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We in Finland are just getting a law that also women can do military service as volunteers. This has caused a lot of disagreements between different political parties and other intrest groups - even to a degree when one starts suspecting that the whole issue was brought up now primarely to make people forget certain more important issues. Anyway, I think it is a good starting point towards a more sensible military system, one that would be based on voluntariness of both sexes .
Then what makes me think this kind of system would work in a small coutry? Would there be enough volunteers to quarantee our security? I think yes, as long as we are ready to provide these people with the same benefits as all the other state employees; a reasonable salary, promotion possibilitys etc. The only obvious disadvantage is the fact that we can't let these people quit quite as freely as in so-called normal jobs, after all, we have no use for an army that will quit as soon as a conflict arrises. A reasonable way to deal with this would be making the contract for 4 years at the time - during which you are not allowed to quit. Also quitting would be forbidden if the country is in a war. How we could afford this system whitout increasing taxes (God knows we pay enough as it is) is by reducing the size of the army. We'll manage to keep up the same level of defence with considerably smaller amount of people because, unlike young guys who are forced into service against their will, these people would be highly motivated professionals. I for one would feel much safer .
We do not choose where we are born so being punished for it is totally unreasonable. And that's what it is these days, a punishment for young guys to be forced into the army against their will, and unfortunately also sometimes agaist everything they believe in, their religion or pasifism. Yes, sure there is another option, civil service, but if you believe that is wrong also, if ou want to have absolutely nothing to do with the whole unhuman system, what then? With growing shame I have read about several idealistic young guys who have been sent to prison for just that, for holding on to what they believe is right. How is this possible, I ask myself, in a country sucs as Finland? A counry that teatches us already in nursery school to believe in peace? If that isn't having double standars, nothing is .
Working as a professional soldier is a dangerous occupation. But then again there are a lot of dangerous occupations in this world and still there are people who do it; and actually it is propaply much more dangerous to work as a policeman in New York city than as a soldier in Finland. All we need now is political will to do a good thing for a change .
