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If The United States Goes To War Will There Be A Draft?

By Melanie Day
BERLIN, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 24: People protest in front of the Reichstag Building against the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. Overnight, Russia began a large-scale attack on Ukraine, with explosions reported in multiple cities and far outside the restive eastern regions held by Russian-backed rebels.

I saw a TikTok last night that said if the United States goes to war and there is a draft, that the individual would not survive. And honestly, I felt that. We’ve pushed for women’s rights and women are an important part of the military branches now. But what would happen if World War 3 really does happen? Listen, I’m not trying to fearmonger and I hope this info is needed by no one. But with the situation unfolding in Ukraine with Russia, these are real thoughts that many are concerned about.

So as a result I decided to find out everything I could about the possibility of a United States draft and what that would mean. Who would it impact? And what would it mean? Read on to find out. All information is from USA.gov and SSS.gov.

  • What Is A "Draft"?

    According to the Selective Service System through USA.gov a draft is the mandatory enrollment of individuals into the armed forces. The United States military has been all-volunteer since 1973. But an act of Congress could still reinstate the draft in case of a national emergency

  • What Is Selective Service?

    Selective Service is essentially a database where men 18-25 are required to register. 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, according to their website. 

  • Who Has To Register?

    Pretty much all men ages 18-25 who are U.S. citizens or are immigrants living in the U.S. are required to register with Selective Service. Citizens must register within 30 days of turning 18. Additionally, immigrants within that age bracket must register within 30 days of arriving in the U.S.

    Men who are here in the U.S. on student, visitor, or diplomatic visas and men who are incarcerated are not required to register. There are some other exemptions including some transgender people. Get full details:  Who Must Register

  • What If I'm Older Than 26?

    Legally you must register within 30 days of turning 18. But late registration is accepted until your 26th birthday. Not registering is a felony and will also prevent you from receiving state-based student loans, Federal jobs or training, a 5 year delay in citizenship for immigrants.

  • What About Women?

    Currently, the law only requires that men register with Selective Service. In the event that the law is changed to include registering women, Selective Service is prepared to expand registration.

    This means at this point in time women would not be drafted if that were to become a reality.

  • So What If The President Or Congress Calls For A Draft?

    In the event, a draft is called the Selective Service System will start calling registered men ages 18-25 for duty. This would be done by a sequence determined by random lottery numbers and year of birth. Once called men could be examined for mental, physical, and moral fitness for military service. At that point they would either be deferred or exempted from military service or they’ll be inducted into the armed forces.

Hopefully, this is something we never need to worry about, but it is important to know just in case.

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