# Military Draft Question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-draft-question/754522>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 11, 2016, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-draft-question/754522 "2016-05-11T03:22:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-draft-question/754522/1 "2016-05-11T03:22:27Z")

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When did the Selective Service System come into being and when did the Draft begin and end?

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**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-draft-question/754522/2 "2016-05-11T03:29:13Z")

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> **[Selective Service System - It’s Your Country. Protect it.](https://www.sss.gov/)**
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> When you register with the selective service, you’re helping ensure a secure future for your community and the United States of America.

From this point, you are on your own.

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**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-draft-question/754522/3 "2016-05-11T03:37:56Z")

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> **[Selective Service System](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_Service_System)**
>
> The Selective Service System (SSS) is an independent agency of the United States government that maintains information on U.S. citizens and other U.S. residents 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 aged 18–25, and a special-skills draft based on professional licensing lists of workers in specified health care occupations. In the event of eith...

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-draft-question/754522/4 "2016-05-11T13:19:34Z")

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The short answer is that the current Selective Service system was set up for the First World War and is still in place (with various changes and amendments over time). There has been no conscription since 1972, but the system remains available if needed.

There were, of course, drafts handled prior to WWI, especially for the Civil War. Those were done on a more _ad-hoc_ basis.