Daniel Cassia spoke on Aconcagua Radio about the Military Civil Service: "If it helps young people, it's welcome."

Daniel Cassia, a former legislator from Mendoza, spoke on Aconcagua Radio and defended the initiative he presented more than two decades ago with former Senator Pipo Álvarez to implement a civic-military service for vulnerable youth. "Far from the military, it was a proposal for social, educational, and employment support," he explained. In response to the recent announcement by the national government, he called for its implementation with continuity and seriousness: "If it looks like it and will generate support, it doesn't matter who proposes it."

The national government's recent proposal for voluntary civic-military service for young people has reopened a long-standing debate in Argentine society. In Mendoza, former provincial representative Daniel Cassia, who co-authored a similar bill introduced in 2004, is familiar with this idea. Speaking with Radio Aconcagua, the former legislator recalled the origins of that initiative and analyzed the current state of the issue.

“The first national project presented in Mendoza was ours, along with former Senator Pipo Álvarez,” Cassia said. “It involved compulsory civic, social, and military service for young people who were neither working nor studying, with the goal of providing them with support, schooling, trade training, and sports practice.”

The proposal, he explained, was designed for young people between the ages of 18 and 25 who couldn't prove employment or education. "It was mandatory only for those who hadn't completed school or had any other activity. They were registered, contacted, and offered the opportunity to join the service," he explained.

Cassia emphasized the proposal's non-military approach: "The idea was far from military, far from warlike. We called it 'military' because we were going to use Armed Forces facilities that had been unused since 1994, with sports centers, medical rooms, classrooms, and teachers available."

The project included trades such as carpentry, blacksmithing, electricity, and mechanics, but also focused on mental health and the family environment: "It was a multidisciplinary social approach. Already in 2004, we were seeing children who didn't study, didn't play sports, lacked cultural stimulation, and lived in complex family settings."

The initiative was formally presented to then-Governor Julio Cobos. “The governor welcomed it. We presented it to the Bicameral Security Council with representatives from all parties. We even took it to national forums and were received by former Defense Minister José Pampuro,” he recalled.

However, he lamented that it hadn't been sustained over time. "What Cobos implemented lasted barely a year. The following administration changed the name, and it was lost. There was no state policy. It had no continuity, and that's why it didn't work."

Regarding the new announcement by presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni, Cassia was cautious. “There aren't many details yet. Voluntary military service already exists, but now there's talk of an educational and social imprint. We'll have to wait for what the Minister of Defense says.”

With a positive, but not naive, outlook, the former legislator maintained: "I hope the same thing doesn't happen as in Mendoza. I'm not interested in who's responsible; I'm a Peronist—not a Kirchnerist, I clarify—but if it resembles what we proposed and serves to contain it, then welcome it."

Cassia insisted that the debate must transcend partisan lines: “When Cobos presented it, he never mentioned our bill, but I wasn't angry. I've always been. In Mendoza, reforms to the Criminal Procedure Code that I authored have been approved, and they've never been acknowledged. I've even been called 'iron fist' or 'neo-fascist.' But the important thing is that it works.”

For the former congressman, the country cannot afford to continue without a serious youth development policy: "Argentina is not involved in a war with any country, so let's use those facilities and resources for education. If a young person learns carpentry, plumbing, electricity, or mechanics, they have the tools to earn a living."

In this regard, he warned about the risks faced by young people without opportunities: "I prefer that to not seeing a young person doing drugs on a street corner. And I'm not just talking about poor neighborhoods. In private neighborhoods, there are also kids with good purchasing power who use drugs and alcohol. Mindless idleness is useless."

Asked whether he considers implementing such a proposal realistic, he was emphatic: “Yes, it can be done. The problem is that some governments think it's an expense. And it's not an expense; it's an investment. Otherwise, you end up discussing lowering the age of criminal responsibility. This is the other extreme: a comprehensive approach.”

Finally, he reflected on the need to consider long-term public policies: "We can't continue with short-term solutions. If this helps a child finish school and learn a trade, then it's worth it. It doesn't matter who proposes it."

Cassia, with years of experience working in the Bicameral Security Council, concluded with a practical perspective, free from partisan pettiness: "The important thing is that it's done. If it generates support, education, and a future, then it's the right path."

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