7 Central Pros and Cons of Compulsory Military Service
Serving in your nation’s military is a huge deal. It’s a service that is invaluable and extremely important to the safety and security of your country as a whole. In many countries, including America, this service is completely voluntary, but in others, it is not. Compulsory military service means that every single eligible citizen in the country is required by law to serve in the military for some amount of time. There are many countries in the world that have this type of policy implemented and it works well for them, however, there are certainly some issues that should be addressed and thought about.
The Pros of Compulsory Military Service
1. More Long Term Military Servicemen
Even though many people would choose to leave the military after, there are some who would certainly not. These people would have discovered their passion for military service and dedicate even more of their life to serving it. Discovering a love for the work that you do would inspire many more people to become long term, and very valuable members, of the military.
2. Even More Equality
Every single, able bodied, person that comes to age is required to service in the military. This causes a level of equality to emerge among citizens, because no matter how rich you are or how popular you are, everyone has a commitment to the same duty.
3. Priceless Training
You gain many things while serving and training with the military. Discipline is a big one. This discipline builds character is young people, and they are able to bring this virtue with them through their entire life. Job skills and training are also acquired. You are training in many different things in the military, and many of the jobs you will do will translate into a secure job when you get out the military.
4. Freedom Isn’t Free
A great appreciation begins to develop in a country when each and every person has to see first hand the work and danger that has to be endured in order to protect it and it’s citizens. This translates into a higher moral of the country, more deeply involved participation of citizens, and many other wonderful things.
The Cons of Compulsory Military Service
1. Compromised Quality
When you force a whole bunch of uninterested people to perform a vital duty in a country, you can’t be surprised w hen the quality of that service isn’t as good as it could be. It is very important that a country’s military is skilled, passionate, and unified. This can easily be lost when you force people to serve. This is one of the biggest arguments surrounding compulsory military service.
2. Valuable Time Is Lost
The very beginning of a young person’s adult life is highly important. It develops themselves as adults for their entire life. Some people want to pursue paths in life that do not go hand in hand with the military. By forcing them to spend these vital years of their life serving the military, you may be squashing their long term dreams for their life.
3. Angry Military Members
Moral is already a big problem in most military’s. The harsh conditions, and intense jobs cause people to become depressed, violent, angry, sad, and possibly even suicidal. These numbers would almost definitely increase greatly if you required people to service in the military no matter what. The situation could turn dangerous, as it has in the past. These disgruntled people would have access to sensitive information, weapons, and many other things that could be abused.
