Make military service a mandatory requirement for eligibility

We need a change to the eligibility requirements for high level elected federal offices, such as President, Vice-President, members of the Senate, and members of the House of Representatives.  Due to the extraordinary impact these individuals have on all facets of national security, to be eligible for these crucial offices, the laws should be changed to require satisfactorily and honorably completing at least three years of active duty in the nation's military.

According to a Fox News Report, "The 2012 election marked the first time in 80 years that neither major party presidential nominee had served in the military.  Two years later, the 114th Congress was sworn in with the smallest proportion of veterans on record. According to an October 2015 Congressional Research Service report, the high point was reached in the 92nd Congress (1971-72) when 73 percent of Congress had served in the military.  Today, veterans make up 20 percent of the Senate and just 18 percent of the House of Representatives."  And, "On Capitol Hill, veterans are even underrepresented among congressional staffs. Justin Brown, the founder of HillVets, told FoxNews.com vets account for approximately 3 percent of congressional staff members, a figure that reflects the high barrier they face."

These numbers reveal the exceptional disconnect between the nation and its military. With less than one-half of one percent of the nation's citizens currently serving in the military, the lack of understanding of the military is astounding, even dangerous.  Moreover, the disconnection makes it all too easy for our elected leaders to send our men and women into harm's way.  For example, the recent POTUS announcement that 250 more members of our military are being sent to Syria. (Can anyone remember the mission creep in Vietnam?)

With presidents allowed to send our military into combat without a declaration of war, under the pretense of spurious and inexact Congressionally approved Authorizations to Use Military Force (AUMF), the seriousness of such action is not debated by those who have actually served our nation in uniform.

Stop this practice and immediately enact laws mandating satisfactorily and honorably completing at least three years of active duty in the nation's military to be eligible for election or appointment to our highest elected federal offices: President, Vice-President, members of the Senate, and members of the House of Representatives.