It would indeed. And what about EVERYONE who signed DEP if not under 18 and still in high school, just taking them right away.

Yes, I know of a few people who are on waiting lists for Air Force, but hasn't that been going on even before OIF, but not to this extent? But I do agree with you that it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why AF is 'overstocked' as it were, and the NG is having problems meeting their 'quotas'..

There was a tv story on the news about that here in OK a couple of days ago. This state is 300 people under what they need this year..they are hitting the high schools and even colleges in droves. They did interview this recruiter who actually came right out and said "I'll tell anyone who walks through this door right off the bat, if you can't handle the idea that you might be activated, then you have no business signing up to serve your country." Kudos to him!

There is all this talk about 'realignment' and restructuring, blue to green, etc.

I got this uncomfortable queasy feeling in my gut that politics is driving military decision-making in terms of staffing issues and the tough decisions are not being made by people who are really familiar with war-time military ops.

When it comes down to it, you are one guy with a weapon against another guy with a weapon and the guy who wins is the one who wants to live another day.

All this fancy vocabulary about avoiding military obligations, and mil ops is cute and it works at the War College. When the ^&* hits the fan, all that is irrelevant.

How about staffing the military with citizen-soldiers who give a ^&* about our Nation and want to get back home to live another day. Those are the people we want in the military, as you can't pay enough to make someone patriotic, with a sense of honor, duty and country.

When the draft is supported by the majority of the folks already wearing the uniform, and by the folks NOT wearing a uniform who are of draft-age AT THIS TIME, I'll consider it...

Any other arguement for a draft is academic, at best...

quote:

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Originally posted by DragonSoldier:
When the draft is supported by the majority of the folks already wearing the uniform, and by the folks NOT wearing a uniform who are of draft-age AT THIS TIME, I'll consider it...

Any other arguement for a draft is academic, at best...

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That's like dieing for the woman you love. You don't die for her, you kill for her.

Well Thud...I look at it like this: If you aren't draftable or already serving, your opinion on a draft is kind of like dry-humping...

It might feel good, but it doesn't mean anything..

Well yeah, I see your point. Except the people who will make that decision aren't draftable and already serving.

Politicians, y'know...

It may well come down to it that the draft is the only option available should we continue to experience multi-theater commitments.

It is a far better thing to get things underway now than it is in a rush.

FYI: The draft IS on the books, there ARE people registered and the draft boards ARE in operation, in fact they are adding staff.

So it would seem that it is likely more imminent than most people suppose.

Because after all is said and done, what are the other options? Blue to Green seems to pretty much be a failure with only a handful of "Blues" wanting to be "Greens".

Realignment is your basic rob Peter to pay Paul scheme and that is an illusion at best. A small, professional military is great for ops like Grenada and Panama or even for a blizkrieg like invasion of a country.

But what about further commitments? We are now the world cop, the real, sho' nuff UN. The world is unpredictable and new actors enter the stage changing the weight and balance.

It is plain enough for all but those who refuse to admit the emporer is naked that we don't have enough people in either theatre right now.

Despite what some believe, it's not a question of if but when.

I would like to see a National Service requirement for all. It would be Para Military. Everyone go through a "BOOT CAMP" of sorts.
However another side of my thought process tells me that the jails and Canada would have trouble with the explosion in population. No One seems to want to migrate to Mexico, not from the Northern hemisphere.

quote:

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Originally posted by Retired:
I would like to see a National Service requirement for all. It would be Para Military. Everyone go through a "BOOT CAMP" of sorts.
However another side of my thought process tells me that the jails and Canada would have trouble with the explosion in population. No One seems to want to migrate to Mexico, not from the Northern hemisphere.

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Well, maybe maybe not. I favor National service too except I would have the military as one aspect of it. But at the age of 18 every able bodied man and woman would have to do their bit.

If all the chickens run to Canada and Norway we'd still have a large pool to choose from. Sooner the better AFAIC.

What about just taking military classes on leadership, management, followship. . .it seems to me that those are what a lot of people are lacking in this country. Those type of classes would be a great benefit to them, and therefore our country. I just don't think that forced service would fly right now.

Joe:

This is the central question now; whether there actually is enough support in the Nation; to engage in a worldwide war on terror, which apparently has yet to begin with the exception of Afghanistan.

It seems hard to believe that 3 1/2 years after 9/11, there is no public knowledge of a war on terrorism: Which would take lots of personnel, trained, disciplined.

Instead we have switched places with the Republican guard and our great people are cops; and I don't think they should be in those roles.

coming in on this kinda late .. but to thse of you who remember me from mil.com ...
I'm against compulsary service .. either military and/or civilian corps ..
first of all .. you're gonna have lots of of folks that don't want to be there ..
then there's the problem with breaking stride for people who would rather be in college other than patroling in Iraq or cleaning vacant lots in Harlem of crack pipes and HIV laced needle ..
then there's the cost ..it would be budget ball buster ... ...
and finally ..you better have a damn good reason for going to war .. because everybody would have a vested interrst .. since everybody .. rich .poor .. male and femal .. black white and brown .. could get a draft call .. and that't one of the big things that turned out the kids afgainst the vietnam war ..
you want the troops home form Iraq .. just re-institute the draft ..
as for universal service .. no way ..
I met Bob Heinlein serveral years ago ..at a science fiction club meeting ... we talked of Starship Troopers .. and the citizenship issue .. he smiled at me and said: " Holton, It's science fiction. Not reality."

I think having a damn good reason to go to war because everyone would have a vested interest would be one of the perks. I'm for Universal Federal Service. Everybody gets to do their bit, no exceptions.

Forcing an adult to do something for their own good is completely at odds with the concept of a free society. For the good of the country? We don't need the draft right now and we're never in need of the dead weight imposed by the reluctant soldier.

An Iraqi soldier was quoted in the news last week as saying their own army would really begin to improve once their men were like the Americans; joining to serve their country and not just a paycheck.

Also, don't let recent reports of branches missing their recruiting goals fool anyone. I've talked with prior service recruiters and regular recruiters lately and they've all had such a positive response in general that they've been more selective than usual. So it seems to me that they're trying to strike a good balance of raising the standards even higher than before while not being too picky. If they simply wanted to fill boots and cots, the bodies are there.