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As a search on the word "draft" revealed, the government agency that administers a draft is the Selective Service System. President Franklin Roosevelt created the country's first peacetime draft and established the Selective Service System in 1940. The Selective Service is intended to provide additional personnel for the armed forces in times of need. During World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, young men were conscripted to supplement the standing military. The draft ended in 1973, and the U.S. converted to an all-volunteer army. After the Vietnam War, Congress made several changes
to the draft system. The student deferment was limited so students who were drafted could only postpone their induction until the end of the current semester or until the end of the academic year for college seniors. Draft board membership began to better represent the community the board served. And the lottery became the sole method for choosing draftees. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter reinstated the draft registration requirement in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Since that time, almost every man in the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 25 has been required to sign up with the Selective Service. The government maintains that registration is "a hedge against underestimating the number of servicemen needed in a future crisis."
The Selective Service issued a statement after the September 11 terrorist attacks emphasizing that the draft has not been reinstated. This statement quotes both White House Spokesman Ari Fleisher and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld as saying they do not anticipate a draft at this time. However, if they did think the draft should be reinstated, they'd have to get Congress and the president to authorize it. That's the first step in the Selective Service's sequence of events for the draft. After Congress and the President pass legislation starting the draft, the Selective Service runs a lottery to determine the order in which men are called for
service. Those selected are then ordered to report for a physical, mental, and moral evaluation at a Military Entrance Processing Station to see if they are fit for military service. After evaluation, registrants can file a claim for exemption, postponement, or deferment, if they wish. Some of the reasons a man could get out of the draft would be due to family hardship or he is a minister of religion or a conscientious objector. Local draft and appeal boards would determine whether or not a man qualifies for an exemption, postponement, or deferment. Draftees who pass evaluation are then sent induction orders. The first inductees would be delivered to the military within 193 days from creation of the draft. Here's hoping this answer
is purely academic...
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