There is no greater honor than to serve one’s country and to risk one’s life for the freedom of others. Personally, I would volunteer without hesitation or a second thought if my country asked or needed my service, but I shouldn’t have to sign up for the completely arbitrary Selective Service System.

Men at age 18 must register for the Selective Service System, meaning their name and information is recorded in case the government ever institutes a draft again. The notion that the U.S. will ever have a successful draft again is ridiculous.

The last draft was during the Vietnam War in 1973, when it was discontinued, and instances of draft card burnings and protests plagued the government throughout the war.

If a draft was instituted today, a similar situation would undoubtedly occur. There is by far not enough support for the government or military for draftees to fully obey their obligations.

But this fact is most likely obsolete because a modern draft is not even plausible.

The American military prides itself on being the most elite and best-trained military in the world. They carry out every operation with perfect precision and effectiveness.

This precision would only be undermined by a draft. It takes years to get a military unit effectively ready for modern combat. The technology and tactics are so complicated that training takes months and never ceases.

There’s a reason that an enlistment for a volunteer soldier is four years long. It takes that long for a soldier to complete training and spend enough time as a useful member to make it worth the government’s while.

The purpose of a draft is to get as many soldiers trained and on the battlefield as quickly as possible. It is just not possible to take a 19-year-old kid who did not volunteer and form him into a capable soldier in a timely manner that would make a draft effective.

Modern conflicts are increasingly being fought by Special Forces that take years to select and train. The government couldn’t mandate that draftees stay in long enough to go through that process.

However, since it is unlikely that Selective Service will be abolished, there should be one key change. Since it was recently announced that women would be able to join combat units and actually fight, women in the same age bracket should have to sign up for Selective Service.

Selective Service is growing increasingly obsolete as warfare is being conducted by highly trained military professionals. The government should look to redefine the parameters of Selective Service to make it potentially more effective, since as it stands, it is not the least bit practical.

Bryan Doherty is an Opinion Editor for The Patriot and jcpatrot.com.