The Selective Service System, otherwise known as the military draft or conscription, requires almost all male U.S. citizens and immigrants, ages 18 through 25, to register with the government.
You may have seen the question, "Have you registered for the selective service" on applications for jobs, driver's licenses, student aid and more.
But could you actually get called up into the military? Here's everything you need to know about the draft.
Will there be a military draft in 2024? Probably not. While world events continue to evolve, there has been no indication that a military draft will take place in 2024.
The draft is officially known as the selective service. The selective service is a government bureau separate from the Defense Department whose mission statement is: "To register men and maintain a system that, when authorized by the President and Congress, rapidly provides personnel in a fair and equitable manner while managing an alternative service program for conscientious objectors."
Basically, this means that if we ever have a national emergency or war that the all-volunteer military can't adequately support, Congress and the president can reinstate the draft and force male citizens to serve in the military.
While women have not been excluded from combat service since 2013, they currently are not required to register for the draft. The law as it's written now refers specifically to "male persons" in stating who must register and who would be drafted. For women to be required to register with the selective service, Congress would have to change the law.
Jim Absher is Military.com's former benefits editor and columnist. He joined the Navy to see the world and later realized the world is two-thirds water. He also worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs in field offices and Washington, D.C. before coming to Military.com in 2015. Read Full Bio
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