The military's job is to prepare for and to fight wars. AFSC is opposed to militarism, the dominant role that the US military plays in U.S. society. We are not hostile toward people who join the military. Even though there is no credible military threat to the US in the world today, the military continues to have a stranglehold on federal government spending and the US economy. At the same time our government says that we cannot afford to spend money on dealing with basic human needs.
Militarism skews all our options.
No person should feel like joining the military is his or her only option for getting a job, paying for college, or escaping a violent community. We strongly believe that the policies and practices of our schools and government institutions should be driven by the needs of our people, and particularly our youth, not by the needs of a massive and powerful military establishment. Many schools have adopted a stance of zero tolerance for weapons and made it a priority to teach students to find alternatives to aggressive behavior. Following are some more. Schools need to provide their students with sound educational preparation.