Selective Service System Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The Selective Service System, in the United States, is a system to register all males over the age of 18 for the purpose of having information available about potential soldiers in case of war. Though the United States abandoned conscription in 1973, the Selective Service System remains as a contingency should the measure be reintroduced.The Selective Service is the means by which the United States administers military conscription. In 1917, after the United States entered World War I, Congress passed the Selective Service Act. Men were selected for service by lottery. The lottery was the random selection by number. Eligible men between the age 18 and 45 were drafted. Only 2.8 million men out of 24 million registered were called up. In the United States the draft law was allowed to expire in 1947 because it was thought that a sufficient number of volunteers would enlist for the nation’s defense. But the number of volunteers was not enough, and a new draft act had to be passed in 1948. Between 1948 and 1967 several draft laws were enacted. According to these laws, every man had to register with his draft board when he reached the age of 18. The Selective Service System is an independent agency within the Executive Branch of the federal government.
On December 1, 1969, a draft lottery was held.
Currently, all male US Citizens and aliens living in the US between the ages of 18 and 25 must register with Selective Service.
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