What's your opinion on mandatory military service? (lemm.ee)

submitted 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) by helloworld55@lemm.ee to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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This question was inspired by a post on lemmy.zip about lowering the minimum age to purchase firearms in the US, and a lot of commeters brought up military service and training as a benchmark to normal civilians, and how if guns would be prevalent, then firearm training should be more common.

For reference, I live in the USA, where the minimum age to join the military is 18, but joining is, for the most part, optional. I also know some friends that have gone through the military, mostly for college benefits, and it has really messed them up. However, I have also met some friends from south korea, where I understand military service is mandatory before starting a more normal career. From what I've heard, military service was treated more as a trade school, because they were never deployed, in comparison to American troops.

I just wanted to know what the broader Lemmy community thought about mandatory military service is, especially from viewpoints outside the US.

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[-] justhach@lemmy.world 78 points 22 hours ago

Just imagine if instead of millitary service, it was compulsary public service that actually benefitted society. Nursing, construction/infrastructure, farming, teaching/childcare, etc.

Its astrounding how much money is pumped into the military industrial complex when it could be used to fund to many other programs for public good.

But that would be sOciALiSm.

[-] DempstersBox@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago

This is exactly what I would want a compulsory service to look like.

Fuck the military, let's build bridges and houses and schools, and cafeterias, and farms, and staff them. Roads and hospitals.

Nobody ever needed to make a fucking bomb

[-] lennybird@lemmy.world 44 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

More hilarious when considering the US Military is an inherently socialist institution.

My sister and brother-in-law will go to the commissary, stay on base housing, get their paycheck from the US Govt., receive public Healthcare, and the GI Bill, then promptly go home and post on Facebook about how socialism bad.

[-] DempstersBox@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago

Realizing the US Army is the most socialist institution I've ever encountered didn't happen till years after I was out, lol

You want school? Get it! You want food? Get it! You want clothes? You already fucking got em

[-] hinterlufer@lemmy.world 9 points 19 hours ago

This exists in Austria. Males have to choose between 6 months of military or 9 months of public service. Interestingly enough the existence of the public service option has been a strong reason why people voted against removing the mandatory service some years ago.

[-] AA5B@lemmy.world 3 points 19 hours ago

Out of curiosity, what do they do for public service?

[-] hinterlufer@lemmy.world 4 points 18 hours ago

Driving ambulance cars and doing first aid, helping in kindergarten, retirement homes, homeless shelters, institutions for people with disabilities,...

The ambulance is probably the most popular position, you can also choose what you want to do to a certain extent.

[-] earphone843@sh.itjust.works 10 points 21 hours ago

I think compulsory retail service would fix society.

[-] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 4 points 19 hours ago

Some places you can opt to do compulsory public service instead of military service.

[-] seven_phone@lemmy.world 7 points 21 hours ago

That's too good of an idea to be usable, the powers that don't want it would tell the nurses, construction workers and farmers their livelihoods were being undermined by slave labour.

[-] LH0ezVT@sh.itjust.works 4 points 20 hours ago

I fully support this. It would help on so many levels. Provide a cheap workforce to help with currently in demand stuff and fix shit, help young people get away from home, get a new view on life and get some starter cash, and mix people from all walks of life. I genuinely see no downside.

[-] count_dongulus@lemmy.world 2 points 21 hours ago

AmeriCorps is exactly this, but it's obviously not compulsory.

[-] AA5B@lemmy.world 1 points 19 hours ago

Does that still exist?

[-] count_dongulus@lemmy.world 3 points 17 hours ago

Yes https://americorps.gov/

this post was submitted on 01 Feb 2025

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