Conscript this!

"If we don't fix our staffing issue for ships, we will end up with ships not ready for battle. Army units not ready to fight. Planes without enough ground crews. Having enough good, trained and motivated troops is not just a wish list - it is a matter of national security. And once we get more young people in, we need to adjust the pay scales. PAY THEM BETTER." 

When I was on active duty, we had a slew of what was called back then, "2 by 6 sailors". It was a program which was very popular with the draft dodgers back then. Two years active, and then four more years in a reserve unit. None of them really wanted to be on Okinawa, and their attitude and performance showed it. When I was done with my four years of active duty, I re-enlisted in the Navy Reserve. The unit I was in still had the remains of some of these "2 by 6 sailors". My opinion? Let them out, as they did close to zero. When the last one finally rotated out, it was cause for celebration.

However, today my mind has changed on conscription. The all-volunteer service worked well until Biden and company really mucked it up. Now our enlistment goals are way down (except for the USMC) and retention rates are also going south. How bad is retention? The other day, I read in the Navy news my old rating (Crypto Techs) were offering up to $100,000 re-enlistment bonuses for a six year re-up. All I could say was - WOW!

We need good qualified young folks to go into our military. That is a fact. Israel has conscription. Russia has conscription. Maybe it is time we rethink conscription. No more 2S deferments. After high school, everyone picks some kind of government service to do. Three years. Many would go into the service. Some would go into another kind of government service. There would be very few exceptions.

Why have I changed my mind on conscription? Many reasons. First off, during Viet Nam, the draft was found my many to be unfair. Plus, the war itself was very unpopular. If conscription was a fact of life for every young person after high school, maybe attitudes would be different. And (this is a big one), many young folks don't have a clue on what they want to do after high school. The three years of some kind of government service would be a chance to start figuring things out.

If we don't fix our staffing issue for ships, we will end up with ships not ready for battle. Army units not ready to fight. Planes without enough ground crews. Having enough good, trained and motivated troops is not just a wish list - it is a matter of national security. And once we get more young people in, we need to adjust the pay scales. PAY THEM BETTER. 

Biden and Austin have really mucked things up. But we can still fix them. And also (this is not going to be popular) - we need to up our defense spending on weapons. Having a one percent increase in the defense bill, when inflation is 3.2% - does not cut it. 

One final thought. How do you want to see our nation's youth - sitting in tents and protesting colleges? Or learning a real trade while serving the country. I know what my vote would be.