Boots in Democracy

In the February 22 edition of online Washington Post, former Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird, who served under President Nixon, makes some fairly strong arguments for not bringing back a national military draft.  All the arguments Mr. Laird makes for not bringing back the military draft are valid. Our current military is heads above the conscripted military of the 1960s and 1970s (the period with which I am familiar). He rightly points out (reminiscent of an account examining the books) that the men and women of today’s military are better educated, better motivated and much more proficient in their jobs. So, why would anyone argue for a return to the draft? As he says, “the exceptional effectiveness and motivation may be an invitation to overuse and even abuse such resources.” Precisely. But the “pro” argument is even less tenuous than “possible abuse”. In a democracy, the military does not exist for the sake of the military, it exists to serve the democracy. Every citizen should be prepared to put aside their life-project and render service. It is an obligation, not an option. If a conscripted military degrades military effectiveness, larger problems are at work than the availability of a sub-standard citizen pool. As the World War II military demonstrated, a healthy democracy can quickly rise to its own defense. Going on a “conquest binge” is an entirely different matter.