Selective Service

Federal agency created to administer the nationwide military draft in the United States. The agency oversees the military registration of draft-age (18-to 25-year old) males, even though the U.S. government has not conducted a draft since 1973.

The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, created the country's first peacetime draft. It also formally established the Selective Service System as an independent federal agency to administer the draft. The Selective Service was established to provide a means to call up troops quickly in the event of war. With Europe already engulfed in World War II and Japan making threatening moves in the Pacific, Roosevelt wanted to beef up the unprepared U.S. armed forces.

The end of World War II did not bring with it the end of the draft, as the Soviet Union arose to challenge U.S. political and military power. The United States retained the draft after the war to maintain a large standing army that could counter potential Soviet aggression. However, public sentiment turned against the draft during the Vietnam War. The availability of deferments that seemed to favor the wealthy and powerful spread a perception that the poor were shouldering more than their fair share of the burden in Vietnam. That perception, combined with the general unpopularity of the war, led Congress to refuse to extend the draft law in 1973.

Since that time, the United States has had an all-volunteer military. In 1975, President Jimmy Carter suspended the requirement that draft-age males register for service but reinstated the law in 1980 after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. In the event that a military draft is enacted, the Selective Service System will manage the process and run an Alternative Service Program for individuals classified as conscientious objectors.

Almost all noncitizens living in the United States, including illegal aliens, refugees, and those with permanent residency status are required to register with the Selective Service. Fulltime military personnel are not required to register, but members of the Reserve and National Guard not on fulltime active duty must do so. Conscientious objectors must also register; however, if the draft is instituted, they have the opportunity to file for an exemption from military service on religious or moral grounds. Individuals who are hospitalized or incarcerated are required to register within 30 days after they are released. Disabled men who are not institutionalized and are capable of leaving their homes must also register. The Selective Service requires the disabled to register even if their disability would excuse them from service because it does not have the authority to classify an individual as disabled. Only the military has that authority.

Changes made since the end of the Vietnam War are designed to make the draft more equitable, should it be necessary. These include stricter guidelines for educational deferments and a revised lottery system designed to provide for less uncertainty. As of early 2005, many military experts were warning that continued overcommitment of U.S. armed forces would eventually force the United States to resume the draft. The administration of President George W. Bush declared that it had no plans to reinstate the draft, but some observers feel that it may be just a matter of time.

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