The
Selective Service System is an independent agency within the
Executive Branch of the federal government. The Director of
Selective Service is appointed by the President and confirmed
by the Senate.
The
legislation under which this agency operates is the Military
Selective Service Act. Under this law, the mission of the
Selective Service System is twofold: to deliver untrained
manpower to the armed forces in time of emergency in accordance
with requirements established by the Department of Defense,
and to administer the alternative service program for conscientious
objectors. A
system of conscription was used during the Civil War and again
during World War I with the draft mechanism in both instances
being dissolved at the end of hostilities. In 1940, prior
to U.S. entry into World War II, the first peacetime draft
in our nation's history was enacted in response to increased
world tension and the system was able to fill wartime manpower
needs smoothly and rapidly after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
At the end of the war the draft law was allowed to expire,
but it was reenacted less than two years later to maintain
necessary military manpower levels as a result of the Cold
War. 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 a "standby" posture
to support the all-volunteer force in case an emergency should
make it necessary for Congress to authorize a resumption of
inductions.
Registration
was suspended early in 1975 and the Selective Service System
entered into a "deep standby" posture. 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, and in the summer
of 1980 the registration requirement was resumed. Presently,
young men must register within 30 days of their 18th birthday.
The
Military Selective Service Act, along with its implementing
regulations, provides that the structure of the agency will
include a National Headquarters, a State Headquarters in each
state, plus one for New York City, one for the District of
Columbia, one for Guam, one for Puerto Rico, and one for the
Virgin Islands. The Act and regulations also provide for local
boards, allocated according to county or corresponding political
subdivisions. There is also a provision for Appeal Boards,
which cover the same areas served by federal judicial districts
plus a National Appeal Board. The Appeal Boards act in cases
of persons who do not agree with the decisions of the Local
Boards.
The
approximately 185 full-time paid employees of the Selective
Service System are primarily civilians hired under the rules
prescribed by the Officer of Personnel Management (formerly
U.S. Civil Service Commission). There are approximately 14
active duty military reserve officers assigned to Selective
Service to provide liaison with the military services and
administer the Selective Service Reserve Forces program. These
reserve forces are composed of approximately 520 National
Guard and Reserve officers who are assigned to Selective Service
for their monthly drills and two-week active duty training
sessions each year. In the event of an emergency, these officers
could be called to active duty to augment the full-time staff.
The
present structure of the agency consists of the National Headquarters,
Data Management Center, and three Region Headquarters. State
and local offices were closed in 1976 and would be reactivated
only if inductions should be resumed.
In
the event of a mobilization, Selective Service Reserve Forces
Officers would be called to active duty to establish State
Headquarters and Area Offices at predetermined locations,
and at the same time the Local and Appeal Boards would be
activated. A lottery drawing would be conducted to determine
the order in which men would be called, and induction orders
would be issued, in lottery number order, by means of Western
Union Mailgrams. The first priority group would consist of
men in the calendar year of their 20th birthday. Registrants
receiving induction orders would either report to the Military
Entrance Processing Station for examination and possible immediate
induction, or file a claim for postponement, deferment or
exemption from military service. Such claims would be considered
by the Area Office or the Local Board, depending on the nature
of the claim. Agency mobilization plans are designed to meet
the needs of the Department of Defense.
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