US World War 3 draft: Who would be exempt from conscription?
The US military conscripted about 1.9 million people for the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War saw the United States military draft approximately 1.9 million service personnel into their ranks from 1954 to 1975. The process, known as conscription or the draft, has been carried out in the US through the Selective Service System (SSS) since 1917.
This raises questions about whether Americans could potentially be drafted into a hypothetical World War 3, given the escalating tensions in Europe and the Middle East. In the early 1960s and 1970s, the SSS conducted the draft using a random lottery based on prospective soldiers’ birth dates.
When called up by the draft, individuals had to report to their local draft board for evaluation. Notable exemptions included those enrolled in higher education, medically unfit individuals, and conscientious objectors citing moral or religious reasons.
The US government has previously drafted soldiers for the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. However, conscription has often sparked anti-war sentiments, particularly among eligible young men, the Student for Democratic Society, and the New Left, reports the Express US.
Nicole Schwegman, a spokesperson for the US Department of Defense, said last October that initiating a draft is solely within the powers of Congress and the president.
In reference to the disclaimer in the Parameters essay titled “A Call to Action: Lessons from Ukraine for the Future Force,” she pointed out that it underscores military insights from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The disclaimer makes it clear that there is no directive for ordinary Americans to join the armed forces, stating that the views presented are “not necessarily those of the Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, the US Army War College, or any other agency of the US government.”
Since 1973, when active conscription ceased during the Vietnam War’s closing stages, the United States has maintained an all-volunteer military force, as instituted by the Nixon administration.
The prospect of reinstating conscription in today’s context remains highly improbable.
To date, defense officials have not made any formal suggestions or recommendations to Congress or the president to call for a draft to reinstate mandatory military service.
John Nagl, a professor at the US Army War College and co-author of the Parameters essay, emphasized that their work does not advocate for the reintroduction of the draft.
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