‘ ‘ ‘ Facing two ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. military looks to bolster its… ‘ ‘ ‘ Facing two ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. military looks to bolster its number of soldiers by recruiting skilled immigrants living in the United States with temporary visas. For the first time since the Vietnam War, the armed forces will allow immigrants who have lived in the United States for at least two years to enlist, according to The New York Times. ‘ ‘ ‘ As an incentive, the enlisted immigrants will have the chance to become U.S. citizens in as little as six months ‘mdash; a significant reduction from the time it normally takes to apply for citizenship. For foreigners who come to work or study in the United States with temporary visas, the path to citizenship can last more than a decade. ‘ ‘ ‘ Judging by its resources and wealth, the American military is a superpower. But it can’t sustain its supremacy without an adequate number of troops. As the military seeks skilled temporary immigrants ‘mdash; it specifically looks for bilingual immigrants who can speak languages such as Arabic or Chinese and immigrants knowledgeable in the field of medicine ‘mdash; it’s a step in the right direction toward increasing troop numbers. ‘ ‘ ‘ Although the military would certainly benefit from recruiting immigrants who have specific and useful abilities, why should it limit the criteria for applying? Essentially, if the military wants to augment its numbers, it should open the door to unskilled immigrants as well. ‘ ‘ ‘ Of course, the military doesn’t offer this opportunity to illegal immigrants. Yet there exists a significant proportion of unskilled immigrants capable of carrying out some of the duties performed by U.S. soldiers. ‘ ‘ ‘ Critics might offer concerns that immigrants could have allegiances to their native countries that would trump their patriotic feelings toward the United States. But those in pursuit of a quick path to citizenship very likely feel strongly about the country in which they seek citizenship given that they’re willing to die for it.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ The skilled immigrants will also have to undergo stringent background checks. The government should, of course, hold the unskilled immigrants to these same standards. ‘ ‘ ‘ The military often entices recruits by emphasizing the skills one will learn while serving in the military. Soldiers can pick up on a variety of abilities ‘mdash; from leadership and teamwork to engineering and computer operation skills. ‘ ‘ ‘ Thus, the military would serve as a means for unskilled immigrants to gain practical and useful abilities. This, in turn, would make it easier for immigrants to find a good job upon leaving the service. ‘ ‘ ‘ Though the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have stretched on for several years, there’s still no real talk of a draft. Most U.S. citizens would no doubt find a draft extremely unpopular, and one would probably only arise as a last resort. Yet if more immigrants join the military and augment its numbers, the likelihood of a draft would only further diminish.