Should everyone serve a minimum of 2 yrs in the Armed Forces right out of High School?

This question comes up from time to time in here. I'd say once or twice a year in fact.

My opinion is that the US could never afford to pay people for compulsory service. The opinion of most people serving is that nobody wants to deal with kids who don't want to be there. We have enough problems with kids who regret joining already. It would be worse when you're babysitting even more people who just don't want to be there. Compulsory service works well in small places like Israel and Korea, but the US can't pay for all those 18-25 year olds working at once. I'm sure it would make for a better country, just like paid college for everyone, paid health care for everyone and stationing guards at every school to prevent mass murders. But money is a finite resource and we have to prioritize where it goes.

While deployed with a MEU to the Mediterranean, I got a chance to train closely with the military of many of our European allies. Most of which had compulsory military service for two years. Their professional career soldiers hated the policy. The majority of their non-volunteers were crap soldiers with crap attitudes, doing the minimum they could do and not incur punishment.

I've already met enough Soldiers that don't want to be in uniform after they volunteered. I don't relish the experience of serving next to people who don't want to be there at all.

I understand the need of the selective service system, if there were a global or large regional war that had the capability of threatening the American homeland then its necessity would be made clear.

Perhaps two years of service to the community or State could be a good thing, but I would want it as distanced from the military as possible. Maybe they could work as federally or state sponsored reserve fire fighters, community service officers to their local police department, as park rangers, or game wardens, and a variety of other tasks.

However keep in mind this will cost billions to suddenly make every 18 year old in America spend two years serving their community by force while they also need to make a living wage.