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What are the chances of getting drafted into the military?
In this article, you’ll learn about:
… and much more.
Let’s dig in.
For a World War, an average of 11.07% of the military age men would get drafted.
For a “normal war,” a draft should not need to get implemented.
Your chances of getting drafted are very low.
Only men ages 18 – 25 are able to get drafted.
There was a draft in 2018 of 4,400 civilians.
These civilians were drafted and deployed.
In 2018, the population of men ages 18 – 25 was 16 million.
So, only 0.028% of men ages 18 – 25 got drafted in 2018.
But, let’s look at other, large-scale wars.
| War | % of Population (Men 18-25) |
|---|---|
| World War 2 | 20.44% |
| Vietnam War | 9.96% |
| War in Afghanistan | 4.40% |
| Iraq War | 6.07% |
There was not a draft in:
The highest population (men ages 18 – 25) NOT requiring a draft was 6.07%.
For our current population, 6% would be 1.9M soldiers needed.
But our current military size is 1.3M.
1.3M is 4.1% of our current population of military-age men.
We can assume that anything past 1.3M in the military population will require a draft.
If we went into a World War, those averaged 15.2% (4.8M) of the population.
4.8M total military population is 3.5M more than our current military population.
So, 3.5M people would get drafted.
That means 11.07% of our military-age men would get drafted.
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A war would need to be:
There needs to be a large-scale conflict that the military can’t handle for there to be a draft.
Two examples of large-scale conflicts that required a draft were:
Note that the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars did not need a draft.
Here are the sizes of those wars based on the number of Americans fighting.
Let’s look at some statistics that show us:
| War | # of Soldiers | Population of Men Ages 18-25 | % of Population (Men 18-25) |
|---|---|---|---|
| World War 1 | 1,390,000 | 13,853,000 | 10.0% |
| World War 2 | 6,332,000 | 30,985,000 | 20.4% |
| Korean War | 1,789,000 | 12,700,000 | 14.1% |
| Vietnam War | 2,590,000 | 26,000,000 | 10.0% |
| Persian Gulf War | 697,000 | 17,240,000 | 4.0% |
| War in Afghanistan | 807,000 | 18,321,000 | 4.4% |
| Iraq War | 1,486,200 | 24,473,000 | 6.1% |
For the wars that needed a draft:
Looking at the more recent wars that have not needed a draft:
The current population of men ages 18 -25 is 31.6 million.
A war, in theory, would need to require 3.16 million soldiers for a draft to start.
It is unlikely that the US will draft people for the war in Ukraine.
The US military is already larger than Russia’s.
Currently, the US is not supporting Ukraine with soldiers, just money.
Here are some statistics to note about the size of military and the drafts.
When it comes to military age men (ages 18 – 25):
The Selective Service determines who gets selected for the draft based on:
All men between 18 and 25 are required to register for the draft.
But only 0.08% of those men have a chance of getting drafted.
There’s a lottery system that determines the order of those getting drafted. Before, the lottery was based on birthdays.
Today, it could get altered depending on:
They would also use another series of criteria for the draft.
This includes things like:
The specific priorities and criteria used to determine who is drafted can change.
It depends on the needs of the military and the circumstances surrounding the draft.
They want to make sure the draftees are well-suited for the demands of service.
That’s why they focus on:
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The draft is where the government selects people for mandatory military service.
The draft is typically used in times of war or national emergency.
And when there are not enough volunteers to fill the military’s needs.
Here’s how the draft works in the United States:
The Selective Service is an independent agency of the US government.
It handles maintaining information on potential military recruits for a draft.
Its primary mission is to provide manpower to the military in times of emergency.
But it also has other important functions, such as:
Failure to register can result in penalties, including the loss of:
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The criteria determining who gets drafted varies depending on:
The last draft the US had was during the Vietnam War.
The criteria they used was:
The Selective Service has outlined how a draft would get implemented today.
The initial priority group would consist of:
Once the individual turns 21 years old, they would shift to second priority.
Subsequently, every year, a draft-eligible man moves into a lower-priority group.
Their priority decreases until the age of 26.
26 years old is the upper age limit for draft eligibility.
During the Vietnam War, men with higher education were less likely to get drafted.
In general, men who had completed college were exempt from the draft.
But, this varied depending on the needs of the military at the time.
Today, education level does not play into the US’ current draft criteria.
The US military currently:
The US Selective Service System maintains a list of all potential draftees.
They do not consider education level when evaluating potential recruits.
Certain occupations were considered critical to the Vietnam War effort.
Those ones were exempt from the draft.
For example, those who worked in agriculture or teaching were exempt.
But, those in non-critical occupations were still at risk of getting drafted.
Today, occupation does play into the US’ current draft criteria.
Men in certain essential occupations may be deferred or exempt from the draft.
These occupations include:
Men attending college may get deferred or exempt from the draft as well.
In the US, the draft age limit is currently set at 18 to 25 years old.
All men must register with the Selective Service within 30 days of turning 18.
They also must keep their registration current until they turn 26 years old.
Congress has the authority to change the age range through legislation.
In the past, Congress has considered proposals to:
In the US, you only have to be 18 years old to get drafted.
The military can draft you between the ages of 18 – 25 years old.
In the US, there are several exemptions from the draft that may be granted.
Things that exempt you from the draft include:
These are the FAQs we found in our research that you might be asking.
Yes, college students can get drafted into military service in the US.
All men between the ages of 18 and 25 have to register with Selective Services.
This includes college students.
Let’s say a draft was to get enacted.
Men would get selected based age, health, and occupation.
Some college students may be exempt from a draft due to education deferments.
But these deferments are not guaranteed and can get revoked at any time.
All men between the ages of 18 and 25 are required to register with the Selective Service.
Failure to register with the Selective Service can result in penalties, including:
Registering does not mean that a person will get drafted into military service.
But, it makes them eligible for the draft if it were to get reinstated in the future.
Failure to register with the Selective Service can result in:
No, in the United States, men over the age of 26 are not eligible to get drafted.
The maximum age for military draft eligibility is 25 years old.
Once a man turns 26, he is considered to be over the age of liability for the draft.
And he is no longer required to register with Selective Services.
If you are 26+ years old, you’re too old to get drafted into the military.
Yes, there was a draft of 4,400 men in 2018.
Before that, the last draft was in the Vietnam War.
The Selective Services still require you to register.
If there is a need for a draft, Congress will reinstate it.
Here are the people who can’t get drafted into the US military:
The last military draft in the US in 2018 when 4,400 men got drafted.
Before that, the last draft was during the Vietnam War.
That war lasted from 1955 to 1975.
The draft officially ended on January 27, 1973.
This was when the Paris Peace Accords ended the U.S. involvement in the war.
Since then, the U.S. military has been an all-volunteer force.
Yes, marriage does not exempt a man from being drafted.
But married men with dependents might get an exemption.
Dependents are children or elderly parents.
There are only a few ways to legally avoid a draft, like:
Yes, if you get drafted into the military, you would get paid for your service.
The pay you receive would depend on your rank and years of service.
And it would also include extra allowances for housing, food, and other benefits.
Yes, police officers can get drafted into the military.
They could get exemptions, though.
Mainly if their role is important for maintaining public safety and order.
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