What Purpose Did The Selective Service System Of Boards Serve?

With contributions from Center on Conscience & War

In 1917, the Selective Service Deed created a arrangement that authorized a draft and required all men of a sure historic period to register through the Selective Service Organization. AFSC was founded that same year to give conscientious objectors an alternative to military service as they faced the realities of a draft in World War I.

AFSC opposes requiring anyone, regardless of gender, to annals for the draft and to participate in systems of state of war. Nevertheless, in July of this year, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted to expand the registration requirement—and associated penalties— to women.

This is a footstep astern toward militarism that hurts u.s.a. all. Instead of expanding registration, the U.South. must end the Selective Service requirement for everyone.

Tell Congress: End the Selective Service requirement for everyone!

Here's what y'all need to know:

1. Right now, all draft-age, male person U.S. residents are required to register for the Selective Service.

The Selective Service system exists to collect information about people in the United states who could be forced to join the armed services in the case of a draft. The system allows the Department of Defense to chop-chop increment the number of troops serving in the armed services if there aren't enough volunteers.

Almost men ages 18 to 25 who are U.Due south. citizens or residents are required to register under this system, which collects data similar the individual's accost, Social Security Number, and email.

The system also maintains a network of "draft boards." These are civilian groups who would be tasked with deciding if people go deferments or classifications like "conscientious objector" status in the instance of a draft. The draft itself would be administered past military reservists, despite the Selective Service beingness ostensibly a civilian bureau.

Draft counseling during the Vietnam War. Photo: AFSC Archives

2. People who don't register with the Selective Service face up penalties.

Non registering for the Selective Service is a felony, and those who cull not to register face up many penalties. These extrajudicial sanctions include not beingness able to get many federal or country jobs or trainings and some country student assistance (although federal pupil help programs are no longer restricted). Information technology can also cause a five-year filibuster for those seeking citizenship. In the worst example scenario, if someone were to be criminally bedevilled of non registering, they could be fined up to $250,000 and sent to jail for up to v years—although this has non happened since the 1980s.

3. The Selective Service organisation is outdated and serves as a recruitment tool.

The United states of america has not drafted anyone since 1973, and the Selective Service arrangement, which costs taxpayers about $26 million a year, collects registration records that have been described equally "less than useless" by Bernard Rostker, a former manager of the bureau.

Without an active draft, the Selective Service system has get a military recruitment tool—with recruiters ofttimes targeting Blackness, Brown, and depression-income communities.

Bayard Rustin (center) spent two years in prison for his resistance to the draft. Photo: AFSC Archives

4. Some legislators are trying to expand the draft to women—and some are trying to end the arrangement entirely.

In a recent defense policy bill, the House of Representatives voted to require women to annals with the Selective Service. They added this provision to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a bill that passes every twelvemonth to authorize defense-related activities. The Senate Armed Services Committee also included this expansion in their ain version of the NDAA. However, when the Business firm and Senate negotiated the final beak the Selective Service System expansion was stripped from the text!

The expansion was stopped for at present, but ultimately we want to meet an terminate to the system overall. Fortunately, there are likewise efforts in both the Business firm and Senate to cease the Selective Service system! Reps. Peter DeFazio and Rodney Davis, and Sens. Ron Wyden and Rand Paul, have introduced the Selective Service Repeal Act in each bedchamber (H.R. 2509 and S. 1139). This bipartisan effort would end the Selective Service Organisation, end the sanctions confronting those who don't register, find new government jobs for those working for the Selective Service, and preserve the rights of careful objectors.

5. Expanding the Selective Service Organization is not progress. It's a stride back toward militarism.

Proponents of expanding Selective Service registration have disguised the effort as "feminism." In reality, the typhoon is a brunt that has been unjustly placed on men for decades—and expanding the arrangement to women is a incorrect-headed approach in working toward equality. Instead of forcing more people to participate in systems of state of war with threats of fines, prison, and other sanctions, Congress should end the arrangement entirely.