A strong centre-left argument for universal conscription (with an opt-out to do service in other parts of society) is that there are few other measures with similar impact on social mobility.
You need to tax/redistribute a *lot* to obtain a similar effect, with less persistence.
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@HalvarFlake I would be interested to know how / why this is the case. In my limited anecdotal knowledge (Switzerland) the military tends to reflect existing social classes (e.g. people with an academic background are preferred for promotion up the ranks).
@spoltier in countries without service, people of different social classes do not acquire social networks that span societal strata.