Bryan Bender in today's Boston Globe writes that the U.S. military may start recruiting foreigners.
The armed forces, already struggling to meet recruiting goals, are considering expanding the number of noncitizens in the ranks — including disputed proposals to open recruiting stations overseas and putting more immigrants on a faster track to US citizenship if they volunteer — according to Pentagon officials.
Foreign citizens serving in the US military is a highly charged issue, which could expose the Pentagon to criticism that it is essentially using mercenaries to defend the country. Other analysts voice concern that a large contingent of noncitizens under arms could jeopardize national security or reflect badly on Americans' willingness to serve in uniform.
The idea of signing up foreigners who are seeking US citizenship is gaining traction as a way to address a critical need for the Pentagon, while fully absorbing some of the roughly one million immigrants that enter the United States legally each year.
Sort of a two-birds-with-one-stone approach, I guess. I would love to hear from current or retired U.S. military personnel what they think of this."
I support a small amount of such recruiting but at some point a line will be crossed into a real mercanary any army. I'd much rather see universal military suffrage.
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