Paddymac - what you state is pretty much what happens - that is how the Pope ended up with his Swiss Guard, retained to this day.

There used to be a couple of sayings applicable to most military organisations:

"NEVER VOLUNTEER"
and
"One volunteer is worth ten pressed men"

Conscription in this day and age does not have a great deal to offer either the individual or the military forces the conscripts are foisted upon. Having said that, those who are vehemently against anything military should be thankful that volunteers still exist to fill the ranks, as those who are not prepared to defend, protect and bear the cost of that effort, may well find that their stance condemns them to live in a set of rules imposed by others. Part and parcel of this is to remember those who went before and paid the ultimate price for the freedoms so many take for granted today.

Cheers,

Bill.