Let’s be clear: no one wants a world war. While politicians might be the ones dragging people into war, it is the people who suffer in the field. With Donald Trump threatening to invade Greenland, drafting people into war could be on the table. These are the first US citizens who would get drafted.
The United States recent attack on Venezuela marked a dramatic new escalation in the world. While conflicts are ongoing in other parts of the world, this was something new. Meanwhile, Trump’s talk on annexing Greenland and possibly putting in strikes in Iran hasn’t made the fear of a possible future war less.
If, God forbid, war were a reality, the US Government has the power to reinstate the draft. However, many things need to happen, legally, before that will ever happen.
Still, if it will, US law requires all male citizens and male immigrants to register for the Selective Service when they turn 18. It actually doesn’t matter whether you are a US citizen or not, which means undocumented immigrants also have to go through with it.
Those who choose not to sign up for the Selective Service could face legal trouble. According to the Selective Service System (SSS) website, individuals who don’t register may face consequences.
US military draft
They could be fined up to $250,000 and/or five years in prison, be ineligible for state-based student loans and grants in 31 states, be ineligible for federal job training programs, disqualified from many federal jobs, including some state and local, or, for immigrants, get up to a five-year delay in US citizenship proceedings.
So, how does the draft work if it were to come to the point where war is to happen? There are several steps the US government must go through before placing individuals in military service. First, under SSS, Congress must activate the Military Selective Service Act, authorizing the President of the United States to induct personnel into the Armed Forces.
If the situation escalates to the point of a draft, the U.S. would need to follow a specific set of steps to conscript citizens into military service. Here’s how the process would work. Then, activate the Selective Service System, which orders all personnel to report for duty.
These are the first US citizens who would get drafted to war
The third step in the draft process is the lottery, a national event which will be live-streamed. There, birthdays and numbers will be randomly drawn to determine the order in which individuals receive orders to report for induction.
The Selective Service guideline reads, “The first to receive induction orders are those whose 20th birthday falls during the year of the lottery. If required, additional lotteries are conducted for those 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 19, and finally 18.6 years old.”
Once orders are issued, those called in reports to a local Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) for induction. There, the individuals will undergo thorough physical, mental, and moral examination to determine if they are suitable for military service.
If an individual is deemed fit, they will be inducted and begin their service. The SSS writes, “According to current Department of War requirements, Selective Service must deliver the first inductees to the military within 193 days from the onset of a crisis and the law being updated to authorize a draft.”
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