Should Military Service Be Obligatory?

Mandatory military service or in other words military conscription is a strategic approach many countries, namely North Korean and Myanmar, capitalize on so as to construct a large and powerful armed force ready to be deployed in times of wars and in need of protecting the nation's sovereignty. Nevertheless, whether military service be imposed on each and every residents or not is a matter of heated debate which has polarized an apparent division within the society.

There are strands of evidence advocating compulsory military service regarding how conducive it can be to the conscripts. From the first standpoint, there is every possibilities people can reap personal benefits in not only grasping marketable skills, but also expanding social circle with people from different walks of life. It is a widely held view that life in the military can solely teach individuals throwing a salute or shooting straight. As a matter of fact, the training they provide goes far beyond than the technical skills such as self-defense, discipline, habits of healthy living and so forth. Skills and work-related attitudes ones obtain from military service can get them a leg up on other competitors in the civilian labor market, for soldiers are often perceived as efficient, organized and excellent time managers.

Of equal importance, military conscription, more or less, promotes national unity. First of all, it allows citizens to learn and train together boasting a shared experience of having served in the army. Furthermore, they would have a higher tendency to develop appreciation towards sacrifices people in the military have made and acknowledge the jeopardy their nation might have been in in the absence of these soldiers. All-in-all, it is self-evident serving in the army can connect people, which in turn upholds a sense of community, consolidates national cohesion as well as counteracting the corrosive effect of emerging individualism and egoism.

Notwithstanding the merits, mandatory military service is deemed unsuitable by opponents due to the possible threat it poses on the drafted people' rights to exercise free will and their post-army lives. Unarguably, not everybody is cut out for military conscription. Although physical fighting, either armed or unarmed, no longer features in modern warfare. Army recruitment policies still require certain essential qualities such as endurance of hardships, especially in grueling conditions or perseverance. One's limitations and shortcomings may cause casualties and even potential death.

In short, ones can subscribe to the notion that military service is of critical prominence to the nation's sovereignty and hence ought to be encouraged, though meanwhile its ramifications on the young people enlisted, the quality of military service, post-army support, the future generations and the like should be carefully considered.

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