No Military Draft Needed

No Military Draft Needed

When Congress and the President, rerpresenting the American people resolved the volunteer armed forces - they returned to a good long-standing tradition in the United States. In its history - the United States has mainly drafted in preparation for or when placed at total war. The volunteer armed forces - which the UK also sustains in peace time, has its costs. It talent is harder to acquire and must be brought in by offers and advertising of military careers and training and so on. Thus its expense - though not lavish -is greater than a conscription service. Volunteer armed forces pay their enlistees more; offer more re-enlistment bonuses to retain; and are limited in size. When conscription is chosen - it must be wholly applied to the broadest possible population range without excessive exception - as the Nixon Administration did in adjusting the conscription draft with a full ranging lottery. That lottery broadened conscription liability beyond simply the poor and minorities who could not afford middle class university education or speciality employment. The volunteer armed forces have its critics - it is a military class with professionalism - however it is civicly dedicated and conformed - but with a more professional military point of view than a politics-sensitive conscriptive armed force That factor has been pondered in public choices to use it - referencing both its costs and the greater voter sensitivity of the casualties. The volunteer armed force is also seen as a limitation of the American President's resources in military applications. And on the conscription argument point - a draft to the Army, and Marines - mainly for the infantry does drive potential and good talent which may be drafted, into voluntary enlistment preference to the other branches or military speciality enlistment. Hence this blogger's preference is no draft; save in full wartime. Let the citizen-armed force of paid volunteers continue the standard and proud American tradition. During the Vietnam War, this blogger registered for the Drafte at 18, received a II-S student deferment while in college; pulled an '82' in the drafte lottery -hence a likely draftee; and was drafted upon university graduation at age 21. However this blogger failed the military physical and was deferred as a I-Y (only in full war time) due to an infancy joint infrmity. The US Army Surgeon-General by Army regulation changed the physical infirmity deferrment to IV-F (4-F). This blogger's draft card was never burned but was lost in a wallet robbery in 1988 and never been re-covered. As the son of a regular commissioned officer of the US Armed Forces; he could have attended a US Service Academy (a regular officer's son or daughter, when academically qualified for admission, may attend a national military or naval academy without congressional nomination) or enlisted. Only a lie, a crime, would have lawfully matriculated him in the armed forces - or a Teddy Roosevelt-like (also physically unfit - asthma) private volunteer. This blogger is Scott M. Connolly of West Springfield, Massachusetts -scottmcon.