Oh, Mr Krinkle, you surely know how to kick over the hornets' nest.

What you're describing is how the Canadian militia was organized from earliest colonial times until 1855: a Sedentary Militia comprising every able-bodied male adult, from which each county or district would form units of "embodied" militia in time of war, usually by ballot. It worked well in 1812; why not now?

And why limit yourself to men? Women make excellent soldiers, especially in combat support and combat service support roles, and their conscription would *really* get the public's attention.

John in Kansas: You don't have to house, feed, clothe and pay all of your conscripts; only those on active service at any given time. The rest can be designated the Supplementary Reserve (or some such) and required to support themselves while waiting for the famous brown envelope.

I rather like Mr Krinkle's requirement that the armed forces be completely self-sufficient to the extent of peeling their own potatoes and scrubbing their own toilets. Enough of this mercenary employment, I say! No more contractors!