Yabby,disciplne is good but it does not necessarily have to be military discipline.In this climate I don't think that putting 18-25 yr olds into military training is such a good idea.With the US looking for new wars to start,many people can be seduced into conflicts that are no business of ours.

If we are to have military training,then part of their education should be an unbiased view of how the US is entering to pre-emptive wars that are not justified eg Iraq and Pakistan.Let them know how this Zbigniew Brzezinski the foreign policy maker of Obama thinks.

War is the most horrific thing anyone can experience.Even if you are lucky enough to survive it with all your limbs,your psyche is changed for ever and this is usually for the worse.We should only go to war in defense of our country and not at the beckon and call of the US seeking to extend it's empire

Arjay, I remind you that despite every male in Switzerland doing
their 17 weeks of training, Switzerland has been involved in no
wars.

It did however stop Hitler from invading the place, as he realised
that his losses would be far too great.

OTOH, has all that training benefitted the Swiss? I remind you
that its a tiny country, with no resources, a great education
system in the way of trades etc and as a nation the Swiss have
done better then just about any other nation.

Just look around you, from Nestle coffee to a host of pharmaceuticals, to ship engines to lifts, the Swiss are involved.

You would be consuming their products nearly every day, without even
being aware of it.

I've now employed enough young Australians to realise, that some
are so pampered and spoiled by their well meaning parents, that
they are hardly employable.

17 weeks to shake them up to the real world, would do them no harm
and perhaps alot of good.

Great spin Yabby put forward, pity it is neither objective or truly accurate. We should also consider the fact glossed over or ignored (because they didn't suit the his biased argument.

Their army had nothing to do with why they didn't get occupied. It had more to do with their being a clearing house and bankers for the 3rd Reich and it's ill gotten gains.

Even today they hide (destroyed) records that shows their nefarious activities. GWB's Gran daddy (Prescott)got into bother for the same activities.

Switzerland have one of the most discriminatory migration systems in Europe.

Do we really need to talk about the Switz corporations skulduggery/abuses.

The corporations are there because of tax laws etc nothing to do with the army or any thing else.

Their army is to boost patriotism nothing else.

In short Switzerland is hardly a model to strive for. It illustrious status is a myth....PR.

The whole purpose of military is to either provide or support "cannon fodder". Rarely in defense usually for political or other reasons.
Simply look at all the militarist countries and with hand on heart tell us that they don't have another agenda beyond mere defense.
The US, Russia, China, Burma, Israel, Nth Korea et al.

Dear Yabby,

My husband worked with a Swiss National who spent
2 years in the Swiss National Service. He was
given a bicycle - for transport, a Swiss knife
for defence, and a mountaineering pick -
to fight the enemy.
These are not my husband's words, but that of the
Swiss National. That was back in the early 1970s.

And, that was the Swiss Army bicycle division.

Militarily - the natural geography - gave more
protection to the country than the Swiss Army.

Have a look at the Vatican State - the Papal
Swiss Guard - their uniforms and their weaponry.
Straight out of the 16th Century.

The only 'protection,' Switzerland has is its
Swiss banks. Where enemies of varied political
persuasion can stash their 'loot,' under the one roof -
with the blessing of the Swiss Government.

Any form of military training be it in school cadets,
National Service, Army Reserves, or the regular military,
gives the Nation an organised pool of manpower in National
emergencies or catastrophes - and that can't be all bad.
For example - in the recent Victorian Bush fires - when
the regular authorities could not cope - with the extent
of the bush fires - the army came in with assistance of
air and road transport and temporary tent accommodation
for the victims. If they wouldn't have had people in
military training they wouldn't have been able to call
on them.

My husband who was in the Scouts camping near a bushfire
area - together with all the campers helped fight the fire.
That's a small example of an organised unit assisting
in the event of a disaster.

ROFL, you two turkeys know about as much about Switzerland, as
most ignorant Americans know about Australia :)

A couple of links, so that you at least are informed about
the basics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_Switzerland

I noticed with my teens over the last two years and with many of their friends and classmates that they got tired or sick of it or just wanted to do something else after so many years at school. It seems to happen around 16 – 17. Maybe something put in place to interrupt near the end of the school year where they all go off and do something else for a couple of months.

I think if something different had happened many of them would have returned to school for Year 11.

“Question to ask, what does the community of the future need most?”

A firm identity? Empathy? Ethics? I just asked husband and he said "Law and Order" Asked the 17 year old, "big parks" she says Fractelle. God help us.

Hey Foxy, hug back at ya. That site was interesting, my son would have loved it and my daughter would have been expelled (or shot) within days. DoCS should make more use of these places. And boarding schools.

I don’t know how I feel about Switzerland not being in any wars Yabby. Nice that they were okay though.