What do you thing would happen of the US military drafted?

If Bush drafted, he would be the last republican to see the inside of the oval office for a while.


He already is

 

Bush can't draft as he is the president. Only Congress can authorized the draft.

 

Well,how can you guys leave me out of the picture when talking about drafts?!i am a living example of a draft that has involved generations of my people...haha...
Contrary to what you believe,drafting wouldn't really lower the standards of the army...In fact,given the proper trainnign and time,normal civilians can become a more than adequate fighting force.

To Tom:See also-SAF,Singapore

But having spent time now in the service..it really ids a job for the most passionate...."he who endures,conquers"

 

As do I. I was merely pointing out that the problem isn't with quality but with compulsion. A free man should not be compelled to fight for his country though he might rightfully lose some priviliges granted by that country if he makes that choice.

 

Well free men can't remain free if he refuses to fight.....at least not when another flag flies high in his country...

 

I agree but the choice should be his, otherwise his freedom is just an illusion. Freedom should not be revocable by the state.

 

But then,the freedom of his country would be compromised by his freedom to choose.Freedom can sometimes be quite vexing

 

True, but that is one of the risks you take. Which is worse; being enslaved by an invader or being a slave to the state? I find them equally repugnant.
If I don't value my freedom enough to fight for it then I risk losing it however I cannot compel(and enslave) others to fight for what I believe.

 

That is altogether true...But isn't the greater freedom better?IT is this freedom that gives u the ability to choose anyway

 

Bar something really, really bad happening the current American government is not going to authorise a draft. To do so would be an act of political suicide. The last American experience of the draft was of course Vietnam, which I think a large proportion of Americans have this and everything related mentally filed under the heading ‘A BAD THING’*.

It doesn’t help that the current American president’s own service record has been subject to doubt**, which in turn erodes his creditability to make such a request of others.

Finally there is the increasingly technical nature of the military. You aren’t going to turn conscripts into fighter pilots or, odds are, tank commanders. Really the only front line place you can use them is infantry. Or to put another way, the guys most likely to get killed…










* Please bear in mind that my viewpoint is from the far side of the Atlantic so I might be talking out of my posterior

** Not wanting to get into that but it is worth mentioning

 

The US used the draft up to 1975. Not all the men drafted went to war. Many went to Korea, Germany, and state side assignments. You could also be drafted into the Navy, USAF, and USMC.

The draft also fills positions that nobody likes to enlist for such as mortuary jobs.

 

Well,that is so untrue...Conscripts can also be used as fighter pilots and tank commanders.In fact,the singapore's equivalent of green berets or commandos are mostly conscripts.

 

Okay adjustment. You can turn conscripts into whatever if your prepared to spend the money and more importantly take the time. In war time tends to become a luxury.

 

If you need a war to start preparing,you deserve to lose the war

 

Listen to this guy (Kaiser); conscripted, a medical corporal in the navy, and still has plenty of time to argue over a subject not even involving his country. Whatever happened to swabbing the deck on sailors' lunch breaks?

 

Well, Zhukov,u had me tickled with that one...i'm not technically a sailor's sailor.Most of the time,i'm on land and not under any ship's strength.However,i am one of the 50 something underwater medics that covers the entire navy.Oh,and another thing...was that sarcasm?!hahaha

 

It all depends. Singapore, as you have enlightened me, is under constant threat of its larger and envious neighbour, Malaysia. For countries that do not have such a threat looming at the horizon, is it really realistic to consider conscription as the only alternative to enslavement?

 

I like you kaiser. You seem to have a dry sense of humor and are witty.
Is English your first or second language? I ask because you handle the subtle nuances well.

 

ah Grieg.Well,English is my first language and Chinese my mother tongue if that's what your asking.As for my national language...i speak a smattering not that knowing it will give you any advantage in jobseeking. Well,most singaporeans can handle English quite well if you ask me.

Haha,zhukov was well,being zhukov.

Anyway Roel,it's all good if conscription's called off,no one likes holding a rifle when they have to maintain it themselves or get charged.It just somehow made me flustered to think that conscripts are being regarded as second rate troops

 

Drafting only works if there is a need for it, otherwise it just reduces morale of the army overall because it will get filled with resentful people who did not want to be in the army in the first place.