I guess Eisenhower (kinda) wrote this in the year 1966. This seems to be a summary of Ike's article in Reader's Digest. This is from the NY Times of that era.

(Sorry about the lack of formatting. Direct copy/paste.)

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Eisenhower Asks Military Training for All Youths

WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower has urged the adoption of universal military training as the cornerstone of the United States defense es- tablishment. In the former President's opinion, universal military training would provide an ef- fective, democratic and prac- tical solution to the manpower procurement problem. He said it would also eliminate what he saw as unfairness of the cur- rent Selective Service System by requiring every capable male student as well as school dropout to be trained for mil- itary service. "I am aware, of course,” said General Eisenhower in an arti- cle written for the current is- sue of Readers Digest, “that many congressmen regard uni- versal military training as po- litical poison. I am convinced that most Americans believe in the value of such a system, and that many others could be per- suaded by an enlightened edu- cational campaign. Most of all, I urge that we act now."

49 Weeks for Everyone

The General said the various proposals being made by Con- gress, a Presidential panel and other agencies to ameliorate the present system were "pal- liatives" that did not come to grips with the essential prob- lems. Explaining his own plan he said: “Under the system that I envision, every young male American, no matter what his status in life or his plans for the future, would spend 49 weeks-one year minus three weeks' vacation-in military training. "Only the barest minimum of exemptions would be permit- ted: obvious mental incompe- tents, those with some drastic physical defect, perhaps a few extreme-hardship cases.” General Eisenhower suggest- ed that boys be called up at the age of 18 since that point marks a natural break between high school and the start of college or work. Under the General's plan, boys on entering the service would be offered the option of enlisting immediately in the regular forces for two years with all the pay and perquisites attached to regular service in- cluding later education under a G.I. Bill of Rights. If these inducements did not produce enough volunteers re- quired by the regular forces, the Goverment could draft added manpower, if needed, the general said. He suggested that a lottery be employed in this event. In the beginning, the lottery would include the large pool of youths who were past the mili- tary training age but still liable to service. This pool would diminish each year and after five or six years would be ex- hausted.

Sees Cause for Dissent

General Eisenhower said he had watched with dismay the "rising tide of rancor engen- dered by our draft system" but added that it was not hard to understand "why this clamor- ous dissent should exist.” At the two opposite ends of the manpower spectrum, he said, there exist two large privileged classes the college students with their access to exemptions from military service and those considered unfit for service by the military authorities. In the middle, the former President said, was the group making up the bulk of the manpower called for service- boys physically fit who have not gone on from high school to college. These boys feel justly, General Eisenhower ar- gued, that they are entitled to the same considerations as the college students. The general's article, writ- ten before President Johnson's speech last Thursday to Gov- ernment internees, contained views on some points raised by the President. Mr. Johnson suggested in his speech that he was considering a “practical system of nonmili- tary alternatives to the draft" and hinted that major revisions were planned to make the Se- lective Service System more “just."

Opposes Civilian Alternative

"A suggested variant," Gen- eral Eisenhower said, "is that we adopt a system of universal service but offer each young man the choice of military training or serving in some civilian group such as the Peace] Corps, a hospital cadre, or a conservation corps. "I strongly doubt the wisdom of this plan," he said, “because] (1) It would be almost impossi- ble to provide enough useful civilian duties for those who elected this course; (2) The scheme would still be unfair to the boys who have to fight our wars; (3) The important bene- fits of a year of military edu- cation would not reach those who chose civilian service." General Eisenhower said that under his plan the nation would gain the following: A huge reserve of trained manpower. Better officers in the Re- serve Officer Training Corps. A more efficient National Guard. An effective method of re- ducing juvenile delinquency, ir- responsible behavior and crime through exposure to one year of disciplined, orderly life in the armed forces. Stimulation of pride in the country and a desire to fulfill one's obligations as a citizen. General Eisenhower contended that it was necessary to pro- vide a new system that would revive among all young people a deep sense of "duty, honor, country."


https://www.nytimes.com/1966/08/22/archives/eisenhower-asks-military-training-for-all-youths.html