Selective Service System
The Selective Service System is an agency in the United States that lists all male Americans between the ages of 18 and 25. It provides information about the potential soldiers who can be used in the context of military service in the event of a defense .
Legal basis
With the resolution of the Selective Service Act , which was passed in Congress on May 18, 1917 , the basis for the Selective Service System was created. This law gave the President of the United States the ability to recruit male recruits for service in the United States Armed Forces .
Under the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 , military service had been compulsory since 1940. The original law expired in 1947, but because the number of volunteers was too small, a successor law was passed in 1948.
Registration
All male Americans and foreigners between the ages of 18 and 25 who are permanent residents of the United States are required to register no later than 30 days after their 18th birthday. Foreign pupils and students and persons with visiting visas are exempt from this obligation. Americans living abroad permanently and people with dual citizenship are also subject to this obligation.
Registration is possible online, by telephone or by post, but sometimes also through high schools . Outside the USA, registration can also be carried out via the embassies and consulates . It is confirmed by the Registration Acknowledgment card.
People who, contrary to their knowledge, fail to register or provide false information can be fined up to $ 250,000. All changes of address up to the age of 26 must be reported to the Selective Service System within ten days.
Men have had to register since 1980, but are only drafted in the event of a "national crisis". Failure to register has not been prosecuted since 1986.
structure
The Selective Service System consists of the national headquarters in Arlington, VA , a data management center in Palatine, IL, and three regional headquarters: Region I in North Chicago, Illinois, Region II in Smyrna, Georgia, and Region III in Denver (Colorado). It has a budget of almost $ 25 million (2006). The SSS manages the data of 13.5 million men between the ages of 18 and 25. Don Benton has been the 13th Director of the Selective Service System since April 2017.
Web links
- Official Homepage (Engl.)