Mandatory National Service in the United States

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The question whether mandatory national service should be introduced in the US has been discussed by many scholars, sociologists, and policy-makers. The propositions for compulsory service within the context of the modern American society imply that young citizens could join the military or participate in other civilian projects involving national service (Cohen). These can include working and teaching in the low-income areas, caring for the elderly and the disabled, maintaining infrastructure, and other types of social activism (Cohen). Arguably, compulsory service should be required in the US because it has a number of important advantages, such as promoting diversity and inclusion, saving governmental funds, eliminating social isolation, and promoting young people’s health.

One of the main arguments for introducing mandatory national service in the form of a draft or required civil activism is the fact that this will promote unity and diversity. As people with different professions and backgrounds will be engaged in a similar type of work, exchanging their knowledge, experience, and skills, they will become more aware of the diverse nature of their community (Seck). This will help to address one of the most important issues in the modern American society, bridging the gap between individuals with different cultural and ethnical backgrounds and eliminating the barriers of race, class, and income. As a result, mandatory national service will increase diversity and inclusion in the US.

Another important argument that supports mandatory national service is the fact that it will help to save governmental funds, at the same time providing sufficient benefits to the communities. For example, it will allow policy-makers to re-evaluate youth national service programs, which have been reported to “cost a total of $1.7 billion annually” (Bauchner and Sharfstein para. 8). However, if young Americans were involved in the mandatory national service projects, it would remove the need to finance a large number of these programs and invest the additional funds in other important fields, such as healthcare and education. Moreover, the money will be saved that is currently spent on advertisements that encourage young citizens to join volunteer projects (Seck). As for the benefits for the youth, these can include the opportunity to gain valuable experience in the field of interest and increase awareness of the importance of civic engagement. Mandatory draft of civil service can also help young people mature and become more responsible.

Finally, it can be stated that mandatory national service is extremely beneficial because it will help to address the issues of loneliness and disconnection in the modern American society. While it may seem that people are now connected through social media and the Internet, studies have shown that “more than three in five Americans” regularly experience feelings of loneliness and isolation (Brown para. 7). These emotions are mostly common among young people often referred to as Generation Z, and tend to lead to widespread health issues such as depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders (Seck). In turn, compulsory national service in the form of military draft or required civil activism will allow reconnecting modern generation and promote young people’s mental and physical health and well-being.

It can be concluded that mandatory national service represents an efficient way to address a number of issues in the modern American society and should therefore be required in the US. First, it will bridge the barriers related to internal bias and discrimination. Second, it will allow the government to save money, investing it in other fields that are crucial for the communities, such as healthcare and education. Finally, it will allow decreasing and eliminating the feelings of social isolation, experienced by many young people nowadays, and promote health and well-being in the community.

Works Cited

Bauchner, Howard, and Joshua Sharfstein. “Medical Students and Public Health Service for the COVID-19 Pandemic.” JAMA Network | Home of JAMA and the Specialty Journals of the American Medical Association, Web.

Brown, Khari. “Why We Need a Mandatory Year of Service.” The Hill, Web.

Cohen, Eliot A. Citizens and Soldiers: The Dilemmas of Military Service. Cornell UP, 2019.

Seck, Hope H. “Mandatory National Service Would Create a More Equal Society, Former NSA Rice Says.” Military.com, Web.

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