What Is The Purpose Of The Selective Service System?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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By registering all eligible men, Selective Service

ensures a fair and equitable draft, if ever required

. Exemptions and deferments apply only in the event of a draft.

What is the Selective Service System and why is it used?

Selective Service registration is

required by law as the first part of a fair and equitable system

that, if authorized by the President and Congress, would rapidly provide personnel to the Department of Defense while at the same time providing for an Alternative Service Program for conscientious objectors.

What is the purpose of Selective Service?

What is Selective Service registration? Registration is a way our government keeps a list of names of men from which to draw in case of a national emergency requiring rapid expansion of our Armed Forces. By registering all young men, Selective Service

ensures that a future draft will be fair and equitable

.

What happens if you dont register for the Selective Service?

If required to register with Selective Service, failure to register is

a felony punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or 5 years imprisonment

. Also, a person who knowingly counsels, aids, or abets another to fail to comply with the registration requirement is subject to the same penalties.

Do you have to do Selective Service when you turn 18?

Almost all male US citizens and male immigrants, who are

18 through 25

, are required to register with Selective Service. It's important to know that even though he is registered, a man will not automatically be inducted into the military.

Do females have to register for Selective Service?

As of January 2016,

there has been no decision to require females to register with Selective Service

, or be subject to a future military draft. Selective Service continues to register only men, ages 18 through 25.

Will Selective Service ever be used?

Eight states (California, Connecticut, Indiana, Nebraska, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wyoming)

have no such requirements

, though Indiana does give men 18–25 the option of registering with Selective Service when obtaining a driver's license or an identification card.

What are reasons to not be drafted?

  • Obesity. An FMWR group fitness class student at work at the Sgt. …
  • Education. Sgt. …
  • Criminal Records. …
  • Health Problems. …
  • Drugs. …
  • The Usual Reasons.

What year did Selective Service end?

Registration with the Selective Service System was suspended on April 1, 1975, and registrant processing was suspended on January 27,

1976

. Registration was resumed in July 1980 for men born in 1960 and later, and is in effect to this present time.

How does Selective Service System work?

If Congress and the president authorize a draft: The Selective Service System will

start calling registered men age 18

-25 for duty. The men will be called in a sequence determined by random lottery number and year of birth. The men will be examined for mental, physical, and moral fitness for .

Who is exempt from being drafted?

The following instances are eligible for exemptions in the event of a military draft:

Ministers

.

Certain elected officials

, exempt so long as they continue to hold office. Veterans, generally exempt from service in peacetime draft.

How long do you have to register for Selective Service?

According to law, a man must register with Selective Service

within 30 days of his 18th birthday

. Selective Service accepts late registrations up until a man reaches his 26

th

birthday.

Can I get a federal job without Selective Service?

Federal law

prohibits men aged 26 or over

who did not register with the Selective Service from getting a job in the civil service, unless they can prove that they did not knowingly and willfully avoid signing up for the draft. Men under the age of 26 can register with the Selective Service if they haven't done so.

What age can you no longer be drafted?

At what age can you no longer be drafted? Once you're

26

, you're exempt from being drafted … kind of. “There's historical precedent for extending that age,” Winkie says before noting that in August 1918, during World War I, the age limit was amended to 45.

What is the selective act?

On May 18, 1917, Congress passed the Selective Service Act, which

authorized the Federal Government to temporarily expand the military through conscription

. The act eventually required all men between the ages of 21 to 45 to register for military service.

Is the draft still a thing?

A brief history of registration


There has not been a draft in the U.S. since 1973

, when Congress allowed the existing draft authorization, conscripting men into service in the Vietnam War, to expire. Two years later, President Gerald Ford suspended men's responsibility to register for the draft.

Rachel Ostrander
Author
Rachel Ostrander
Rachel is a career coach and HR consultant with over 5 years of experience working with job seekers and employers. She holds a degree in human resources management and has worked with leading companies such as Google and Amazon. Rachel is passionate about helping people find fulfilling careers and providing practical advice for navigating the job market.