[Throw73747]

Sure Uncle Tom! If it's so great, why they have to force people into it?

I was conscripted, I fired 20 bullets over 12 months, I get more practise over weekend of paintball! Rest was just bullying, cleaning toilets and scraping potatoes. They would not even let me drive a truck, because I was too "unreliable"!

[fl7305]

(You might want to review the HN guidelines on commenting before you use more invectives)

> If it's so great, why they have to force people into it?

The fact that people are forced is not in opposition to the fact that they can still be motivated and capable once training is over.

> I was conscripted, I fired 20 bullets over 12 months. Rest was just bullying, cleaning toilets and scraping potatoes. They would not even let me drive a truck, because I was too "unreliable"!

Conscription sucked for you, sure. If everyone in that army receives that level of training, I will concede that it will be neither motivated nor capable.

But we have plenty of examples where countries with conscription armies have performed well in armed conflicts.

So the concept of conscription is not obviously ineffective. It depends on the implementation.

[Throw73747]

> So the concept of SLAVERY is not obviously ineffective. It depends on the implementation.