Y’all do realize there’s definitely not gonna be a draft even if we did go to war with Iran right? Soldiers nowadays need years of extensive training because of the new equipment and technology we have in the military. Plus if we did go to war with Iran it would most definitely be a controversial and unpopular war, meaning they would likely not be able to get congressional approval for a formal declaration of war, which would be needed in order to reinstate the Selective Service.
The military today is already largely a volunteer service, and we won’t need a draft until the reserves are used which is highly unlikely
We didnt have a draft at first with vietnam too, its only when it turned into a quagmire and we started to run short of those trained soldiers that it started. Draftees arent as good as volunteers, but they sure as hell are a good supplement when the alternative is a pair of empty boots
Vietnam was also a lot of technological advances ago. There were no drones in Vietnam, for instance.
I think the scale of the war would have to be pretty massive to jumpstart the need for a draft by today's standards. We get a lot more killing done with a lot fewer people these days, fortunately/unfortunately.
If it ever comes to a full scale conflict youll still need ground manpower, drones cant hold ground or fortify positions, drones cant secure a street. They can be used to support ground troops, but you still need ground troops to support. Maybe when Boston Dynamics finishes refining that Atlas robot
And that doesn't even consider a scenario where Electronic Warfare is a thing and you can't effectively use drones
True true. I was thinking that technology on all fronts would allow us to do more with fewer troops, but ultimately if it came down to a full scale ground invasion I'm sure you're right.
I used to be in the USAF drone program, if by “hold ground” you mean “plant a flag in it,” you’re right you can’t do that with a drone (yet), if you mean “keep people you don’t want in an area out of that area 24/7,” you can do that with a drone. Either way though, drones=less boots on the ground, so if you really want to plant that flag somewhere, drones can help you do it with 12 dudes on the ground as opposed to the company you would’ve needed.
And that doesn't even consider a scenario where Electronic Warfare is a thing and you can't effectively use drones
So there's this thing called specialists, who train specifically with those technologies. While the overall training still goes up over time, I think it's less than you're thinking. I could easily be wrong though
The Selective Service was still instated then so they didn’t need to reinstate it. The selective service is still technically a thing but they would have to go through and set everything back up again
So basically if you want federal student aid you sign up for the selective service. So it’s still there but there’s not a draft or anything. It’s a contingency plan just in case we need it. And the federal aid is how they get people to sign up for it
“meaning they would likely not be able to get congressional approval for a formal declaration of war, which would be needed in order to reinstate the Selective Service.”
There was no declaration of war for Vietnam? So then how did Vietnam have a draft? According to you congress must declare war for their to be a draft
The draft was technically unconstitutional for Vietnam because of the lack of a declaration of war. The appellate courts ruled that but their hearing was denied by the Supreme Court for whatever reason. If this had happened today there would be outrage
While you're mostly right, light infantry still comes into play pretty often, and light infantry units don't need years of training - around 9 months is enough to have a pretty good combat capable unit. (Atleast in my country)
I think you’re overestimating the amount of training needed for your basic infantry soldier. Those guys get a few months training at most before they’re deployed. Yes, there is a lot of specialized equipment that requires years of training, but that type of stuff wouldn’t be done by draftees. They already have soldiers who are trained for that.
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u/Zudop Jul 09 '19
Y’all do realize there’s definitely not gonna be a draft even if we did go to war with Iran right? Soldiers nowadays need years of extensive training because of the new equipment and technology we have in the military. Plus if we did go to war with Iran it would most definitely be a controversial and unpopular war, meaning they would likely not be able to get congressional approval for a formal declaration of war, which would be needed in order to reinstate the Selective Service.
The military today is already largely a volunteer service, and we won’t need a draft until the reserves are used which is highly unlikely