What to know about the draft and Selective Service: ‘An additional tier of support’

Matthew Euzarraga
·3 min read

NEW YORK (PIX11) – Israel, Iran, Russia, and Ukraine – all currently in some form of conflict – have one thing in common: These countries have mandatory enrollment for military service.

The United States has sent aid to Ukraine and Israel, but no troops have been deployed into battle. However, many people on social media have questioned whether the U.S. would bring back its conscription, commonly called the draft.

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“We are not aware of anything imminent with regard to reinstatement of a draft,” a spokesperson for the Selective Service System recently told PIX11 News. “This would require the president and Congress to take action to change the law before reinstating a system of conscription in the United States.”

If the U.S. were to reinstate the draft, here is everything you would need to know:

Selective Service and the draft are not the same

Even if someone is registered with the U.S. Selective Service System, it does not automatically mean they are inducted into the military. The Selective Service System is the government agency that maintains information about U.S. citizens relative to the draft.

Registering with the Selective Service System does not force you into the military. However, being drafted does.

The draft only affects men

The law requires all persons declared of the male sex at the time of birth to register with the Selective Service System, according to the agency’s website.

Immigrants can also be drafted

In the event of a draft, undocumented immigrants, legal permanent residents, and asylum seekers can be drafted if they are registered with Selective Service.

There is a lengthy process to implementing the draft

  • First, Congress needs to approve the need for a draft: A crisis needs to occur that would require more troops than the number of active military personnel, which would trigger Congress to act. Congress would need to amend the Military Selective Service Act to authorize the president to implement the draft.

  • Then an activation of the Selective Service System begins: Selective Service orders all personnel to report for duty, including reserve officers and selected military retirees.

  • The lottery system begins: A nationally televised lottery is conducted. The lottery is a random drawing of birthdays and numbers. All 366 days of the year (including Leap Day) are in the lottery pool. The way birthdays are called establishes the order in which individuals receive orders to report for induction. The draft begins with those whose 20th birthday falls in the year of the lottery. Then ages 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 19, and 18.

  • Orders to report: Induction letters are sent, and claims for exemption are made. Inductees report to a Military Entrance Processing Station where they are given a physical, mental, and moral evaluation to determine if they are fit for military service. This is where men find out if they will be inducted into the armed forces or sent home.

  • Activation of appeals: An appeal board hears claims for conscientious objectors and other deferments.

  • Induction of first draftees: The Selective Service must deliver inductees to the military within 193 days of the draft being authorized.

While the draft process remains, U.S. conscription is no longer active.

Then-President Richard Nixon in 1971 signed legislation to end conscription and put the reformed Selective Service System on standby. The last man inducted via conscription entered the Army on June 30, 1973.

It has been over 50 years since the last draft.

“A strong all-volunteer military has been successful in defending America for more than 50 years,” a spokesperson for the Selective Service said. “The Selective Service System represents an additional tier of support to our nation’s all-volunteer military in the event of a national emergency.”

Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.

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