France is about to reintroduce conscription. In Switzerland, we are lucky to still have a mandatory military service. Generations ago, most managing positions in the country where held by Swiss Armed Forces militia officers. But now, with "Management schools" all around, and improved mobility, it is no longer the case.
In my opinion, this is a big mistake: soldiers represent better value ; (non commissioned) officers even more. Here are some reasons why.
Life is more and more stressful. You have to handle your private life with your working life. Both demand mobility and quality of delivery. Both impose deadlines and social pressure. Competition is so huge that if you are not on top, you lose your job, your life-partner and even your friends.
But in the military, from day one of training you are under stress. From the drill instructor who screams at you to the continuous lack of sleep, your body learns how to handle stress and finally deal with it.
When you are nineteen years old, and you have to manage up to thirty people, weapons and (armored) vehicles, it is a huge responsibility, involving costs and risks.
There is simply no public or private school that can teach you that. The time to get that kind of experience in civil life is just 10 times longer!
Choosing between Chinese noodles or Italian pizza for lunch is easy. But when it comes to tactical decisions which involve life or death, it is a whole new level.
Every single army officer is drilled to make decisions. To create opportunities, to compare pros & cons, and to decide. There is no way you will hear an officer complaining about "I did not know what to do, then I haven't done it".
Since officers know how to decide, they know how to set priorities. They apply Pareto's principle to every task and are, then, able to deliver a usable product, on time, rather than a perfect product, but too late.
People you meet in service are camarades for ever. it will eventually happens that you help them with a job, a professional service or advice. And they will eventually help you. This has value for businesses too: camarades can become clients, partners or trusted suppliers.