to force people to go to war, by forcing men to enlist in the army, the army force will not be as strong as it could be, and if conscription occurs, there’s an emotional toll to fighting.

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1998 Words | 8 Pages

Previous conscription implementations have been proved to be devastating to its nations. The economy depends on the workers and cannot possibly be maintained if many of said workers are drafted into the military. Civil liberties must always be prioritized over national security in the United States because that is what the nation was built upon. Lastly with all the other alternatives present there is no need for a military conscription to occur. Overall a mandatory military conscription in the United States clearly should not be an event in that arises in the foreseeable future due to previous conscription efforts, possible economic effects, the infringement of civil liberties, and other

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1043 Words | 5 Pages

The United States should call for mandatory military service to ensure the freedom and liberty for the children of tomorrow. A lot of people do not know the United States has called for mandatory military service before, just with a different name, the draft. The draft has been “employed by the federal government of the United States in four conflicts: the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam war. “This makes five different occasions when Americans were drafted for a total of 16.5 million people” ( Random Fact of The Day 1). 16.5 million people were drafted and under 1.25 million died in these wars, which is about a 7.6% death rate.

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