The Selective Service System administers the draft process for military
service in the United States. A lottery based on birthdays determines the
order in which registered men are called up by Selective Service. The first
to be called, in a sequence determined by the lottery, will be men whose
20th birthday falls during that year, followed, if needed, by those aged
21, 22, 23, 24 and 25. 18-year-olds and those turning 19 would probably
not be drafted.
In the case of a draft, some persons may be excluded from induction.
Some of those excluded include:
- Conscientious Objector- conscientiously opposed to both types (combatant
and non-combatant) of military training and service - fulfills his service
obligation as a civilian alternative service worker.
- Conscientious Objector - conscientiously opposed to training and military
service requiring the use of arms - fulfills his service obligation in
a noncombatant position within the military.
- Ministerial Students - deferred from military service.
- Hardship Deferment - deferred from military service because service would
cause hardship upon his family.
- Alien or Dual National - sometimes exempt from military service.
- Ministers of Religion - exempted from military service.
