Senator McCain’s position:

According to his campaign, Mr. McCain supports the current Department of Defense restrictions on women in combat units, including armor, field artillery and special forces.

And Senator Obama’s:

Mr. Obama supports a requirement for both men and women to register with the Selective Service.

The article goes on to explain (in a surprisingly fair way) the candidates stands on the issue, in general and specific, including the issue of women in combat, and I recommend reading it, in any case.

But I would like to go further than either of the candidates, and propose a fundamental restructuring of the US Army into a two tiered force, with separate, though complementary, missions.

The first would be a Peacekeeping/Nation Building/Police Action force. Soldiers for this group would be drawn from a military draft (more on that later), and from volunteers. For the sake of discussion, lets call them the the PK’s. I really need to find a better term for that.

The PK’s would do what the Army is doing today in Iraq: Policing; training the local police and military; construction projects; community relations; keeping warring factions separated; general purpose nation building. They would also have a role domestically in disaster response, and border control, when such duties were necessary.

These are all worthy activities, serving a noble purpose. But they are a stone that dulls the blade of the finest professional fighting force in the world today.

Using finely honed precision weapons – let’s call them the War Fighters – for PK duties is not only a waste of the time and resources spent training them for their specific mission; but it deprives the nation of their services in other areas, where their specific skill sets can best be used.

The War Fighters should, and must be, an all volunteers force. We have proven since the last draft ended that this leads to a solid, professional corps, fully invested in the mission.

There are tremendous advantages to a system of this type. It allows for a the application of resources where they can be the most effective. War Fighter training and equipment is different from the skills and training needed for nation building. But there can be no doubt that both are needed in the world today. It is obvious from our experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, that both theaters could have been better served by a dual chambered military force.

Another advantage is that many people who are not suited for a direct combat mission, could find other positions to serve with the PK’s. It would also allow for a reintroduction of the notion of National Service, that has been, for the most part, lost to this nation.

Service in the PK force should be one option of many available to young adults in the United States. Others should include Ameri-corps, the Peace Corps, the Public Health Service, the Veterans Administration, Border Patrol, or other organizations.

But ALL young Americans should be understand that they are expected to serve some time in National Service, if they want to receive benefits from the government (note – this system *must* be voluntary, or it is just another form of slavery).

Two years of service could net you a 0% interest college loan. Four years could net you a partial or full college grant. Service could be a prerequisite to access to government small business loans. Many government services that are supplied today gratis could now be contingent upon performing some type of National service. After all, the taxpayers who are funding those services should be able to expect some value in return for their contributions.

This would have the additional beneficial effect of delaying the entrance of young adults into college until they are in their early 20′s, with some real world experience, and a much greater appreciation of the college education they have earned through their service.

We could do much worse to expect our children and grandchildren to contribute something back to their nation. And in the case of the Peace Keeping force, contribute to a better life for others, as well.

Just a thought.

UPDATE:
It is worth noting that I am not suggesting as drastic as the separation of the US Navy and the US Coast Guard. I am saying that the same overall structure needs to have two faces, that can, when needed, be melded together, quickly, seamlessly, and easiily, to form a much larger and greater whole.

This same concept could be applied to the US Air Force, though on a smaller scale. The Air Transport mission of the Air Force is commonly used for Humanitarian and PK support type missions today, and that role could be enhanced.