Russia's Special Military Operation began with just over a hundred-thousand soldiers and increased its presence when NATO supplied Ukraine with weapons, training, and military aid/technology.

We'd like to believe Ukrainians joined the military voluntarily, but Ukraine prohibited men aged 18-60 from leaving the country and imposed a draft, forcing untrained civilians to fight.

No one wants to endure the horrors of war, but the US is always fighting a conflict somewhere, and who wants to enlist in an overly active military? The lucrative sign-on bonuses and financial stability (while enlisted) don't even tempt poor Americans.

Our lack of public healthcare and crumbling society generated a physical and mental health epidemic. We are too unfit to walk-up a flight a stairs and would die of heart-attacks during training. We're extremely unhealthy.

Older Americans are more patriotic than the younger generations, and the government would struggle to gain young American's support for a war. They don't believe in the US, nationalism, or the "saving democracy" rhetoric, and a draft would cause civil unrest. Plus, what's the point of wars against China or Russia? Has any war since WWII benefitted the public?