Stanley: I think it’s a horrible idea. If the USA can no longer muster enough citizens to staff our armies, then we are doomed, doomed, and should just go down giggling and give someone else a shot at being Top Dog.
The youth of fifth-century Italy, said Gibbon, “trembled at the sound of the trumpet.” To keep the armies manned, the later Roman emperors therefore hired in Germans. Look what happened. Same with the 9th and 10th-century Arab Caliphs, though they insourced Turks instead of Germans. Same result.
To serve in the military should be a privilege of citizenship, not a chore or a penance on the way to citizenship. Let foreigners staff their own armies, and let America staff hers from among our citizens. If we can’t do that, let’s put out the lights and hand over the keys.