A Call to Service for America's Youth

Abstract

Should the United States government implement a policy for mandatory national service in the Armed Forces? The United States has a rich history of its citizens, noncitizens and other US nationals serving in its Armed Forces within a voluntary status and under conscription. Mandatory national service in the military is not a new concept; it has been a means utilized to fill and resource formations well before the establishment of the government of the United States. Although not having any formal requirement to muster, to this day, in many of the states constitutions, all able-bodied men are identified as being members of the militia. This is not to be confused with the states National Guard. Based on available resources and external threats, mandatory service has been required and suspended from time to time. This paper discusses the introduction of a national service program designed to promote nationalism, support diversity, and provide for the common defense all while providing an opportunity for millions of disengaged young people the chance to be more productive members of society.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 24, 2011
Accession Number
ADA553015

Entities

People

  • Charles J. Coates

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • American Revolution
  • Basic Training
  • Civil War
  • Civil War (United States)
  • Families (Human)
  • Governments
  • Military History
  • Military Science
  • Militia
  • National Governments
  • National Guard
  • National Security
  • Students
  • United States
  • United States Government
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Military Mobilization and Reserve Forces Studies.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.