Users' questions

What is Selective Service government?

What is Selective Service government?

A draft is the mandatory enrollment of individuals into the armed forces. The United States military has been all-volunteer since 1973. The Selective Service System is the agency that registers men and is responsible for running a draft.

Is the Selective Service System a government corporation?

About the Agency The Selective Service System is an independent agency within the Executive Branch of the U.S. Federal Government. Selective Service is not part of the Department of Defense.

Who runs the Selective Service System?

The Selective Service System (SSS) is an independent agency of the United States government that maintains information on those potentially subject to military conscription (i.e., the draft) and carries out contingency planning and preparations for two types of draft: a general draft based on registration lists of men …

What does it mean to be registered with the Selective Service System?

What is Selective Service registration? Registration is a way our government keeps a list of names of men from which to draw in case of a national emergency requiring rapid expansion of our Armed Forces. By registering all young men, Selective Service ensures that a future draft will be fair and equitable.

What do you need to know about the Selective Service System?

What You Need to Know About the U.S. Military Draft. The Armed Forces of the United States maintain their readiness through voluntary enlistment, but the law requires young men to register through the Selective Service System. This allows a draft to be activated if needed, as was used during the Vietnam War.

Who is in charge of Selective Service records?

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has sole responsibility of ownership, storage, and retrieval of Selective Service records for men born before 1960. Thus, Selective Service can no longer access any of these records. All requests should be mailed directly to:

Where do I go to register for Selective Service?

Applicants may register for Selective Service at their local post office, return a Selective Service registration card received by mail, or online at the Selective Service System website. Confirmation of registration may be obtained by calling (847) 688-6888 or online at ​www.sss.gov ​.

When did the Selective Service System end in the US?

From 1948 until 1973, during both peacetime and periods of conflict, men were drafted to fill vacancies in the armed forces which could not be filled through voluntary means. Induction authority expired in 1973, but the Selective Service System remained in existence in “standby” to support the all-volunteer force in case of an emergency.

Is the Selective Service System still in place?

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. The Selective Service System is the agency that registers men and is responsible for running a draft. Who Must Register with Selective Service

Who is exempt from the Selective Service System?

Hospitalized or Incarcerated Men You are exempt from Selective Service registration if you can prove you were continuously institutionalized or confined from 30 days before you turned 18 through age 25. If you were released for any period longer than 30 days during this window, you were required to register with the Selective Service System.

When do you have to register with the Selective Service?

You are exempt from Selective Service registration if you can prove you were continuously institutionalized or confined from 30 days before you turned 18 through age 25. If you were released for any period longer than 30 days during this window, you were required to register with the Selective Service System.

When did the Selective Service System go into deep standby?

Registration was suspended early in 1975 and the Selective Service System entered into “deep standby”. Beginning in late 1979, a series of “revitalization” efforts were begun in an effort to upgrade the System’s capability for rapid mobilization in an emergency. In the summer of 1980, registration was resumed.