Abridged from source. Source in title. [Opinion. Oh, yeah, I get it: The USA doesn’t have a draft, right? Guess again! However, Commander Bone Spurs has just realised how much more unpopular a new draft could make him look. Let’s take a look at “automatic” registration collected from govt databases by DOGE and other agencies. However, is it really possible to track any individual down? We’re all pretty mobile. Selective Service is terminally broken. Failure to register can result in refusal of driver’s licences, govt jobs, govt loans. Effecting a draft would be just the spark to bring any US govt to its knees.] Why is the Selective Service war gaming a 'special skills' draft? A military mobilization exercise offers clues about who might be drafted for what sort of conflict (hint: US-China) Edward Hasbrouck Responsible Statecraft: 8 Jul 2026 SOURCE: https://responsiblestatecraft.org/war-draft-selective-service/ Documents obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOIA) request show that the Selective Service recently gamed out what a military draft would look like in a future war. It would not resemble the one the nation lived through 55 years ago for the Vietnam War or the contingency plans in current standby Selective Service regulations. Instead, those with “special skills” would be conscripted first. This is the opposite of what the Selective Service says in its promotional materials, that “if a draft is authorized, individuals are selected through a random lottery” from among all young men regardless of their occupation or current skills. According to the January 2026 military mobilization exercise, the first wave of draftees could include “computer network technicians, electronics technicians, aerospace engineers, divers, welders, gas turbine engine mechanics, electricians, heavy equipment operators, longshoremen, steel workers / pipefitters, radar / communications technicians, fiber optic technicians, mariners, aviation structural mechanics, cyber security specialists, robotics operators and technicians, air traffic controllers, logistics specialists, [and] linguists.”... This is the opposite of what the Selective Service says in its promotional materials, that “if a draft is authorized, individuals are selected through a random lottery” from among all young men regardless of their occupation or current skills.The lottery has long been considered central to the fairness of a draft. All of this comes as the SSS is preparing to replace the failed system of self-registration with an automated system (also likely to fail) under which the SSS will try to identify and locate potential draftees by using existing databases from other Federal agencies. Meanwhile, the SSS has maintained radio silence since the “automatic” registration law was enacted, not issuing any statements or responding to any inquiries from journalists for more than six months....
