Trumpers want mandatory military service so Americans have 'skin in the game'

On Tuesday, The Washington Post reported that top Donald Trump allies are openly musing about reinstituting a military draft. Trump’s lightning-fast denial is proof that he realizes just what a disaster that would be for his campaign. 

The Post report leaned heavily on two top Trump allies. The first is Christopher Miller, who was appointed secretary of defense during the waning days of Trump’s coup attempt. He is a key architect of The Heritage Foundation’s fascist Project 2025, a governing template which, among other things, would require all high school students to take the military entrance exam in order to graduate. (So much for local control of schools in their fascist vision.)

In an interview, Miller said a national service requirement should be “strongly considered.” He described the concept as a common “rite of passage,” one that would create a sense of “shared sacrifice” among America’s youth [...]

“If we’re going to prepare for a great-power competition,” Miller said, “it’s helpful to have a baseline understanding of the pool of potential military service members and their specific aptitudes prior.”

Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, reportedly a finalist in Trump’s VP horse race, is also pro-draft.

“I like the idea of national service. And I’m not talking about in wartime,” he told the Post, saying that Americans need to have “some skin in the game.” 

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said, “I will take no option off the table” in addressing the nation’s recruiting shortfall, including compulsory service. 

Rob Hood, a former Trump defense official, said compulsory service would give young people “a better appreciation for how great this country is.” 

“Who gave them their Social Security numbers? The United States government. There can be the takers and there can be the givers, and once we’re all a bunch of takers and there are no givers, this country will collapse,” Hood said.

Trump immediately went on his social media platform to declare that it was all fake news and that “I never even thought of that idea,” though the story never said he did. It said his top defense advisers were discussing it openly, and they are. After all, compulsory service is a necessary component of a fascist state. 

The idea is obviously a political loser, and Democrats should lean into it. The existence of Project 2025 has gotten little attention outside of political circles, and this could be a stark warning to use while branding it to a wider audience. 

Still, the musing about bringing back the draft does touch on a couple of issues that bear some additional discussion. The first issue the Pentagon’s practical challenges in recruitment, and the second is the value of national service. 

The Pentagon has instituted a system called Genesis that includes every medical visit a potential recruit has ever attended. In the past, recruiters told their recruits to lie about minor health issues, the vast majority of which have zero impact on someone’s ability to serve. Well, Genesis has made that impossible. 

My son fractured his arm in a soccer mishap and he had to submit a mountain of evidence, including a doctor’s note, proving that he had recovered when he enlisted in the Army National Guard years later. Wouldn’t it be easier for the recruiting station to simply take an X-ray to confirm the fracture healed? And forget if, at the age of 12 or 13, a potential recruit had some mental health issues and took medicine to treat depression for a short time. Things like that are suddenly disqualifying. 

You know what else is immediately disqualifying? Having smoked marijuana even once. A whopping 38 states have legalized medicinal marijuana, and 24 of them have legalized all use, which constitutes a majority of the American public. A 2023 Gallup poll found that 50% of Americans have tried cannabis, and another Gallup poll found that use was highest among lower-income and lower-education demographics—the very same groups most attracted to military service. 

Outdated and obsolete national policy has single-handedly disqualified half of the population from military service. 

Finally, the obesity epidemic has created yet another barrier to military recruitment, as almost one-third of all young adults age 17 to 24 are deemed too heavy for enlistment. 

Military retention is another major Pentagon problem. Archaic policies such as refusal to allow men to wear long hair or beards, as well as the aforementioned marijuana use, limit service members’ desire to continue to serve. In some cases, they get kicked out. 

All of these policies can be modified or eliminated to open up a flood of potential new recruits and help with retention of existing service members, and none of them would mean reinstituting the draft or fascist requirements for all high schoolers to take a military aptitude test. 

So that addresses any concerns about manpower shortages. But what about the philosophical arguments for a draft, or the whole idea of having “skin in the game”? 

First, it might not surprise anyone that knows me, but I am a huge proponent of military service. My own service in the Army helped build confidence and leadership skills, and paid for my college and living expenses. My son has followed in my footsteps and not only does he have substantial savings already, but he’ll be paid to go to school and get his degree. He’ll enter the workforce with zero debt and practical skills that will give him advantages over his peers. 

But military service isn’t for everyone. 

During the Cold War, Germany required 18 months of mandatory national service, which could be either military or civil. I had friends in the German army, and I had friends who did what was essentially community service, like helping out in hospitals. I would love to see something like that in the U.S., with a new Civilian Conservation Corps-like program putting young people to work on projects restoring, rebuilding, and beautifying our country. Basically, this proposal, from the 2020 Final Report of the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service.

National service programs such as AmeriCorps, YouthBuild, Senior Corps, and the Peace Corps offer many benefits to the country and local communities, including disaster relief, conservation of natural resources, housing expansion for lower-income Americans, economic development, and educational opportunities for children. Participants also benefit by learning leadership, teamwork, and technical skills; gaining exposure to people of different backgrounds and cultures; and experiencing the personal fulfillment that accompanies contributing to a cause greater than themselves.

In return for that service, these young adults should get the same college benefits that military veterans earn (prorated for time in service). Yes, it would be expensive, but I can’t think of a better investment than having them do incredible work in service of our great country, in exchange for an education. 

Yes, I would like it to be mandatory, but I also live in the real world and realize that would never fly. So making it optional would be a great compromise. 

Of course, this has nothing to do with what the aforementioned Trumpers are touting, whether it’s forcing everyone into military service or even forcing all high schoolers to take the military aptitude test. 

Trump recognized the political liability and poured cold water on the idea. (He might even recognize that it would only serve to bring up his own draft-dodging days.) That doesn’t mean his minions won’t keep scheming in the shadows. 

Hopium Chronicles' Simon Rosenberg joins Markos to discuss the “red wave-ification” of the economy and how prepared Democrats are for November. There is still work to do but we have a better candidate—and we have the edge.

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