Many would begrudgingly accept the call of duty, and those that didn't were given alternative options. The ministry was always in need of support staff, and the funds it'd acquired ensured that it could hire for every position. As most were illiterate, education courses had to be established to get enough clerks to handle the military's expansion. Khouri decided literacy would be a required part of regular and reservist training, taught after drilling had finished, in a model similar to the peasant militia. He could not push for Marxist theory to be taught, unfortunately, as Marcato pushed back on it, insisting that the regulars remain apolitical.
If political leanings were to be imparted onto soldiers, it'd be done to the stance of the individual officer in charge of them. That still meant many regulars and reservists would slowly shift leftwards. The Socialist clique was the most unified in ideology compared to the others, allowing them to sway more towards them than Royalists, Copts, or Others could. It was only the Islamists that shared similar success, albeit on a smaller scale. They enjoyed a boost to their membership as well. Officers networking with conservative reservists and pushing them to join its paramilitary forces. While not valid as an alternative service, Islamist paramilitaries did receive good pay, provided by the party and political allies. It'd enticed more than a few young men, now with the beginning of military training, into joining up as a soldier for hire.
