Will There Be A Draft After The Recent Military Strike? Here’s What You Need To Know
If you didn’t hear, last week Trump ordered a drone strike on Iraq, which ended up killing Iran’s top security and intelligence commander. Happy New Year!
As a result, searches for “Word War III,” and the idea of a possible impending Draft climbed dramatically.
All of the sudden, men everywhere remembered that little box they checked when they turned 18, signing them up for a draft. They were freaking out so much, that they crashed the Selective Service website.
Here is what you need to know about the draft.
The United States started using the draft during the Civil War, but that stopped in 1973 with the Vietnam War.
There was so much resistance to a draft after the events of the Vietnam War, that the U.S. decided it was better to go with a voluntary military system.
What does this mean for you?
Reinstating the draft would mean that Congress would have to vote to make it a law. Then Trump — or whoever is President at that time — would have to sign on, making it an official law.
BUT, there would have to be MAJOR support for the draft in Congress for it ever to get that far.
It is UNLIKELY that would happen, as so many people are opposed to the idea of a draft.
Do you still have to sign up for the draft?
The short answer is YES. MEN over the age of 18 are required to register with Selective Service.
Right now, registering for selective service really means nothing about the likelihood of you serving in the current military.
Dr. Jennifer Mittelstadt, professor of history at Rutgers University
As of Right now, women do not have to register for Selective Service. I know, that seems slightly unfair, but it is what it is. Women can voluntarily sign up for combat jobs, but at this time, they are not included in the draft.
What if you just don’t sign up with Selective Service?
I can tell you from unintentional experience, that would only do you a disservice. If you don’t check that little box at the DMV that signs you up for Selective Service when you get your license on your 18th birthday, you have to go the the Selective Service website to register BEFORE you turn 25.
If you don’t, you are ineligible for Federal Financial Aid FOREVER. You also can NEVER work for a Federal Government job. That may not seem like a big deal NOW, but wait until you are 26 years old, and want to sign up to be a teacher. It isn’t going to happen.
What’s the bottom line?
If you are a man between the ages of 18 and 25, just go register. It would, literally take an act of Congress to actually reinstate the draft. You are only harming your future self by not signing up. Just go do it.
