World War 3 has trended on most social media websites and Google since Friday last week when a US drone strike killed Iran’s top military General Qasem Soleimani. The General was responsible for commanding Iran’s extraterritorial military presence, and his death prompted a severe reaction from the country, which has vowed swift revenge.
What are the rules of military conscription?
Military conscription is an aged concept, rarely used outside of times of national crisis.
Conscription is otherwise known as the draft and compels people into military service during war.
Several countries have a permanent draft in place, while others only use it in times of crisis.
In countries where it isn’t currently active, such as the US and UK, governments can introduce the draft.
In the UK, the draft was introduced on two occasions, during World War One and World War Two, while the US kept the draft until 1973.
Traditionally, those eligible for the draft comprise of men aged 18 to 25, with women ineligible.
However, rules can vary by country.
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Who is exempt from the draft?
With most active drafts, there are conditions which exempt people from compulsory service.
If a government introduced a military draft, it would also need to issue a “classification programme” specifying who would not need to serve.
The same programme would also define the various forms of service people might have to perform.
According to howstuffworks.com, people deemed fit to serve immediately in the US will receive an induction notice and classified as 1-A.
In the US, an induction notice would then come from the SSS.
If people deemed 1-A have good reason not to serve, they have 10 days to file a reclassification claim.
To do so successfully, they must fall within one of several outlined groups.
According to the SSS, the following groups are exempt from service:
– High school students: Younger than 20 and in full-time education
– College students: Seniors may postpone for a year, freshman, sophomore and juniors until the end of the semester
– Religious ministers: Must be practising
– Ministerial students: Full-time students working to become an ordained minister
– Armed forces members on active duty
– Men with dependents: Men with dependents can defer the draft if it would cause hardship for those they look after
– Government officials: Judges and elected officials are deferred
– Non-citizens and dual nationals
– Conscientious objectors: Those strongly against war for moral or religious reasons