“Beyond Afghanistan, military intervention by the United States might become necessary elsewhere as a last resort against particularly dangerous states or organizations,” they write. “But our all-volunteer forces are too small in terms of ‘boots on the ground,’ as well as lacking in the educational, cultural, linguistic, and technical skills needed for hi-tech/unconventional operations in foreign lands. Moreover, because of the stresses of Afghanistan and Iraq, it may become increasingly difficult to maintain the quality of our ground forces.”

 

The kind of draft envisioned by Hauser and Slater would involve all young men and women. Essentially, each person would get to choose between compulsory military or non-military service. If someone selects the armed services, they also would have the opportunity to decide between combat and non-combat units.

 

For those opting out of the military, their choices would be between programs like the Peace Corps or the Corporation for National and Community Service’s AmeriCorps. Individuals as well as the entire country would benefit from this kind of mandatory experience.

 

“Moreover, collective experience through universal national service would nurture good citizenship, social cohesion, and a sense of civic responsibility, providing our youth—and future leaders—with a formative civic experience.”

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Bring Back the Draft: A Call for Universal National Service (by William L. Hauser and Jerome Slater, Huffington Post)