Sensitive Question Here! > Do you think America should revamp its armed forces > PLEASE READ DETAILS!!!?

Question

With the way things are going in the World right now, shouldnt America prepair for uncertain events to come? Americas population is porjected to reach 300 Million this summer, and with a population as large shouldnt we have a millitary of at least 1 Million? Shouldnt the Government offer great incentives to get men and women to join the armed forces? Is it time to reinstate the draft? Ill admit it makes it had to swallow when i think about dogging bullets and bombs, but ill do ANYTHING for mine and YOUR KIDS! I know people are spending a lot of time hating the commander in cheif and putting blame on others. If your favorite team has a bad coach do you give up on your favorite team? Just because you think the coach is bad you still wish his team well! Cant we all find a way to come together in this new millennium to conserve truth justice and the American way of life??? Is that asking to much to help protect the babies of this country?

shouldnt the change start with the people? We still have a voice! or do we????

Answer 1

I don't think we should go as far as reinstating the draft, but our government should provide better incentives to prospective soldiers, and take care of the ones we have.

I mean, besides not having a distinct plan of action in Iraq that has left our troops basically stranded in one of the most dangerous places in the world, our leaders can't even provide them with the essential gear they need.

Our VA hospitals are on the brink of being useless due to lack of funding. Some veterans don't even have access to a VA hospital, or have to drive 5 or 6 hours BOTH WAYS (on their own dime) just to get to one.

Soldiers that are wounded come home with a bleak future, because politicians seem more concerned with padding their own pockets than making legislation that would see these men and women have a financially secure future.

I don't think that people have a problem with joining the armed forces in general. It's the lack of support from the government who sends them to do their bidding. I agree that there needs to be a SIGNIFICANT change in the way our leaders handle the military. Maybe when people are more confident in the system, they will want more to protect it.

Answer 2

We have an immediate need to increase our military manpower and its talent base.

The past couple of years has shown we need to completely revamp our military as we need a whole lot more special forces ....... highly educated and paid troops trained to effectively deal with active insurgencies, with the skill to apply positive methods of population control and of course react quickly to global terrorism.

Reinstating the Draft

While not a current need the Draft did have its good points as it did force more public participation and overview into the United States war machine and military establishment and more of the American public had to think about, make their own decisions and/or take action for or against the USA's current foreign policies. This was good for our Country's overall health even if some did choose that their participation would be to dodge the draft and hide in Canada or some other place .... that was at least a direct public action and the current elected leaders had to at least think about these public statements ..... if not directly deal with them. The Draft had the public especially its youths all more intimately involved with any war or police action and so the public was more likely to educate themselves in order to choose more wisely.

Also if we did not rely on an all volunteer military it would greatly lower the numbers of extra-national members in our armed forces and eliminate possible grave threats to our domestic security.

Answer 3

This is our total active duty military personel as of 2005:
Army: 490,472
Air Force: 360,578
Navy: 364,504
Marine: 177,380
Total: 1,392,934
This does not include the Coast Guard which becomes part of the DOD in times of War. It also does not include all personel in active reserves. Nor does it include the personel that are Individual Ready Reserve (inactive reserves).
After all of that, we do still have the draft. Every male between 18 and 26 is required to register for selective service (the draft).

Answer 4

Yes, they should offer better pay and such, but the problem is, where is this money coming from? With this being a volunteer military, even doing that, it is going to be hard to get people to sign up. Draft re-instatement would only work to thin the population because everyone would move to Canada or Mexico. I do like your way of thinking though. :-)

Answer 5

with you all the way. all 18 year olds (men and women) should be drafted for a 2 year term and call it a service to the country. this would also help get some of the troubled kids off the street and show them a different way. this would also instill patriotism in the kids who when they become adults will instill this value in their kids. we need to make a change in the though process that has corrupted the the American Psyche. it all starts with the kids. where's Captain America when you need him. lol

Answer 6

No what the US needs is a Better Trained Military Especially the Technical Branches

the RAAF use 6 men to change an engine on a 707 the USAF use 23 to change the almost Identical engine on a C141

I know i was doing the 707 engine Change and being watched By the USAF who applauded us when we had
Finished

Me i was explosives Ordnance Cross trained aircraft Electrician My Main Job was EOD IED Survival Gear and Egress

Answer 7

Your analogy about a bad coach and a good team is very accurate. Nice to know there are others who see the distinction. You are also right in that WE have to DEMAND a better accounting from our institutions. They have failed us miserably, and I think they know it (in a sense THEY are US and WE are THEM).

Having just sent my oldest son into the Navy, and as such into harms way (he will be on a flattop in September for his 20th Birthday -- which is September 10), I have come to be supportive of the nation and the military as never before. We need better representation in all levels of our government, this right/left bickering need to end. The religious fighting needs to end. First and foremost we are ALL Citizens of the United States and we need to pull together as we did in World War II. I know that some of this is lost on the younger ones here who see their identity in the tribal framework of the party of their parent’s affiliation, but that has to end.

We need to get out Army and National Guard out of the Hot Spots scattered around the world. We need to fortify our Maries and Navy. We need to rebuild our Air Force (if you are not aware, in post Cold-War America -- NOW -- we are actually downsizing the Air Force).

I expect us to be in what will amount to World War III in the next 2 to 5 years. The situation with North Korea has convinced me of that. North Korea will provoke Japan, Which will force us to back Japan. China will be forced to aid North Korea, which will in turn drag Russia into the action due to a mutual aid agreement which they signed with China a few years ago. The EU will tangle with the Islamic extremist, and the UK and the old Commonwealth nations will back the US. The ex eastern block nations will fall in with the US against Russia, the ex-soviet states will back Russia, and the whole thing goes up like World War I.

I have no idea if it will go Nuclear, that really depends on North Korea, Pakistan, and Iran (and India) more then the US and China and Russia.

I agree that our technology gives us an edge in the coming conflict. However, we are far too dependent and too arrogant when it comes to depending on that edge. We also have a very big hole in our defenses in that we are far too dependent on foreign oil. I have not even mentioned that we now have enemies in South America who will join with China and Russia to try and kick our ***. Venezuela is one of the nations where we get a large portion of our oil supply from.

I think we will see the draft come back sooner then later.

Answer 8

True we may have a small military but, what makes America the strongest nation in the world is its cutting edge technology. We are the only in the world to have stealth. we are the only in the world that has UAV. We are the only in the world that has put lasers and electromagnetic railguns to military use. So you see size in not only a factor in determining strength but who can strike first. And i even heard that we can mobilize are whole military and move them anywhere in the world in two hours. No nation in the world has that kind of capabilities.

Answer 9

The US goverment spends about 465billion on it's armed forces every year. Thats about double the rest of NATO put together. About 15 times as much as china, or Russia. US soldiers are the best paid in the world. The number of US soldiers is limited by the number of willing enlistees, we would have to enforce a draft to get more.

Between 1975-1990 the US was involved in no Major conflicts, were our babies in greater danger then than they are now?
Here is a complete list of Nato spending 2005
Country 2005 Budget
Belgium $3.35 billion
Bulgaria $0.630 billion
Canada $10.9 billion
Czech Republic $2.19 billion
Denmark $3.17 billion
Estonia $0.207 billion
France $41.6 billion
Germany $30.2 billion
Greece $4.46 billion
Hungary $1.43 billion
Iceland No defence budget
Italy $17.2 billion
Latvia $0.278 billion
Lithuania $0.333 billion
Luxembourg $0.264 billion
Netherlands $9.7 billion
Norway $4.69 billion
Poland $5.16 billion
Portugal $2.43 billion
Romania $2.10 billion
Slovakia $0.828 billion
Slovenia $0.580 billion
Spain $8.8 billion
Turkey $9.81 billion
United Kingdom $51.1 billion
United States $465.0 billion

Is the US safer than Iceland? why or why not?
Does the US spend it's money wisely?
The US gave over 90billion in aid to Israel last yearhttp://www.vestedowl.com/counterpoint_results.htm

Answer 10

I'm glad you're pro-military and pro-American, but are you sure about that ratio? You'd be arming children and the elderly at that percentage.