i had a liberal english teacher in high school who supported reinstating the draft

his rationale was that when the military is volunteer-only, most people do not have an investment in the institution of the military and so have less skin in the game when soldiers are sent across the world to kill and die by imperialist politicians/incentive to oppose it strongly

the antiwar movement during vietnam was so potent because there was actually a threat across society that people/people's sons/brothers/etc. would randomly be sent into the jungles of southeast asia to napalm commies (and many were)

after the draft was scrapped, that personally embodied concern at the danger of American warmongering disappeared

you see the long tail of this whenever "WW3" memes trend on social media -- ppl making jokes about being scared about being drafted, even though it's been gone for almost 50 years at this point. it's understood that personally having skin in the game is the only genuinely felt thing

(for the record, this is why i think they'd never bring back the draft. the added warm bodies would not be worth the increased popular revulsion at imperialist warmongering)

What do Y'all think?

On one hand there's some truth to that but i just thought about being forced to work in the US military and almost jumped out the window just picturing myself in that situation

I’d debatelord the s*** out of my commanding officer, and likely get court martial-ed in the process.

you're right in the sense of public opinion for sure but i do think so long as the military remains a disposable force at the ultimate and sole behest of a detached politician & unelected bureaucratic class to use at will, the public opinion doesn't really matter that much. It might solve public attitudes toward wartime/invasion/etc. , but it doesn't necessarily solve the overall issue itself if the top level doesn't have skin in the game themselves per-se

This

thanks god im too mentally ill to get drafted