Text messages telling people they have been selected for the military draft are fraudulent, the U.S. Army Recruiting Command says.
According to a bulletin from USAREC Public Affairs, they've received multiple calls and emails from people who received text messages saying they've been selected for the military draft. The U.S. Army is not contacting anyone regarding a military draft, and if you are receiving text messages or any other form of communication about it, it's not coming from them, the Army says.
"The U.S. Army does not control the draft. Per the Selective Service System, the agency that oversees the draft, in the event that a national emergency necessitates a draft, Congress and the president would need to pass official legislation to authorize a draft," USAREC says on Facebook.
The Selective Service System is a separate agency outside of the U.S. Department of Defense and would be the one to contact people about a military draft, though one has not been in effect since 1973. Since then, the military has been an all-volunteer service. Registering for the Selective Service does not enlist a person in the military.
"The Selective Service System is conducting business as usual,” the agency says on their Facebook page.
In addition, as stated by USAREC, Congress and President Donald Trump would need to pass official legislation in order to enact a draft.
Fact check: The @USArmy is NOT contacting anyone regarding the draft.
Text messages currently circulating are false and are not official Army communications.
Read more: https://t.co/csGpTQNfQc
— U.S. Army Recruiting (@usarec) January 7, 2020
In times of peace, the Selective Service's primary function is to put together a list of potential draftees. The potential pool of draftees is made up of male U.S. residents between the ages of 18 and 25. Under current law, women can't be drafted, as the Department of Defense doesn't employ them in ground combat. A few select groups of people are also excused automatically.
According to the SSS website, should there ever be a draft, this is how it would unfold:
1. Congress and the President Authorize a Draft
A crisis occurs which requires more troops than the volunteer military can supply. Congress passes and the President signs legislation which starts a draft.
2. The Lottery
A lottery based on birthdays determines the order in which registered men are called up by Selective Service. The first to be called, in a sequence determined by the lottery, will be men whose 20th birthday falls during that year, followed, if needed, by those aged 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25. 18-year-olds and those turning 19 would probably not be drafted.
3. All Parts of Selective Service are Activated
Selective Service activates and orders its state directors and Reserve Forces Officers to report for duty. See also
Agency Structure.
4. Physical, Mental, and Moral Evaluation of Registrants
Registrants with low lottery numbers are ordered to report for a physical, mental, and moral evaluation at a Military Entrance Processing Station to determine whether they are fit for military service. Once he is notified of the results of the evaluation, a registrant will be given 10 days to file a claim for exemption, postponement, or deferment. See also
Classifications.
5. Local and Appeal Boards Activated and Induction Notices Sent
Local and Appeal Boards will process registrant claims. Those who pass the military evaluation will receive induction orders. An inductee will have 10 days to report to a local Military Entrance Processing Station for induction.
6. First Draftees are Inducted
According to current plans, Selective Service must deliver the first inductees to the military within 193 days from the onset of a crisis.
The fake text messages regarding the draft come in the wake of an airstrike ordered by Trump that killed Qassem Soleimani, a key Iranian military commander, and subsequent retaliatory missile strikes by Iran.
