In numerous countries, young males have to serve in the army for a time after they leave school. Some people believe that every country should enforce the same rule, and for females too. Even though the army has its usefulness, in very specific conditions, I believe that neither men or women should be forced to go through a compulsory military service.
It is true that having military personnel, ready to intervene in various emergency situations, can be very valuable. In the face of natural disasters, having trained soldiers to help and evacuate people is priceless. To illustrate, a few years ago a massive landslide occurred in a small mountainous village in the South of Switzerland, tens of people were hurt or stuck under the ruins. The army intervened quickly and were able to save most of the victims, whilst the ambulance couldn’t even get access to the scene. Thus, proving the value of part of the military.
On the other hand, forcing young adults to serve in the army is not the solution. Reaching their majority and becoming eligible for military service can be a terrible prospect for some men. In fact, only a minority of men would do their military service if it wasn’t compulsory. People have other projects, they might want to travel the globe, or continue their academic journey, or even build a start-up, but all of these projects have to be brought to a stop so that an 18 years old boy can go shoot expensive guns and run exhaustive distances for four months.
To conclude, countries should not adopt compulsory military services. Having trained personnel in catastrophic situations is useful but can be obtained with other methods. Forcing young adults to serve in the army, for most of them, brakes their start in life and should not be encouraged.