The military is dying institution.

First, the chief problem with the military is economic. It is not the size of the force, which is constantly shrinking (that in itself will become a problem in the future in the current trend), but the cost per man/unit to train, equip, and maintain, which continues to balloon. There is substantial literature describing the gross inefficiencies of the defense economy. The knee-jerk reaction currently flooding the literature in light of this libertarian kick America's right-wing seems to be on is to simply reduce the size of the force and its budget and retreat into a make believe return of isolationism. That is treating the symptoms, not the causes. And, quite frankly, in order for the US to maintain its privileged economic and political position in the world, it requires a large, well-equipped force capable of operating anywhere in the the world under complex conditions. America's strategic focus will continue to shift towards East and Southeast Asia and Africa; environments which will require completely different approaches and assets.

Second, and this problem is partly related to the first, the politicization of the military continues to undermine its objectivity and focus on strategic priorities and global security trends. The military is itself invested in the outcomes and relationships of the inefficient defense economy, and therefore corrupts the policy-making process. This also has produced an acquiescent military leadership that is incapable of challenging its own assumptions. The self-selecting recruitment, evaluation, and promotion process will preserve this problem to the bitter end.

Third, the military is becoming increasingly isolated from the culture it defends and (claims to) represent. This is partly due to the self-selecting recruiting, but also because its the shrinking middle class that is picking up more of the service burden. There is also the problem of public perception, which to some degree views the military as automatons incapable of independent thought. And this is not helped when the military culture actively promotes itself as the nation's top 1%, etc despite higher rates of suicide, domestic violence, divorce, drug abuse, and so on.

Quickly, to recap, the military is becoming more expensive to maintain for a lesser amount of combat power, the leadership has no incentive to change course, and it is having a great strain on military personnel and the public's relationship with them. This will lead to military, and perhaps political, disaster.

None of these issues are "transitory". They are structural and permanent and are trending downwards.

Why is national service a viable answer? It will force reformation of the defense economy and legitimation of political decisions to use force by creating an immediate and direct stake in those decisions for every single American. It will also infuse the military with the diverse skills and backgrounds of the American people. This will become increasingly necessary in a complex, Eastern-izing world. Lastly, it will re-focus American energy and innovation on nation-building at home, where education, healthcare, and infrastructure continue to decline.

National service is a part of the American tradition; from the original colonies into the 20th century. It should not be the right or obligation of a tiny minority to contribute to this nation's defense and prosperity.