The Greatest Sacrifice: Why Military Service Should Not Be an Obligation of Citizenship
Max Margulies
May 31, 2018
Earlier this month, War on the Rocks columnists David Barno and Nora Bensahel urged Americans to use Memorial Day as an opportunity to reconsider their obligations to their country. In light of the increasing irrelevance of military service in the lives of most citizens, they argued that it is necessary to “strengthen and reinforce the principle that U.S. citizenship requires serving and defending the nation when called.†The introspection they call for should continue throughout the year and would certainly contribute to an improved civil-military dialogue. However, it is important to understand the historical relationship between the U.S. military and society, as well as to consider current research on the consequences of military service. While Barno and Bensahel are correct to raise concerns about the growing alienation of most of American society from the military, we should be deeply skeptical of the common argument that conscription could help close America’s civil-military divide. The way to revitalize civic responsibility is not by linking it with military service. Conscription – something far less ingrained in America’s historical tradition than Barno and Bensahel allow for – will not redistribute the burden of war as widely across society as many proponents think it will, and it may not make war less likely. Making it an obligation of citizenship may only deepen the divide between those who serve and those who do not or cannot.
https://warontherocks.com/2018/05/the-greatest-sacrifice-why-military-service-should-not-be-an-obligation-of-citizenship/
