Military Conscription Debate

Discussions focus on mandatory military service, conscription policies in countries like Israel and others, contrasting them with volunteer armies, and debating their merits, effectiveness, and public acceptance.

📉 Falling 0.4x Politics & Society
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Keywords

e.g II US OK wikipedia.org YOUR IS SOCIETY USA i.e military war army draft mandatory men countries service volunteer serve

Sample Comments

ajayh • Sep 27, 2018 • View on HN

Probably to do with mandatory military service. Not an issue for a non-citizen.

walshemj • Aug 24, 2021 • View on HN

The author appears to be from a country where military service is compulsory.

deadbeeves • Dec 29, 2023 • View on HN

It's OK. They have mandatory military service, so he wouldn't have a choice on the matter anyway.

ilammy • Jun 7, 2020 • View on HN

Many countries still have military conscription, so sometimes enlisted soldiers do not really have a choice: you are either drafted with national pride, or drafted feeling moral guilt, or jailed for dodging and then maybe still drafted afterwards into a penal batallion. Or you break and bend the law.

yetihehe • Oct 12, 2020 • View on HN

In USA - currently yes. In many countries there is still unvoluntary army draft."Some idea" of potential consequences - yeah, you can get killed. If I was sure that I could get killed for morally valid reasons (like defending my homeland, your moral validity may differ) and not to defend oil execs exploiting poorer coutries, I would have less objections. I'm rather convinced that we will have some big war soon and I'll try to help defend my country first with my skills and

sharts • Dec 7, 2025 • View on HN

Wait, their military was involuntary previously? Everyone currently serving didn’t choose to do this?

anigbrowl • Nov 16, 2010 • View on HN

Don't forget that Israel has conscription, requiring 2 or 3 years of military service for all Israelis over 18. Given Israel's somewhat unique security situation this policy is likely more of an asset than a waste, but it's not obvious that it could be successfully generalized to larger or more diverse countries, where the benefits to the state might conflict more sharply with individual freedoms.

H1Supreme • May 2, 2022 • View on HN

Military service is mandatory in some countries.

badrabbit • Feb 25, 2019 • View on HN

The military will be there no matter what. The US spends $700/bn a year on it. This is a question of who takes part in it. A lot of modern countries have mandatory service,look at it this way,you pay mandatory tax which is a result of your labor in order to support government. This is a tax except you pay directly by labor.

ryanlol • Mar 30, 2021 • View on HN

You mean 20% of conscripts choose to opt out because they don’t want to spend a year of their life in the military? :)