In Lieu of a Military Draft...

Jim Henley's libertarian argument is the best:

The real solution to the problem of repeated deployments [of US troops] and etc. is: fewer stupid wars. Fewer overseas deployments. Recognize that the “demands for the nation’s security” have inflated to the point of absurdity. Cut “defense” (read: military) spending significantly. Pull out of South Korea, Europe and Iraq, downsize the Navy and Air Force. The United States faces no existential threats. There is no nation or movement on Earth that could conquer America or compel submission from afar. Only a handful of countries - Russia, China, France, England - could do us more than isolated damage. None of them have any reason to, and even a much smaller American military would retain the capacity to retaliate massively if one tried. The most effective of the hostile non-state and para-state groups is al-Qaeda, and they can manage at best isolated successes within the United States. Preventing those attacks requires much less military machine than we’re paying for, and a smaller global military footprint will make it harder for groups like al-Qaeda to recruit people interested in attacking the United States anyway.

This will sound boastful to anyone reading it outside the US, but it's a conversation we need to have with ourselves. A lot of people here don't realize that we're the 800 pound gorilla and will be no matter how much we throw our weight around the world.