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WHAT DOES SELECTIVE SERVICE PROVIDE FOR AMERICA?

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The Selective Service System and the registration requirement for America's young men provide our Nation with a structure and a system of guidelines which will provide the most prompt, efficient, and equitable draft possible, if the country should need it. America's leaders agree that despite the success of the All-Volunteer Force, registration with Selective Service must continue as a key component of national security strategy.

"A Relatively Low-cost Insurance Policy," says President Clinton
On May 18, 1994, President Clinton informed Congress that:

"Maintaining the Selective Service System and draft registration provides a hedge against unforeseen threats and a relatively low cost "insurance policy" against our underestimating the maximum level of threat we expect our Armed Forces to face.... As fewer and fewer members of our society have direct military experience, it is increasingly important to maintain the link between the All-Volunteer Force and our society-at-large. The Armed Forces must also know that the general population stands behind them, committed to serve, should the preservation of our national security so require."

"A Fair and Equitable Draft," says Mr. Perry
Then Secretary of Defense, William J. Perry, recommended to Congress in August 1995 that the Selective Service be funded adequately. "This small, but important agency," he wrote, "should be maintained in its current state of readiness, and its peacetime registration program involving America's young men should be preserved to help ensure that any future draft, if needed, would be fair and equitable."

 

Last Updated July 17, 2006
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