Conscription and United States Essay

Submitted By dlaxer10
Words: 1439
Pages: 6
Open Document
Conscription
Today the United States is a volunteer military, with the requirement that every able-bodied male who reaches the age of eighteen sign up for a draft. Although the draft has not been used since Vietnam, men must sign just in case the need for a great number of Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, and Airman is needed. There are a large number of countries that do have Conscription (mandatory military service). Each country has different requirements for the length and the positions to be served. Many people make the point that conscription would not keep us from getting in to conflicts over seas, and it would increase the cost spent on military training and arming of all the new service members, further putting us in a defect position. At the same time, The American academic and foreign policy realist, Stephen Walt, made a good point that calling for a return to conscription might sound like a silly right-wing trope, but it makes sense from an anti-war perspective. “We might be less eager to send our soldiers to fight and die in distant conflicts if there were the slightest possibility that we might have to go, too.” Reinstating conscription might make congress and the countries leaders rethink sending our men and women overseas to fight in a conflict if every American citizen had to provide time in service. In addition, it would build a sense of nationalism it seems our country has lost in comparison to years past.
Although today, America as an all-volunteer army, found there were times conscription had to be mandatory. The first time the United States installed the draft was in 1792. The young United States required mandatory militia service for every white male from 18-45 years of age. The draft was used five times in five large conflicts consisting of: the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, and again during the Vietnam War. Between 1861 and 1973, 16,464,000 were conscripted into military service. Unlike past confrontations there is not a surplus of people enlisting in the military, putting more pressure on existing resources. Until the prolonged confrontations in both Iraq and Afghanistan the army met its annual recruiting goals. However, since then, the number of people enlisting and or re-enlisting has decreased.
The 20th century saw the largest conscription numbers in the world’s militaries. In World War I, the German Emperor conscripted 3.4 million men to fight in the trenches while Russia drafted 15 million soldiers for its army. Conscription also sustained the armies of both Allied and Axis powers during World War II. Not only did this time period have a high rate in the number of draftees, it also had one of the highest rates of volunteers because of the nationalism and pride the young draftees showed for their countries. I firmly believe it would happen once again if conscription were re-instated.
There are still a lot of countries that have conscription. These countries are: Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Bermuda, Brazil, Burma (Myanmar), Colombia, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Greece, Iran, Israel, South Korea, Mexico, Norway, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan (ROC), Turkey, and Ukraine. The majority of these countries are ones in conflicts or always under threat of conflict from other warring states. For example, Israel has had a conscript military since May 26, 1948 by order of Defense Minister David Ben-Gurion. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was set up as a conscript army formed out of the paramilitary group Haganah. The IDF differs from the majority of military forces throughout the world. The difference is not only that it is a conscript army, but they also conscript the women for military serves. Israel is the only country that conscripts women and assigns them combat positions alongside the men. Men must serve for three years at minimum, while the women serve only two years. This also depends on the job. If the woman has a combat or tech job they often
Show More

Related Documents: Conscription and United States Essay

Conscription in the United States and New York Times Essay

Department has concluded that it would cost the United States more than $1 billion a year to return to military conscription while maintaining a force as qualified and effective as that of today. The consultants, Syllogistics, whose headquarters are in Virginia, said the cost of training soldiers and sailors who would serve for only two years after being drafted would be much greater than training volunteers who serve for four or more years. Under conscription, the report said, the cost of getting people…

Words 390 - Pages 2

Conscription In The Vietnam War

where the United States, Australia and other countries later intervene. To increase their dedication to the war effort, Australia increased their soldier count by conscription. The Australian conscription was similar to other drafts around the world but received…

Words 1057 - Pages 5

Conscription In The First World War

army, conscription was introduced. Although many Canadians were opposed to the idea of forced military service also known as conscription, Prime Minister Robert Borden had no other choice but to implement it. The British Prime Minister convinced Prime Minister Borden that the war had to be won at any cost and that Victory would require more troops. Sir Borden went against his word and made a Military Service Act that made enlistment mandatory. Although I do not like the fact of conscription in general…

Words 939 - Pages 4

Mandatory Military Conscription Research Paper

Should the United States have mandatory military conscription? In 1863, Congress enacted Conscription in the United States with the passing of the Civil War Military Draft Act. From 1940 until 1973, every male or immigrant who filed for citizenship between the age of twenty and forty-five was to enlist in the armed services to fill vacancies. I feel that this was wrong and unnecessary now; it should be the sense of patriotism and commitment towards our country that should be the reason behind enlisting…

Words 392 - Pages 2

English Rough Draft Essay

Military conscription is the recruiting of individuals into the army. It dates all the way back to 1861. There was a system called The Selective Service System, which was created in 1940 to recruit troops into the Armed Forces in time of need. Men were required to register with the service when they turned 18. Those who did not register would either be fined up to $250,000, be put in prison, or both. After the Selective Service Act ended in 1973, there has been much controversy about whethe…

Words 1541 - Pages 7

Supreme Court Case Brief: Schenck V. United States

Schenck v. United States Case Brief CITATION Schenck v. United States, 249 US 47 (1919) PARTIES Petitioner: Charles Schenck and Elizabeth Baer Defendant: United States FACTS Petitioners, male and female socialist executives, violated the Section 3 of the Espionage Act of June 15, 1917 which carries a six-month imprisonment sentence by the Federal government. PRIOR PROCEEDINGS The petitioners were found guilty of Section 3 of the Espionage Act of June 15, 1917 by the United States District Court…

Words 527 - Pages 3

The Us Draft Essays

While the United States Constitution does not officially mention the word 'Draft” or even an older term with the same meaning “Conscription.” Congress has the right to institute a draft if the need arises. The draft is administered by the US Selective Service System. In the event that there is not enough volunteers to staff the military, the draft can be re-instated. My views on the draft are ones of disagreement. Military service should be left up to each citizen, and it is unconstitutional for…

Words 561 - Pages 3

Vimy Ridge Essay

consider use of conscription to ensure sufficient troops going forward. “The federal government decided in 1917 to conscript young men for overseas military service. Voluntary recruitment was failing to maintain troop numbers, and Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden believed in the military value, and potential post-war influence, of a strong Canadian contribution to the war.”1 To the point of conscription, far fewer French Canadians had voluntarily enlisted themselves in war. Conscription meant that English…

Words 1241 - Pages 5

Crawford Middle Ground Essay

Freeland English 102 29 March 2012 Bring Back the Draft The United States Armed Forces is downsizing due to budget constraints. This opens the question of should we have a mandatory military service in our country or except the cost and leave the military alone? Since the beginning of the Global War on Terrorism, there has been much debate over whether or not America should institute a mandatory military service requirement for all United States residents and citizens. Mandatory military service will…

Words 1568 - Pages 7

Military Draft Essay

During WWII, 66% of American armed forces members were drafted, while in the Vietnam War, draftees accounted for 30.4% (17,725) of combat deaths. Furthermore, the U.S. has been, almost since its beginning, a military powerhouse. In the past, the United States Army services have used different methods for acquiring more people to serve in the military. One of them is the draft, a system which selects men into obligatory military service. Fortunately, the government does not currently have a draft policy…

Words 777 - Pages 4