Continuities In Military

“I think we ought to have a draft. I think if a nation goes to war, it shouldn't be represented by a professional force because it gets to be unrepresentative of the population . . . .” (Fayette, par. 2). Those are the words of General Stanley McChrystal, the former senior commander of international forces in Afghanistan, speaking of his stance on whether the United States should bring back the draft. The American public has become disconnected from the military. The time has come to do something about this; it is time to reinstate the draft. There are three reasons why the draft should be reinstated. The costs of military personnel have soared in recent years, it would make elected officials think twice before sending troops overseas since there will be a larger pool of draftees it would create a melting pot of backgrounds. Although there are those who condemn the draft, they miss the point entirely. Without question, the draft should be reinstated immediately.

When draftees are tested only eighty percent score average or above average while 99 percent of volunteers scored average or above on the standardized military test (Jehn, 2). Recruits score higher on enlistment tests when an all-volunteer force is used. Also, not all people have the personality it takes to serve in the military. Some people are meant to do other jobs like and teaching and farming. The US will also have a shortage of expertise if a draft is put into place. When an all-volunteer military is in place, the military is able to obtain workers that specialize in specific areas such as medicine and military strategists. With a drafted force, soldiers come to the base, the soldiers are trained, the soldiers fight, and then they are honorably discharged. While an all-volunteer force is in place, soldiers must stay for the required time they need to serve due to requirements of that branch of the military. While soldiers are serving this period of time, they are able to specialize in a field. The US should have an all-volunteer military because people that are volunteering have a better knowledge than a draftee that has never considered the military. Previous studies show that volunteer soldiers out perform drafted

The draft started on April 16, 1862 for the Confederate States during the Civil War. The Union then conducted their own draft on March 3, 1863. The Northern 1862 draft was an attempt to let states handle their own conscriptions, instead of the old volunteer militia. The next draft took place on September 16, 1940 for World War I and remained in effect continuously until 1973. The president, Woodrow Wilson, decided that “A draft was needed and nearly 3,000,000 soldiers were drafted following the Service Act of 1917.” (Understanding the U.S. Military Draft History 1). The reasoning behind President Wilson calling for the draft is because “Before the draft only 73,000 soldiers volunteered during the first 6 weeks of World War I” (Understanding the U.S. Military Draft History 1). Before July of 1973 “The draft was in effect continuously from 1940 to 1973” (Smith 1). This means that more than 10,000,000 men were drafted and sent off into battle throughout the past wars.

The Military Draft has been a major part in United States history. The draft has been used in four different conflicts in the United States of America. It was used in Both world wars, the Civil war, and the Cold war. It might have been effective during these times, but it also causes great corruption and sacrifice. It caused families to lose their sons and friends. Many people lied about their age to join the war, and they were too young and didn’t understand the consequences of war. War is never a good thing to be in, in any circumstance. It this paper I will give you reasons why we don’t need a United States draft. As Americans we have to be thankful that we have a strong and productive Military, so we can have our freedom and safety in times of need.

Mentioned by Jessie Kindig in Draft Resistance in the Vietnam Era, “draft evasion and draft resistance reached a historic peak, nearly crippling the Selective Service System.”(Kindig 2008). Of course those who ended up being selected for service were predominantly poor minorities. The rich could afford to go to college thus excusing them from service. Consequentially any deferment was much easier to get if you could afford to attempt to, and if you were Caucasian. It was clear to see that the draft boards were corrupt. According Bacevich the executive director of the Foreign Policy Institute at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C in his article “Who will serve?” describes,

In contrast to legal conscientious objectors, there were men who did not apply for the draft illegally and they were called draft dodgers. Draft dodgers are men that avoid registering for the military draft illegally but also unnoticeably. Men avoided the draft by faking mental illness, being married, having children, attending college, being homosexual, having physical ailments, fleeing the country and also changing to an Islamic religion. If a man had any of the requisites then they were offered a deferment from war. The majority of draft dodgers belonged to wealthy and well-educated families (Vietnam War

For the vast majority of our nation’s history, the United States has had an all volunteer military. During our nations over two hundred and thirty seven years, only about thirty five, most of which in the 20th century, was conscription or a “draft” was in effect. The United States, up until the Civil War, rarely kept nor desired a standing Army. Relying on individual state militia’s,

In a 2015 article, “Is U.S. military becoming outdated?” written by Stuart Bradin, Keenan Yoho, and Meaghan Keeler-Pettigrew, the authors argued that despite the U.S. military maintaining a position of global dominance “without peer” during conventional operations, it is not the ideal force against current and future threats. The authors claim that there are several negative factors arising due to the past sixteen years of war against several state and non-state elements, inferior cultural differences of government bureaucracy compared to commercial firms, and a misallocation of defense spending that leaves the US military waging war inefficiently while simultaneously losing technological dominance against current and future threats.

The United States is a land that was created through war. To end a war we must have a solid army to defend the things we want to achieve. Whether its freedom from our fathering country’s or to show the power we have. Understanding how we have come to be from wars like the French and Indian war that sparked the beginning of the American revolution and the military culture and how the experience and significance of our country’s soldiers and militia men compared and brings us to our American military culture and the value’s of American thought, culture, and society. We would not have things like “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”, if it wasn’t for our great nations military force. A time period ranging from about 1755 to 1861 America has dealt with many trials and stipulations that

A nation as a whole is only as strong as its military. It has been stated that, “in order to defend themselves from external threats, nations assemble militaries that are tasked with preserving national security”(Military Draft 1). The method chosen by United States to assemble a military force has been the subject of ethical debates since the introduction of the military draft in 1861, during the Civil War. Dictionary.com defines ethical as something, “being in accordance with the rules or standards for right conduct or practice”(1). A thorough investigation finds that there are three major ethical dilemmas that are often debated pertaining to the military draft. These dilemmas include the draft’s effect on civic pride, the disproportionate number of minorities, and the strength of the military.

In recent years the government has been using the Volunteer System for the military, but the Draft is a far better option because it will actually lead to an end result in the war. When the United States decided to declare their freedom from Great Britain in 1776 they had used a militia service for fighting the Revolutionary War. But, When the United States officially became their own recognized nation in 1783, they needed to start building an official military. At that time they started using Conscription, or as it is more commonly known, a drafting system. This drafting system was used in every single war since then up until the near end of the Vietnam War in in 1973. With that in mind, the draft is something that should be reimplemented because the United States has never lost a war that only used the draft, the draft was effective at allowing the United States of America to win the war, and the All Volunteer Service has not been able to bring about the same winning results as the draft had done.

The United States of America has always been a country based on the protection of its citizens’ freedom. Due to this long-held principle, which comprises the country’s core values, the concept of universal national service (more commonly known as the draft) is quite controversial. Advocates for the draft argue that the drafting of eligible Americans is necessary to preserve a strong military that is capable of protecting the U.S. from possible attacks, as well as instilling a sense of national pride in its youth. While the draft could potentially strengthen the military in theory, the draft could also be quite counterintuitive in reality. Furthermore, the U.S. Draft, in some ways, could be infringing on citizens’ human rights

While African Americans were allowed in the armed forces they still faced racism, and some thought that the draft laws were favoring middle and upper class whites. Although the draft laws were not intended to be racist, they made it significantly harder for blacks to be exempt from service. For example, “…eligible men from the middle and upper class could normally find ways of avoiding service, or at least service in Vietnam, meaning the burden of the draft fell on working class whites and minorities. Consequently, African Americans were drafted in disproportionately higher numbers than were whites” (Hall 150). However, after their enlistments were up, more than two thirds of eligible African Americans chose to re-enlist while only around 12 percent of whites chose to remain in the armed forces. Yet, as much as blacks reenlisted in the military, many thought that they were the last to receive promotions. Lionel Anderson wrote to the Black Panther, “Black people are the last to be promoted, as far as rank goes” (Hall 159). In reality, the number of blacks in the officer corps in Vietnam was small, only about 5 percent. Yet, the Vietnam War offered African Americans opportunities they had never had before and used them to change the military in a way not done previously.

The desire to join military service during the American Civil War was fueled by many different things.Very few who enlisted had previous military experience. The majority of Union soldiers were made up of farmers, shopkeepers and artisans, while the Confederate army was mostly composed of “non-slave owning small farmers, with slaveowners dominating the officer corps” (Foner 506). One of the things that motivated men to volunteer for service was the overwhelming sense of

Throughout human history, war has permeated the lives of billions of people. From early conflicts such as conquests to control vast swaths of land by Alexander the Great and Cyrus the Great to modern, global wars such as the World Wars, the concept of war has been at the forefront of humanity’s mind for centuries. However, in recent years, opposition to war and lack of participation in the military has become a common theme in many countries, including the United States. To help alleviate the troubles caused by lack of participation, the United States instituted a law allowing for the conscription of its citizens. Conscription, which can also be referred to as a draft, is defined as the compulsory drafting of citizens into military service (What). The Draft has been utilized throughout US History in a couple of prominent wars; however, opposition has manifested against the Vietnam War and the draft, rightfully stemming from ethical opposition to the war and hatred for what the war and the draft stood for.