Ron's recommendation - Draft--3 years. Same as during the Vietnam era.

With exactly the same result, armed forces that aren't worth a toss and that are on a downward spiral, even more so in this day and age, as the game has moved on a considerable stretch since Vietnam. In three years you are going to train these draftees to do what? What level of expertise do you think that they will they acquire in that short time?

Think of the number of specialists required by modern day armed forces, it takes time to train them Ron, it takes time for them to gain experience so that their training can be put to good use, it takes time before they begin to contribute to the effectiveness of the unit in which they serve. All these were points that killed off "National Service" in the UK in 1957, complete waste of time, resources and effort in training people that would be of no use to you if push ever came to shove. As an ex-Vietnam Vet Ron you might be interested in that date (1957) and what was happening in the world around that time Suez had just finished, Kenya, Cyprus and the "War of the Running Dogs" was at it's height and about half way through (It lasted from 1947 until 1964). At this point with all this going on the UK ended it's "Draft". The "War of the Running Dogs" was won, the ONLY instance of a western nation defeating a communist backed and communist inspired insurrection. The UK and Commonwealth's professional armed forces won in Malaya, in Vietnam conscripted French and drafted US Forces were in turn defeated.   

Ever heard of the expression - a volunteer is worth ten pressed men. Draftees by definition, are not there by choice, they are bloody-minded about the whole set up from before day one, they couldn't care less about learning anything, or contributing anything, they only have to put up with it for three years, then they can promptly forget everything that they have ever been taught. Now what effect do these stalwarts have on their instructors and those few who are career men/women - they demoralise, they demotivate, they are dispiriting and depressing to be associated with, until any who were interested ultimately jump on the merry-go-round and just go through the motions (if you can't beat 'em join them). Dafted, or conscripted armed forces are a complete and utter joke, if that is the calibre of men and women that you want to see defending your country, good luck pal, but I wouldn't give much for your chances against the lot who declared all out war on you way back in 1996.


Ron, this one of yours is an absolute pearl:

"With a draft, there will be enough intelligent people to ask the hard questions that should be asked before starting a war."

How utterly ridiculous - you say that you are a veteran, judging by that sentence I cannot imagine what service, or branch of service you were in. In the UK if referred to at all its ex-serviceman.

Can you explain Ron at what point these "intelligent people", in their position as draftees, are going to be given the opportunity to ask those hard questions? Laughable.