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Rosie Steinbach

Mrs. Schnoor

English 1-3

29 October 2010

In 1973, as the War in Vietnam drew to a close, so too did the United States draft

of some 1.7 million men. The American public was largely against the war and the forced

enlistment of soldiers for the duration of each, and conscription was eventually curtailed

in response. Many countries worldwide continue to demand a term of military service

from citizens, and some in the United States propose we re-instate obligatory enlistment;however, such a policy is inappropriate for the United States, where conscription would

be inefficient, unnecessary and undemocratic.

Additional, unwilling forces would put a tremendous burden on United Stateseconomic and military operations. At present, some 1.4 million active-duty citizens serve

in the U.S. military, and about 200,000 new members are enlisted annually. With four

million citizens reaching the age of enlistment each year, the sheer number of newrecruits would be crippling. U.S. military expenditures totaling more than 660 billion

dollars in 2009 would snowball in the face of a standing conscription policy, and without

an overwhelming influx of tax-payer funding, conscripts could not realistically be paid,

housed, trained or outfitted for military service. Even blind to the cost of conscription,inexperienced draftees would impede able soldiers from efficiently performing military

duties. Military functions would be slowed rather than aided by massive numbers of newtroops, and countless lives lost as a result.

Many argue that because a standing militia can be considered necessary to ensure

the continued state of the union and the liberties of the people, the government is justified

in drafting citizens into this militiabut where the massive standing militia is no longernecessary, neither is the draft. Until recently, the benefits of required enlistment into the

armed forces may have offset the downfalls. However, with the rise of technology,

especially in the last half century, the focus of armed combat has moved from men to

machinery. New and highly sophisticated equipment allows one soldieror one buttonto do the job of many; increasingly, highly-trained specialists and professional soldiers

are in demand to effectively and efficiently operate this equipment. A huge influx of

inexperienced, short-term recruits would be gratuitous in an age when technology is aviable alternative.

Proponents of conscription assert that, were American youth forced to serve the

country for several years, they would gain an appreciation for American liberties and a

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sense of national unity. However, those who fully appreciate the liberties of American

citizens will recognize the injustice of forcing an averse civilian to risk his own life for

others on the battlefield. In this instance he is robbed at once of the unalienable rights toboth life and liberty. Such a transparent and resounding blow to the individual rights of

the American people has historically created social riftsprompting protests and unrest

most notably during the unpopular War in Vietnamrather than unity, and underminesthe very purpose of the military by itself compromising American freedoms.

In war-wrought times of immediate need for the protection of our country,

enlistment will no doubt resume in order to buttress the armed forces, but a standing

requirement of military service is counterproductive in all affected sectors. Could thestruggling economy even support such a policy, it would hamper current military

objectives and cause needless deaths where fewer, more specialized operatives and

technology could have prevented them.

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