Just how likely do you think this is?

Senator says US may need compulsory service to boost Iraq force

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Very unlikely. The only way a draft will be instituted is if a major war starts and our active and national guard forces can't handle it. Since terrorism is much more likely than all out war, I will not be stocking up on sunscreen and sunglasses any time soon.

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The best daily political cartoons can be found here:

http://www.csmonitor.com/commentary/index.html

I have mix feelings about this. Having been drafted in the military myself, i would have to say that its a healthy experience, as long as it doesn´t prolong for a long time. I guess it depends on the nature of each individual nation. In the US, being a highly militarized society, i guess the next thing to do is institute the draft to avoid ending with a military entirely composed of lower and mid class troops. Why should the rich get away without serving?
What happens is, i think only those who volunteer should get to be sent into overseas conflict, as forcing someone to fight is dead wrong. But then again, the draft system makes sure the nation always has a reserve force, with some training to face any given crisis that arises.
If the question is "should draft be reinstated" just to fight in Iraq in offensive war, i would say no. But if the draft is meant to be used as a reserve force for any defensive war, then yes, by all means.
The military service tends to create patriots, where before there were none. After serving, a guy feels his blood boiling in patriotic fervor, that no other service or atitude can equal. But then there are dangers, aren´t there? No one wants to be a mindless bot under some fanatic´s boot, so i guess we need to find a middle term. Like i said, mixed feelings...

If you ask me wether the draft WILL be reinstated, then i would say yes. Given Bush´s recent policies and all, the draft is the next logic thing.
Depends on he winning the elections or not.

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"Quincitilius Varus, give me back my legions!"
Emperor Augustus of Rome.

unlikely, with all the new hitech weapon systems, it requires highly trained professionals. having a lot of half-trained draftees is not adviseable, they endanger their own lifes and that of everyone around them. a bunch of infantry with 3 months training is more an impediment than an asset, they need food and other logistics, they need aircover and constant patrols in the area around them, but you cannot use them for combat, because you must avoid heavy casualties.

Genius:
Im not too sure on your explanation. Take israel for example. And they would not be putting themselves at risk.

Uh, just out of curiosity, have you ever been in the military? Have you served time?
There is absolutelly nothing preventing the drafted personnel from being just as good and well trained as the rest of the troops. Even the marines only take a 4 month training boot camp, after wich they are likely to get sent into action just as any other troops. Besides, some countries have 1 year military service, some others have 6 months, and others have 4 months. The ammount of time is established by political parameters, not military. If the political will exists, there´s no impediment to have a good military service that produces well trained troops. It just depends on the means available, the instructors capability and availability, and the training programs.
As Barça pointed out, the Israeli army is a very good example, where the military service lasts for 2 whole years, during wich time they spend over half of it on active duty. It depends also on the realities of each individual nation.

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"Quincitilius Varus, give me back my legions!"
Emperor Augustus of Rome.

yes, i have been in the military, i was drafted, as most german males are. however, i did not like things there and managed to convince them, that i was unfit for duty, so they send me home after a month or so and dismissed me completely later. so i was there for one third of the 3 month period that basic training takes.
i stand by it, draftees have no place in a military, that relies on weaponsystems that cost from millions upwards to billions per unit. in our country we have the discussion of getting rid of draft, because it only eats huge amounts of money from the defensebudget and binds resources, that our military lacks, when it comes to a REAL operations abroad. in other words: draft is useless in our current situation.
a small, highly trained and well equiped force is superior to a large force of amateurs.

Well, then you haven´t been in the military, not really. You just took some vacations. You never got to swear your oath to the nation, no parade, no field training... Hell, you missed all the good parts!! Like jumping butt naked into some fluffy rose bushes, with millions of thorns caressing your flesh, while some drill sargeant presses his boot in your behind! Or the shooting range, with weapons that come apart after the first shot! Or even the endless nights washing thousands of dishes and cutlery, while on duty in the kitchen! And how about those forced 20 mile marches, carrying a backpack with 30kg of rocks inside, while some butthead corporal is shooting blanks in your ear! So much fun... I miss it so much!!!

(i´m not exagerating here, it really happened)

Well, had you stayed in the boot camp a while longer, you would have learned that draftees are only used as infantry cannon fodder. If you want to drive one of those million dollar machines, you have to be either a career trooper in the ranks or serve another 2 years as a contract soldier. The only "hightech" weapons that draftees get to play with is an old M-16 and a rusty canteen! (well, each country has its own basic assault rifle, mine was an H&K G3, as old as the pyramids)
To operate real hightech weaponry, you need to become a Specialist, and that takes at least a year.You must take courses, like navegation, electronics, military driver´s license, and a whole lot of other crap.
Trust me, a draftee will never see the inside of a Sherman tank, let alone a M-1 Abrahams main battle tank, unless he decides to stay another year or so under contract.

Wrong again. The highly trained force is always present, wether you have a draft or not. Usually the draftees are used to do the maintenance work, and take care of all the burocracy and paperwork, thus relieving the career troops to train even harder. Draftees are used to stand guard at gates, cook the food, clean the toilets, wash the tanks, the jeeps and the planes, and change the oil from truck engines. Draftees get the short end of the stick, so to speak. If there were no draftees to take care of all these small ordinary tasks, then the regular troops have to do it, when they should be training hard and getting fit. I know it sucks, but its the harsh reality. And in a way, i agree with it. If the n00bies get to make all those trivial tasks, the troops get to concentrate on just the important stuff, like learning to shoot a Patriot missile at the enemy, and not at friendly forces! If they have to make patrols and kitchen duty when they should have been training how the operate the ordenance the right way, such stupid mistakes might have been avoided.
Maybe that´s why you have over 200 non-hostile fire casualties in Iraq so far. You´ve got to admit that it is rather strange, isn´t it? Almost 300 dead, from non-combat related or friendly fire incidents, in little over a year...
Makes you wonder what the hell are they doing over there.
:confused:

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"Quincitilius Varus, give me back my legions!"
Emperor Augustus of Rome.

This is the assault rifle i used, but it was an older model.
I could take this baby apart and re-assemble it with my eyes folded, in under a minute. The best time of my platoon! I was very proud of it!
;)


Click here, if you can´t see the image.
:thumbsup:

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"Quincitilius Varus, give me back my legions!"
Emperor Augustus of Rome.

AHHH my good old G3.... STILL LOVE IT!
I served my time as draftee in the German Army as well and stayed in another 10 months after my draft tour was over. I can tell you that what genius has stated is non-sense and he doesn't understand what military life is all about!
Neither the life, nor the honor nor the brotherhood of current and past brothers in arms of ALL nations!

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