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? :)