persuasive essay mandatory military service

Mandatory Military Service in the United States Proposal

Introduction, main discussion, annotated bibliography, works cited.

Currently, the military service in the United States does not presuppose compulsory conscription. Nevertheless, there is still the current practice of recruiting men under the age category from 18 to 25 for the Armed Forces, which raises concerns from a human rights viewpoint. On the one hand, the recruitment procedure requires especial attention because it is put in effect in case of the threat of war.

On the other hand, the military service in the United States is based on volunteering technique. Such a contradiction creates significant problems in terms violation of human rights and most of these procedures are not supported by military and political experts.

Specific attention also requires the U.S. Selective Service System according to which the registration process excludes the volunteer-based conscription. It also highlights such moral and ethical problems as the right to conscientious objection, recruitment practice initiated by the U.S. Armed Forces, and limitation to the right to abandon the Military Service.

The history of the Armed Forces in the United States focuses on the government’s reliance on the civilians who should consider military service as their moral duty and obligation to contribute to the protection and equality in the American society.

Therefore, the United States relies on civil citizens to take part in military conflicts. Opinions and outlooks on the conscription and compulsory military services have been changed dramatically over centuries (Escott 28). Nevertheless, the historic evidence shows that the mandatory service in the United States has still flashbacks from the past.

The events of the World War II also contributed to the development of the selective service legislation and compulsory recruitment for military service. In this respect, the mandatory conscription was the only defense mechanism for the country to resist aggression during subsequent wars in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq (Johnson 1).

As a result, over 25 years, marked by military actions and the Cold War, the Selective Service System had provided the U.S. citizens with new efficient responding mechanisms to react to varied challenges that contradicted the democratic principles.

Currently, the debate over the initiative of the Selective Service System to introduce the draft is predetermined by ambivalent vision on the rights and duties of citizens. On the one hand, the awareness of the military service is explained by the necessity to ensure protection and security of the American society (Johnson 1).

Consequently, though the government has integrated selective service during peaceful time, the policy is, first of all, oriented on enriching and broadening the common concept of citizenship, as well as on understanding the democratic aspects of equality, freedom, opportunities, and privileges.

Despite the fact that the military recruitment is recognized as a voluntary action, there is still the legislature that requires men from 18 to 25 to apply for the military service (Johnson 1).

Due to the fact that the current Selective Service Act is now obsolete, the number of men who are 18-year-old has increased by almost 60 % in the second half of the twentieth century (Johnson 1). The debates on equality of the men’s duties in front of law confront the challenges of adherence to the principles of human freedom and rights.

Considering the Legal Issues of Conscription

In 1917, at the threshold of the World War I, the Supreme Court made the decision to introduce mandate military services that excluded the use of the U.S.

Constitution, particularly the 13 th Amendment revealing human rights to freedom of choice and equality. In this respect, the introduction of the draft and its impact on the civilian population until 1970s has created serious problems in terms of the recruitment strategies and obligation to military conscription.

The legality of the military reforms could be severely undermined due to the government’s negligence of civil rights during the Vietnam War. In particular, the case Holmes v. United States (1968) reveals that the government is entitled to recruit men in wartime. However, the Court also argued that much concern should be paid to the constitutionality of the conscription due to the absence of the official declaration of war.

The debates concerning the number of soldiers needed for ensuring defense system, as well as what expenses these selective service policies will endure provoke further contradictions.

In this respect, Cowen points to the numerous arguments that exclude the possibility of introducing two-fold social organization because the United States should decide whether it should remain a powerful state, or it should maintain the all-volunteer military reform (168).

History proves, however, that “military service was once the central obligation of national citizenship, but today it is disconnected from the life of work of most members of the political community” (Cowen 168). The current gap between civil and military obligations in the country has introduced a number of suggestions to reconsider the necessity for national conscription.

Therefore, the arguments against conscription take advantage over the conservative policy of the draft that lost its actuality since the introduction of neo-liberalist views on social development and democratic welfare. In fact, Cowen supports the idea that the American liberalism introduces stronger rationale for creating all-voluntary military system than the policies on mandate conscription (169).

Considering the Contradictions of the Selective Service System in the United States

An in-depth evaluation of the Selective Service reforms in the time of World War II concerning wartime strikes induces significant controversies on the policies in the United States. The debate reveals whether the draft should be restricted to the purpose of obligatory commitment to the country’s welfare and protection or it can be used as a tool for controlling nonmilitary workforce (Blum 381).

In this respect, the legal and ethical basis for developing the draft for other than main purposes is not justified because of the evident violation of civil rights (Foster 390).

According Blum, wartime strikes have triggered further contradictions related to the essential purposes of Selective Service Reforms according to which the recruitment for military purposes, but not for the purpose of controlling labor market, should not be approved (380). Though the modern conscription policies admit the conscientious objection to mandate service, there were still inadequate treatment of the U.S. citizens.

As an alternative to the Selective Service System, there is an option of conscientious objection, which implies that individual should be a conscientious objector to all wars, but not to a specific war (Blum 380). Therefore, the individual must express his/her protest against all wars; otherwise, he/she should be involved in accomplishing noncombat duties to prove his/her unanimous opinion on all wars.

Conscription Controversies at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century

Apart from the violation of the civil rights of the U.S. citizens, the intended conscription has become the controversial issue due to the rise of discriminative policy. In particular, Cowen has stressed that the military services recruited men predominantly from the middle and working classes, which comprised mostly of ethnic minorities and women (170).

Therefore, the government has reconsidered the compulsory military recruitment to have found out that labor market dynamic allows to meet ethical and legal concerns regarding individual rights and equality. Unequal recruitment of population for military service has caused serious political debates concerning the rise of a “warrior class” that was composed mostly of African American women and people of color.

Rationale for Introducing Mandate Conscription

Certainly, the mandatory military service creates a number of contradictions concerning the justice and equality of recruiting people. To begin with, the failure to introduce the draft and Selective Service policy seem to be irrational for some reasons.

The proposed perspective reveals the necessity of introducing the conscription in the United States due to the previous events, including 9/11 attacks and War in Iraq. Specifically, the U.S. government should focus on the efficient defensive mechanism to maintain the image of a power-state. However, the introduced reforms should be used for other than military services.

With regard to the above-presented arguments, it should be stressed the Selective Service System provides contradictory issues concerning the cancellation of conscription in the United States. In particular, it contradicts the principle of equality and voluntary-based recruitment for military service.

Moreover, the conscription terms also violate the constitutional rights of individuals. This is of particular concern to equality, discrimination, and freedom of choice. The U.S. government, therefore, should reconsider its policy toward middle class population to eliminate the discriminative policy.

The article introduces the main contradictions of the draft and the selective reforms during the Second World War. In particular, the author criticizes the government’s inappropriate policy toward the labor workforce and its irrelevant use of Conscription Act of 1917. The source, therefore, is relevant for the research because it introduces the major debates concerning the adequacy of the Selective Service reforms.

In the article, the author provides a wider picture on the conservative approach to treating conscription in the United States, as well as neo-liberalist trends in reshaping the terms of the military service in the United States. Therefore, the article is useful for understanding new solutions toward the reconstructing the military service and social organization.

The book refers to historical background of civil-military relations in the United States. It provides outlook on conscription at the end of nineteenth century and, therefore, it gives a better understanding of the problems related to current military debates.

The article produces an overview of conscientious objection to wartime, as well as contradictions toward Selective Service reform. Such an aspect is useful to consider in the research studies to define how it influences the debate on the mandatory military service.

The case under analysis focuses on the Court decision that undermined the constitutionality of the conscription during the Vietnam War. Such a perspective introduces a supportive argument against the mandatory military service in the United States.

The article under analysis describes the advantages and disadvantages of the Selective Service due to the equality and freedom concerns. Once again, the source can contribute significantly to the research studies because it explains how conscription constrains violate the civil and moral rights of the U.S. citizens.

Blum, Albert A. “Work or Fight: The Use of the Draft as a Manpower Sanction During The Second World War.” Industrial & Labor Relations Review , vol. 16, no. 3, 1963, pp. 366-380.

Cowen, Deborah. “Fighting for “Freedom”: The End of Conscription in the United States and Neoliberal Project of Citizenship”. Citizenship Studies , vol. 10, no. 2, 2006, pp. 167-183.

Escott, Paul. Military Necessity: Civil-Military Relations in the Confederacy. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006.

Foster, Gregory. “Selective Conscientious Objection.” Society , vol. 46, no. 5, 2009, p. 390.

Holmes v United States, 391 U.S. 936. 1968.

Johnson, Lyndon. “92 Special Message to the Congress on Selective Service. March 6, 1967.” American Reference Library – Primary Source Documents , 2001, pp. 277-288.

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IvyPanda. (2023, December 11). Mandatory Military Service in the United States. https://ivypanda.com/essays/mandatory-military-service-in-the-united-states/

"Mandatory Military Service in the United States." IvyPanda , 11 Dec. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/mandatory-military-service-in-the-united-states/.

IvyPanda . (2023) 'Mandatory Military Service in the United States'. 11 December.

IvyPanda . 2023. "Mandatory Military Service in the United States." December 11, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/mandatory-military-service-in-the-united-states/.

1. IvyPanda . "Mandatory Military Service in the United States." December 11, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/mandatory-military-service-in-the-united-states/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Mandatory Military Service in the United States." December 11, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/mandatory-military-service-in-the-united-states/.

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Essays on Mandatory Military Service

Choosing mandatory military service essay topics.

When it comes to writing an essay on mandatory military service, it's important to choose a topic that not only interests you but also has relevance and significance in the current global context. The topic you choose will determine the direction and focus of your essay, so it's crucial to select a topic that allows for in-depth research and analysis.

Importance of the Topic

The topic of mandatory military service is one that holds great importance in many countries around the world. It raises questions about national security, personal freedom, and the role of the military in society. By exploring this topic through your essay, you have the opportunity to engage in a meaningful conversation about the role of the military in society and its impact on individuals and nations as a whole.

Choosing a Topic

When choosing a topic for your mandatory military service essay, it's important to consider your own interests and expertise. Think about the aspects of mandatory military service that intrigue you the most, whether it's the ethical implications, the impact on individuals, or the broader societal and political implications. Additionally, consider the availability of credible sources and data to support your chosen topic. It's important to select a topic that allows for comprehensive research and analysis.

Recommended Essay Topics

The ethical implications of mandatory military service.

• The moral and ethical considerations of compulsory military service
• The impact of mandatory military service on individual freedom and autonomy
• The relationship between mandatory military service and human rights

Societal and Political Implications

• The role of mandatory military service in national security and defense
• The impact of compulsory military service on social and economic inequality
• The political implications of mandatory military service on government and citizenship

Personal Experiences and Perspectives

• The experiences of individuals who have gone through mandatory military service
• The impact of compulsory military service on mental health and well-being
• The perspectives of conscientious objectors and their stance on mandatory military service

Comparative Analysis

• A comparative analysis of mandatory military service in different countries
• The impact of voluntary vs. mandatory military service on national security
• The cultural and historical factors that influence attitudes towards mandatory military service

Policy and Reform

• The potential benefits and drawbacks of reforming mandatory military service policies
• The role of mandatory military service in shaping national identity and unity
• The implications of transitioning from mandatory to voluntary military service

These are just a few examples of potential essay topics related to mandatory military service. Each of these topics allows for in-depth exploration and analysis, and they offer the opportunity to engage with a wide range of perspectives and sources. Whichever topic you choose, it's important to approach it with an open mind and a willingness to consider diverse viewpoints.

By selecting a compelling and relevant topic for your mandatory military service essay, you have the opportunity to contribute to a meaningful and important conversation about the role of the military in society and its impact on individuals and nations. It's a chance to delve into a complex and multifaceted issue and to explore the ethical, societal, and political implications of mandatory military service in a thought-provoking and insightful manner.

Why The Mandatory Military Service is Important

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Is Mandatory Military Service Good for a Country?

A prescribed period of civic service may offer benefits, promoting active citizenship across the socioeconomic divide and creating strong social ties.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron wants to reinstate mandatory military service for young French citizens .

The concept initially seems surprising for the markedly modern leader. Mandatory military service is an uncomfortable thought for many, calling to mind the horrors of the American Civil War, the World Wars, and the Vietnam War, when young men were drafted against their will.

In times of peace, however, military service serves an altogether different function. Arguing for the institution of mandatory military service in the United States, governance studies scholar William Galston theorized about the negative effects of relying on an all-volunteer force, and the potential benefits of a limited prescribed period of civic service.

He writes that volunteer-based recruitment contributes to what he calls “optional citizenship—the belief that being a citizen involves rights without responsibilities and that we need do for our country only what we choose to do.” In other words, relying on a volunteer force weakens the public notion of the responsibilities inherent with citizenship, and—as an extension—a sense of duty to one’s fellow citizens. Galston notes the power of communal service to foster a sense of solidarity and country. Without it, he argues, a nation is more susceptible to internal conflict, and less resilient in the face of external threats, be they political, environmental or otherwise.

Galston is clear that his support for mandatory military service by no means reflects a support of the draft. “It is hard to see how a reasonable person could prefer that fatally flawed system to today’s arrangements,” he writes, noting that the the idea of universal service would be to promote active citizenship across socioeconomic differences.

The French populace seems to agree . Although there’s murmurs of discontent, the BBC reports that 60% of the population is in support of the idea, at least in some form. Currently, the proposed service emphasizes civic duty, is lenient enough to avoid being strictly militaristic, and spans less than a year.

Europe is unarguably divided, and France is shouldering an increasingly heavy burden in keeping the European Union tied together. A sense of community and solidarity will be critical in carrying the nation through the years to come. It seems that Macron’s ultimate goal is to create stronger social ties between individual members of France’s youth despite their different backgrounds, an idea shared by Galston.

“I do not want to oversell the civic benefits that might accrue from a universal service lottery. Still, enhanced contact between the sons and daughters of the privileged upper middle class and the rest of society would represent real progress,” writes Galston, continuing: “Moreover, some of our nation’s best social scientists see a link between World War II-era military service and that generation’s productive dedication to our postwar civic life. If implementing my proposal could yield even a fraction of these civic dividends, it would be worth the price.”

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Should Young Americans Be Required to Give a Year of Service?

By The Editorial Board

The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values . It is separate from the newsroom.

American presidents have long vied to echo John Kennedy’s “Ask not what your country can do for you.”

The spirit of service, declared Ronald Reagan, “flows like a deep and mighty river through the history of our nation.” Bill Clinton created AmeriCorps . George H.W. Bush likened volunteer organizations to “a thousand points of light.” George W. Bush created the USA Freedom Corps . Barack Obama called on Americans to “ground our politics in the notion of a common good.”

Their arguments are all the more compelling today, in a bitterly divided America struggling with a pandemic.

Many aging Vietnam-era veterans attest to the sense of community that came with either involuntary military service or the alternative service routes that those who refused the draft opted for. Conscription came to an end in 1973, and in the years since, this board has several times called on the government to expand the opportunities for national service, military or civilian. “For those young people who do not feel moved by patriotism or propelled by economics to enlist in the military, there should be other options for national service like AmeriCorps,” we wrote in 2006 .

The idea has a rich pedigree. When a nation is at peace, the philosopher-psychologist William James wrote in an early-20th-century essay, “ The Moral Equivalent of War, ” the martial virtues of “intrepidity, contempt of softness, surrender of private interest, obedience to command” — the backbone of a strong nation, in his view — can be achieved through civic works.

James’s focus on male service and industrial tasks is largely obsolete today. But his fundamental argument, that “a permanently successful peace-economy cannot be a simple pleasure-economy,” remains the basic case for national service. In an updated version of the case, Pete Buttigieg, now President Biden’s secretary of transportation, pushed as a candidate for a program offering hundreds of thousands of national service opportunities to young Americans as a way to counter the growing threats to social cohesion.

Mr. Biden has an opportunity to make some version of this a reality. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, a former commander of international forces in Afghanistan and head of the “Serve America. Together” campaign, recently called on the president to invest in universal national service for one million young Americans annually as “the most important strategy we can implement to ensure the strength and security of our nation.”

On the surface, the idea would seem to be attractive across the political spectrum — the idealism to liberals, the service to conservatives, the virtues of selfless sharing to millions of Americans who already perform some form of community service. According to Google trends , search interest in mandatory national service hit a five-year high in 2017 as the yawning political divide in America became increasingly evident.

What could be objectionable in asking all young people to pause before plunging into the scramble of adult life to donate some of their time and energies to some socially beneficial, critically needed service at home or abroad?

It would be an introduction to the responsibilities of citizenship, a communion with different layers of society and people of different backgrounds, a taste of different life paths. It could even be rewarded by credits toward tuition at a public university or other federal benefits, much as the G.I. Bill did for some veterans in years past.

The devil, as always, is in the phrasing, like “mandatory” or “government.” To libertarians, talk of government-mandated service smacks of more government imposition on individual liberties, possibly even a violation of the 13th Amendment’s proscription against “involuntary servitude.” Some conservatives argue that national service would be, in effect, government-paid and government-managed social activism, displacing private and faith-based charity. Coerced service is not service, they argue. The rich would get the desirable jobs, while the poor would be stuck with the bad ones. The cost would outweigh the benefits to society.

These are serious arguments, and no doubt one reason mandatory service has been relegated to the fringes of legislative effort.

It is hard to imagine a government levying penalties on young people who do not want to do what is essentially volunteer work, unless it was offered as an alternative to mandatory military service, with women now also liable. That is not likely to happen, as Mr. Buttigieg acknowledged when he said his proposed national service would be “if not legally obligatory but certainly a social norm.”

That social norm is critically needed. With America’s democracy threatened by a political and ideological chasm that seems to widen by the day, with dialogue rendered almost futile on fundamental issues such as racial justice, the environment, a battered economy and America’s role in the world, the debate over national service is really a debate over how we move forward.

“It’s a debate over how we will solve public problems and what we owe our country and each other,” E.J. Dionne Jr. and Kayla Meltzer Drogosz wrote in a 2003 study on national service for the Brookings Institution. “If we decide there are no public things to which we are willing to pledge some of our time and some of our effort — not to mention ‘our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor’ — then we will have quietly abandoned our nation’s experiment in liberty rooted in mutual assistance and democratic aspiration.”

In his speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, Mr. Biden said , “It’s time we remembered that ‘we the people’ are the government. You and I,” and his call on the American people was “that we all do our part.”

Asking young Americans for a year of their time for their country would be a powerful way to inculcate that call to service. It would not be a panacea for America’s troubles, of course. But a year in which barriers of race, class and income were breached, working in areas like underresourced schools, national parks or the military, where the fruits of service were real and beneficial, could help restore a measure of the community, commitment and hope that America cries out for.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram .

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Compulsory Military Service Essay

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Should Military Service Be Mandatory

John Stuart Mill once said, “A man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.” The controversial debate of mandatory military service, in recent years, has begun to receive an increase of attention. With the growing occurrence of political disagreement among nations, the increased need for a larger, stronger armed forces is becoming a necessity to many countries around the world.

A strong military takes precedence over other significant priorities any country may have because this is the country’s backbone and defense. Most citizens would agree that a strong military is a key component to a successful nation. Citizens support and stand behind their country’s decisions in regards to their military, subsequently, some show their support by joining the military while others do not. Controversially, some countries mandate that citizens serve in their respective military with no choice in the matter. Countless citizens of nations across the globe, do not agree that military service should be required.

A total of twenty-six countries enforce mandatory military service of their citizens because of conflicts with neighboring countries; also, some countries have an urgent sense of need to have large numbers of reserves on standby. However, the majority of countries that require military service of its citizens, only require men to serve in the military. In spite of the archaic belief of only men belong in the military, there are a few countries, for example, Israel, who require both men and women to serve in their country’s military (Omondi). Some countries require that their citizens serve as little as one year to twenty-four months while others require up to four years.

Conscription, mandatory military service, is the approach countries adopted to build and sustain larger militaries. A large military has a greater number of soldiers that are available to be deployed in the event of war, and having a large military, helps protect the government should a fraction rises against the nation. In this way, it promotes national unity. National unity uses the shared familiarity of operating in the military to create a lasting bond of its citizens that train and serve in their country’s military. Mandatory service gives the people, who have been mentally and medically cleared, a sense of sacrifice, especially, the sacrifice that they and other people had to make for their country. This, again, brings the people together in unison and creates national unity giving them a sense of patriotism. The power of communal service fosters a sense of solidarity within their country. Without this, a nation is more susceptible to internal struggels, and less resilient in the face of external threats, be they political, environmental or otherwise (Mohammed).

Mandatory service holds an active military force, meaning that the country’s military has a large active reserve that is ready to respond, quickly and effectively, to a threat to national security (Ayres). This gives an added layer of protection to the nation. While the improbability of a country invading any other country and taking over is small, the invading armies would double think invading, especially if the military reserve was large. Although, there is a con to this. Many nations, for example, North Korea and Israel, have spent a large chunk of their national budget on training and weapons (Omondi); however, compulsory military brings those enlisted with different skillsets, as well as, different learning backgrounds.

This type of service guarantees high levels of governmental participation, and when the occasion calls for it, the public will be more aware and watchful of government decisions (Omondi). The public would be more in control and watchful of state security and who their country is making alliances with. A country’s nationals would be more apt to understand the pressures that their country faces, and it will positively affect how involved citizens are in the government. It benefits the citizens of any given country who chooses mandatory service because countries could offer citizens serve free college education and free medical for life, for the service member and family. This gives citizens more of a positive reason to support mandatory military service.

The most beneficial element, for both the country and its countrymen, is the skills they gain and learn; a country would call those in service, sporadically, for brief retraining courses (Gregorio). The training that the military would provide goes beyond that of what the public thinks is typical. The military prepares citizens for their career they are given in the military, so well that it goes beyond what is needed to get the job completed; however, those who finish their service time in the military, usually, pursue the same or similar career in the civilian sector. The education and training that is gained while in the military helps citizens in their career in the civilian sector and usually gives them an advantage. Important qualities carried over to civilian life are “teamwork, responsibility, initiative, stress management, diversity, and global awareness” (Ayres).

Some countries require that their citizens serve in the military, and a fair amount of them have law that it is required to serve and can only be avoided through mental or physical abnormalities. Countries can require either a short amount of time served to a fairly length amount. There are many benefits of citizens serving their nation. It brings a nation’s citizens together to form a patriotism that only those who have served would understand.

Military branches would not have to worry if their recruitment percentages are high or low because new troops would be filtered in as needed. There are huge gaps in the middle of what the government is doing and what the citizens understand; mandatory military service can close that gap. It gives citizens a closer understanding and realization of why the government is doing what it does. Many citizens come to support its country’s decision due the added protection it gives citizens. A country mandating its military service can be judged with many completely misunderstanding how useful and purposeful it truly is.

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supremestudy.com. (2021). Should Military Service Be Mandatory . [Online]. Available at: https://supremestudy.com/mandatory-military/ [Accessed: 2-May-2024]

Should Military Service Be Mandatory. (2021, May 14). Retrieved May 2, 2024 , from https://supremestudy.com/mandatory-military/

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