[griffinkelly]

I think the biggest benefit of more people serving is that the general public realizes that war is a terrible thing and should be done as a last resort. I think it also gives a better understanding of the ways governments use power projection and it's an unnecessary evil, particularly becoming relevant again with Russia. As we see fewer and fewer people serving I believe many of our political leaders will become less empathetic to that understanding. As a reservist in the US, in the many conversations I've had with fellow tech coworkers, there's usually a general lack of knowledge and understanding on the military as few have any direct relatives in the armed services.

As a side note in terms of fitness, in the US, the number eligible people is rather low due to the number of constrains the US military places on fitness, weight, tattoos, mental health etc. The number of people that could actually fight it everyone were called up that's within the age bracket is somewhere in the teens in terms of percentage. Unsure where that stands in Europe, but it would be a large roadbump if the draft were to be reimplemented.