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Chirol
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Chirol

Date

September 2nd, 2005

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American Foreign Legion

Eddie of the FDNF, whose blog is worth your reading time, did a little research a few days ago about foreign citizens serving in the US military in order to receive American citizenship. Here’s what he found:

Excellent news I discovered after researching an issue Chirol (of Coming Anarchy fame) asked about concerning my earlier post about a naturalization ceremony held onboard the USS Kitty Hawk out to sea (my ship) this month.

Via the US Citizenship and Immigration Services story about the service at sea, some 10,000 a year earn their naturalized citizenship. On their home page related to military naturalization, the USCIS explains the rules behind this;

Recent changes in the relevant sections of the INA (Sections 328 and 329) make it easier for qualified military personnel to become U.S. citizens if they choose to file a naturalization application.

In addition, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has created a streamlined process specifically for military personnel serving in active-duty status or recently discharged.

Read the rest of his post. The Dept of US Citizens and Immigrant Services has more specifics too.

Both he and I find this to be a fantastic idea. Considering the United States attracts the best and brightest from around the world to study, do research and work so extending this into the military domain makes perfect sense. Additionally, it helps to somewhat make up for current recruitment troubles and overall continues to prove that an all-volunteer force is preferable to drafting citizens.

Comments to this entry

Eddie
September 2, 2005
10:40 am
I'm very grateful you shared this with others, I have no doubts these new citizens and current servicemen are part of the reason our military is continually strong and effective, even in a difficult recruting environment where it suffers disadvantages being an all-volunteer force.
Now if we could only encourage this further in other areas (law enforcement, rescue/fire personnel, government service, entrepreneurship ), we could also see some benefits in those sectors as well.
Chirol
September 2, 2005
10:50 am
Eddie: No problem. I was grateful that you looked into that as I've blogged on that subject way back in the day but never really found much more information on it and was curious what had become of the idea. It does make one wonder, as you note, whether a clearer "earn your citizenship" program would be a good idea in other fields? Maybe even just some sort of civil service.
snow
September 3, 2005
4:14 pm
This does seem to be a good idea, to cherry-pick the best and brightest in many fields to join 'Team America'. With most advanced economies feeling the pinch of declining birth rates and slowly declining economies (bloated welfare states), the US has the right idea in allowing a steady stream of immigrants. Trying to get the cream of the crop is also a good idea to keep the country up there on the cutting edge.

Is this unfair to the countries that are trying to hang on to these people? Perhaps, but people should be free to go wherever they want to. If their own country can't offer them what they aspire to, then why should they stay if they don't want to? And as a libertarian, I think that doing it for your country (in this case, joining the military) should be a choice rather than a coercion.
Chirol
September 3, 2005
5:54 pm
I think the idea isn't as much cherrypicking them but having the soft power that they continue to come to us instead of Europe for example. I know German has been recently trying to increase its profile and market itself as a great place for foreigners to come and do research etc.