Trump World Reportedly Flirts With a Return to Mandatory Military Service

[Nevilledog]

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/06/trump-world-mandatory-military-service-washington-post/


Despite Trump’s alleged draft-dodging in his youth, the former president’s acolytes are reportedly flirting with a return to requiring mandatory military service if he’s re-elected.

Christopher Miller, former acting defense secretary during the last two months of Trump’s term—and, possibly, the next leader of the Pentagon—told the Washington Post this week that it should be “strongly considered,” calling it a “rite of passage” that would create a sense of “shared sacrifice” among young people.

“It reinforces the bonds of civility,” Miller reportedly said, adding, “why wouldn’t we give that a try?”

This is not the first time Miller has floated these plans: He also wrote about them for Project 2025, the blueprint for Trump 2.0, concocted by dozens of conservative groups and led by the Heritage Foundation. There, Miller floated making all public school students complete the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery—a standardized test developed by the Department of Defense to test young people’s skills to match them with a military job—in order to “improve military recruiters’ access to secondary schools.” (A spokesperson for the Heritage Foundation told the Washington Post that Project 2025 does not “speak for President Trump or his campaign, who alone set his agenda.”)

Miller told the Washington Post that the test could be used to shore up weaknesses in the military: “If we’re going to prepare for a great-power competition, it’s helpful to have a baseline understanding of the pool of potential military service members and their specific aptitudes prior,” he said.

*snip*

[Deep State Witch]

1. Let's Start With His Spawn

Barron, you're in the Army now.

[Johonny]

9. Im sure rich people will be exempt

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Planning a war? Issue them bump stocks? Bone spurs is gonna do this? /nt

[B.See]

13. Absolutely they are. Only, when GOONS like Miller

talk about shoring up the military for a great 'power completion,' the "enemies" they're speaking of aren't some other nation.

Their plan of beefing up the military involves USING IT AGAINST IMMIGRANTS and AMERICANS considered UNDESIRABLE.

WAKE UP you "undecideds." The hour is nigh.

[ck4829]

3. Human shields for Russia if they invade Europe I'm sure

[Model35mech]

4. men need military service to grow into men

this is an old old conservative meme.

It's so old that I think it could originate with Robert the Bruce.

Of course. girls just need rape to grow into women...the Droit du seigneur

[VMA131Marine]

5. This would be a good way to destroy the professional military we have now.

The end of the draft meant that it was possible over time to civilian-ise a lot of the jobs that weren’t related to a service member’s military specialty like KP, base maintenance and a whole bunch of other functions that took time away from training for their actual jobs and things that would keep them alive in combat. The last thing the military wants is to have to babysit a bunch of draftees who don’t want to be there.

I suppose you make a completely separate force structure just for draftees with the option for those who enjoy the experience to transfer to the regular military but then what use would this force be and how much would it cost.

There are over 3 1/2 million high school graduates every year against an active duty military, all five (six including the Coast Guard) branches, of around 1 1/4 million. This would end like it always has with a draft lottery where the rich kids get multiple deferments for bone spurs and the poor and minority kids get selected. Let’s face it, that’s really the point of the exercise for the GOP.

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

8. Bingo

I would have requested a transfer to any unit with the least amount of draftees had they had a draft when I was Iraq. It was bad enough with some of the dumbasses who wanted to be there. Couldn't imagine being stuck with dumbasses who not only didn't want to be there, but wanted nothing to do with the Army in the first place.

[anciano]

12. Spot on.

[keep_left]

6. This is Trump's Achilles' heel. Why he or any of his supporters...

...would float such a moronic idea is beyond comprehension.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219029284#post17

Miller told the Washington Post that the test could be used to shore up weaknesses in the military: “If we’re going to prepare for a great-power competition, it’s helpful to have a baseline understanding of the pool of potential military service members and their specific aptitudes prior,” he said.

The result of that "test" should be pretty funny...at least for us, though maybe not for those who are "preparing for great-power competition". We already know that a significant fraction of the service-age population is too out-of-shape to make it through basic training. From what we've seen of Trump's Gravy Seals and Delta Forks Brigade, I'd say that their number approaches 100%!

[Girard442]

7. They could call it "The Trump Youth."

[B.See]

14. Exactly. Der Fuhrer and his henchmen have a PLAN

[DemocraticPatriot]

10. Him First.

'nuff said.

[DFW]

11. That was my thought as well

When you and your sons have completed your first tour of duty, THEN we can talk about compulsory military service.

[SarahD]

15. Ok. One or two things go along with that.

Offer non-killing alternatives like Peace Corps, Job Corps, Teach for America, etc. Bring back the GI Bill, the real.one, not the present version.

[WarGamer]

16. A number of EU countries have it...

Austria
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Greece
Lithuania
Sweden

[ck4829]

17. Those countries also have universal healthcare