Keldon-class, why didn't the Cardassian Union make more?

[Deepcrush]

[Sionnach Glic]

Hey, at least you only have him for eight years. Over here we have 7 year terms for the president, and a total of two terms. We'd have had 14 years of Bush.

[Deepcrush]

I doubt it... there would have been civil war the moment he would try to raise the drinking age and lower the draft age.

[Sionnach Glic]

I don't think we have a draft over here.

[Tsukiyumi]

We don't over here either, but you still have to register for it at 18. Go figure.

[Sionnach Glic]

I mean that we don't have anything that could at some point be used to conscript people, the way the draft could.

[KuvahMagh]

You guys have to register for it when you turn 18, what just in case?

[Tsukiyumi]

You guys have to register for it when you turn 18, what just in case?

I guess if we were ever hard-pressed WW2 style, they'd re-institute the draft, and they want to be ready.

[KuvahMagh]

You guys have to register for it when you turn 18, what just in case?

I guess if we were ever hard-pressed WW2 style, they'd re-institute the draft, and they want to be ready.

What about Vietnam style where you were trapped in a nearly unwinable situation and were loosing people faster than they can be replaced with fresh ones...

But yeah, I didn't know that you still had to register. I mean I'm all for preparedness but it seems kind of foolish since I seriously doubt that should it ever come to it they would be able to train a mass conscript army quickly and effectively which kind of gives you the sense of security (ie the draft will fill your ranks quickly) without any real advantage (you still need to train and equip all of these people). I guess it just gets rid of one step but I still don't get it. I imagine it also takes some resources to keep up on since you would have to chase down anyone who didn't do it or else it is a sham system... kind of like American Citizenship is at this point when you keep granting it to anyone who is crooked enough to sneak into your country...

[Tsukiyumi]

It's also a good way to keep track of people. They like to do that WAY too much nowadays, IMO.

[KuvahMagh]

So is this automatic, like when you turn 18 it is flagged and your info is added/something sent to you like a census or is it a completely voluntary system, by that I mean you have to go into your local recruiting center to do it all yourself?

[Captain Seafort]

What about Vietnam style where you were trapped in a nearly unwinable situation and were loosing people faster than they can be replaced with fresh ones...

You mean like Iraq, up until a year or so ago...

Seriously, the only situation in which the draft would be reinstated in the US would be if the CONUS itself were directly threatened with an invasion. Vietnam casts too long a shadow for anything less than that to be accepted.

Militarilly, the US army needs the draft now - they're doing year-on year-off tours, whereas the British Army is doing six months on, two years off (or trying to) and is sill seriously overstretched.

[Tsukiyumi]

So is this automatic, like when you turn 18 it is flagged and your info is added/something sent to you like a census or is it a completely voluntary system, by that I mean you have to go into your local recruiting center to do it all yourself?

It's required by law. And, yes, you have to do it all yourself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_Service_System

Yeah, I know, it's Wikipedia. The information here is accurate.

Seafort - I agree about re-instituing the draft.

[Captain Seafort]

Seafort - I agree about re-instituing the draft.

Which bit? That it's needed, that it's not going to happen, or both?

[Tsukiyumi]

Seafort - I agree about re-instituing the draft.

Which bit? That it's needed, that it's not going to happen, or both?

Ha! Good point. I'll have to say both.