Military Ponders Offering Citizenship in Exchange for Service

In a move that would undoubtedly make some Robert Heinlein fans happy, the US military is considering the idea of either directly offering US citizenship to foreign nationals in exchange for serving, or considerably expediting the process in order to boost numbers.

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.
Granted, the military is in a tough place right now. With troops more spread out than they've ever been before, and talk of increased troops in Iraq becoming more serious (despite significant opposition to the idea) these people are going to have to come from somewhere. Recruitment is down (can you blame people for not wanting to buy an express ticket to Baghdad?) and as a result, so are standards. The smaller, sleeker, better trained military that was the goal of the late 1990s and early 2000s appears to be falling by the wayside as technology and training can only make up for so much before more warm bodies are needed on the ground. So if Americans aren't volunteering in sufficient numbers and reinstating a draft is meeting some stiff opposition, how else is the military going to get the soldiers it needs?

Granted, if Bush had been as effective an international coalition-builder as his father was in the first gulf war this probably wouldn't be a concern. But the number of non-US troops in Iraq is small and declining when compared with the significant forces the US is maintaining there, which doesn't leave many for other military operations around the world. Hence the need for more troops.

There are currently non-US citizens serving in the US armed forces, and this certainly wouldn't be the first time in history that a push was made to recruit more of them. However, the technical expertise required to be an effective soldier in 2007 is significantly more than what was needed in 1862, not to mention the language proficiency that is required to learn how to use the new technology. Would poorly trained troops who can't communicate effectively with their superior officers really be that much of a help to the military just by virtue of their being there?

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