Justifications on the Need to Bring Back the Military Draft Essay

In today’s evolving and trying world, there is nothing absolute about the exercise of individual’s freedom or free choice. Consideration of several significant factors results to flexibility, if not violation of even this basic requirement of independence or free will. The said condition is concretely manifested by a discussion on the necessity to bring back the military draft in the United States. This is because despite the fundamental argument against the reimplementation of the Selective Service System in the American military, it is ultimately essential to reflect on some principles aimed at benefiting the majority of the population hence paving the way for a requirement to set aside one’s liberty or rights. By its nature, a military draft or the American Selective Service System implies an infringement of citizen’s free choice of whether to join the United States military voluntarily or not. The system is not new as it has been implemented by previous administrations. However, criticisms against its execution made the past Presidents halt the controversial military draft on the premise that it violates human rights particularly one’s privilege to a freedom of choice as far as joining the military. As the system was not totally discarded, there is now the possibility of imposing again the military draft after careful deliberation of at least three main necessary justifications. Proponents of the re-imposition of the system argue the underlying principle that military draft challenges freedom. This is primarily due to the vital reason that the military draft serves as a payback opportunity for the government and country in general to raise the estimated usefulness and value of all citizens. This is made possible because the people’s selective services into the military will increase benefits or returns which the government needs in having an expensive cost of military training and education. Additionally, the military draft paves the way and has even proven to be a concrete way of unifying the country as it destroys class and racial distinctions among Americans. Most importantly, military draft is critically important in ensuring national defense and security in the face of an inevitable military conflict. While the system is an obligatory manner of breaching one’s liberty, these economic, unifying and safety considerations are, therefore, rational principles which justify the need to undertake another round of military draft. Military Draft, an Overview For a clearer and objective discussion on the need to bring back the military draft, it is empirical to present the general concepts behind the system which calls for the selective services of American people into the U. S. military. Military draft, as the main function and basis of the Selective Service System, is activated upon the direction of the U. S. President and the Congress. As mandated by law, the Selective Service System maintains its promptness and effectiveness in managing a military draft despite its current inactive status. Upon the restoration of the military draft, the system requires for the carrying out of a National Draft Lottery to identify the people to be drafted. In the conduct of the military draft, the Selective Service System requires the registration of all male American citizens with at least 18 years of age but had not reached 26 years of age, not taking into consideration their place of their residences including foreign male migrant-residents in the country (â€Å"Military Draft†). The U. S.  President and the both houses of the Congress authorize the military draft during an emergency such as armed crisis which entails additional military crowd because of the insufficiency in the supply of the volunteer military. Thereafter, a lottery is conducted wherein the dates of birth of the citizens are used as the basis for finding out the system of drafting the citizens. Duties of all members of the Selective Service are activated where the State Directors and Officers of the Reserve Forces are called into for military service. There will be physical, psychological and ethical assessments of all registrants and upon release of evaluation result, a registrant will have to report for if he needs to be exempted or that his service needs to be deferred. Registrant claims will be evaluated and passers will be given induction orders and are given ten days to be inducted until finally turned over to the military (â€Å"Military Draft†). Benefit Justification While not commonly attributed as justification for the need to restore the military draft, the beneficial aspect of carrying out the system is significantly essential. A study about the draft or conscription of American citizens into the military and its increasing returns revealed this condition. This is because the noteworthy mounting returns, such as the requirement for the least fundamental training and education in the military preparation and service, are attractive grounds behind the selective service or military draft (Ng 382). While the draft inevitably results into incompetence, freedom violation and injustice, the study showed that the effectiveness of military draft in recording the increasing returns in the U. S.  Armed Forces compensates the cost allotted in carrying out the military draft. The study further justified that in the condition where the level of mounting returns was elevated and that the needed degree of military service became big particularly when the nation is at war, the popularity and requirement of military draft could not be totally eliminated. The same study also noted the economists’ apparent disregard of the principle behind the probable appeal of military draft and reiterated the result which hinted that the efficiency percentage of military draft soars as the level of increasing returns in the U.  S. military also becomes high. To concretely justify this point, it just merely presented an idea that an increase in the degree or number of military drafts is synonymous to having an increased in the number of military personnel thereby working more to the advantage of the U. S. Armed Force in its military undertakings (383). Unifying Justification Despite circumstances which made previous Presidents decide to discontinue the military draft, the system definitely helps in crushing class distinctions in the country. Hence, this unifying justification makes it one of the positive points for considering the return of the selective or random military recruitment. In particular, the military draft resulted into an amicable educational condition where the educated and not became united and even helped each other as they became one in achieving a common goal. In fact, this homogenizing system did not only exist in the learning structure because military draft also widened the cultural perspectives of the military draftees. As the class distinctions were removed so are the racial separations among the future military personnel. In short, the selective service system enhanced the equality grounds in the country as compared to what has achieved by other measures and institutions (Koch A23). Koch emphasized the need for the nation to return to the military draft after it proved to be an established means which returned unity among people and within the country. The selective service system provided a universal language for the public which covered the military draftees as well as their respective families and the people around them. It also credited the honor among the draftees and leveled their respective sacrifices which they have done for the nation. It eventually unified more the American people who are one in their search for power and thereafter carry with them an appreciation of the real value of conflict, unity and winning (Koch A23). National Security Justification Foremost the positions of bringing back the military draft is the rationale that it prepares and secures the country for an eventuality of another armed conflict, both internally and externally. This was illustrated by Hod and Hod when he ignited the call for the return of the military draft in the name of defending and ensuring the safety of the country. In a work directed to the public, Hod and Hod wrote that the military draft also prepares the nation and its people to see the world in a precautionary aspect. Ultimately, it was meant to pave the way for the upholding of the nation’s protection and safety against possible armed conflict within and outside the country (Hod & Hod 73). This national security position was corroborated by Rangel and Vennochi who both supported the need for the restoration of the military draft. As a Korean War veteran and now a U. S, Representative, Rangel believed that the requirement to defend and secure the country should be a shared sacrifice among all Americans. He added that a renewed call for the system enables for an increased vigilance and acceptance of the random military system as the people appreciate more the draft based from the safety benefits it will bring to the country (Rangel 1). Vennochi, supported the idea by stressing a point wherein the military draft will speed up the country’s armed fight against Iraq and other terrorists-laden nations. He added that restoring the military draft will awaken the country and force involvement among Americans to have their share in protecting and ensuring the nation’s security (Venocchi 1). Conclusion Every undertaking has its advantages and disadvantages. Despite criticisms against the military draft, its restoration is definitely important and needed in order to increase the benefits it offer to the nation, to break barriers and enhance unity among people and ultimately to guarantee that the country in always ready and capable to defend itself from conflict. While the issue of military draft has resulted into several criticisms, it was able to stand its way and justified that it may be inevitable for the country not to bring back military draft primarily due to the position that it was aimed at working to the advantage and not to detriment the people and the country as a whole.