Even though DOD has not used the draft since 1973, DOD officials told  us that the Selective Service System provides a low-cost insurance policy  in case a draft is ever necessary and a structure and organization that  would help ensure the equity and credibility of a draft should one be  authorized and implemented. The Selective Service System also offers  capabilities that are hard to quantify in terms of dollars, including its  structure of unpaid volunteers who could be activated as soon as a draft  is implemented and its no-cost agreements with civilian organizations that  have agreed to supply jobs to conscientious objectors. Selective Service  System officials expressed concern that, as currently resourced, they  cannot meet DOD’s requirements to deliver inductees without  jeopardizing the fairness and equity of the draft. The lack of an updated requirement from DOD presents  challenges to policymakers for determining whether the Selective Service  System is properly resourced or necessary. While DOD officials stated that the 1994 manpower requirement may still  be valid, without an updated assessment of requirements for the  Selective Service System, policymakers cannot be certain whether the  resources to support the Selective Service System are necessary to meet  DOD’s manpower needs, whether the Selective Service System is  prepared to supply the skills most critical to DOD in the 21st century, or  whether the Selective Service System is necessary at all. Selective Service System Said It Is Not Resourced to Meet DOD’s Requirements but Provides a Structure That Could Be Used for a Fair and Equitable Draft

According to official spokespersons for the Selective Service System, the  agency is not currently resourced to meet DOD’s requirement for it to  deliver the first inductees in 193 days and 100,000 inductees in 210 days,  without jeopardizing the fairness and equity of the draft. If a draft occurred, the Selective Service System is also required to  manage a 2-year program of alternative civilian service for conscientious  objectors. Restructuring or Disestablishing the Selective Service System Requires Consideration of Fiscal and National Security Implications

Restructuring or disestablishing the Selective Service System would  require consideration of various fiscal and national security implications,  some of which may be difficult to quantify. Terminating the Selective Service System would also  require amending the Military Selective Service Act and potentially other  laws involving the Selective Service System. Since that time, the security environment and the national  security strategy have changed significantly. Recommendations for Executive Action

To help ensure that DOD and Congress have visibility over the necessity  of the Selective Service System to meeting DOD’s needs, we recommend  that the Secretary of Defense direct the Under Secretary of Defense for  Personnel and Readiness to take the following two actions:  (1) evaluate DOD’s requirements for the Selective Service System in  light of recent strategic guidance and report the results of this  evaluation to Congress and  (2) establish a process of periodically reevaluating DOD’s  requirements for the Selective Service System in light of changing  threats, operating environments, and strategic guidance. Agency Comments and Our Evaluation

In commenting on a draft of this report, DOD agreed with our  recommendations and noted its plans for implementation. Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

To determine the extent to which the Department of Defense (DOD) has  evaluated the necessity of the Selective Service System to meeting  DOD’s future manpower requirements in excess of the all-volunteer force,  we analyzed documentation and information obtained from interviews  with relevant officials from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense  for Personnel and Readiness, Office of Management and Budget, and  Selective Service System. To review the fiscal and national security considerations of various  alternatives to the Selective Service System, we obtained cost estimates  from Selective Service System officials for two scenarios involving  reducing or eliminating the Selective Service System: (1) disestablishing  the Selective Service System and (2) placing the agency in a standby  mode while having it continue to register potential draftees.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Selective Service System is an independent agency in the executive branch. Its responsibilities include maintaining a database that will enable it to provide manpower to DOD in a national emergency, managing a program for conscientious objectors to satisfy their obligations through a program of civilian service, and ensuring the capability to register and induct medical personnel if directed to do so. Section 597 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Pub. L. No. 112-81) requires that GAO assess the military necessity of the Selective Service System and examine alternatives to its current structure. Specifically, GAO (1) determined the extent to which DOD has evaluated the necessity of the Selective Service System to meeting DODs future manpower requirements beyond the all-volunteer force and (2) reviewed the fiscal and national security considerations of various alternatives to the Selective Service System. GAO reviewed legislation, analyzed relevant documents, verified cost data provided by the Selective Service System, and interviewed DOD, Office of Management and Budget, and Selective Service System officials.

What GAO Found

The Department of Defense (DOD) has not recently evaluated the necessity of the Selective Service System to meeting DODs future manpower requirements for carrying out the defense strategy or reexamined time frames for inducting personnel in the event of a draft. DOD officials told GAO that the Selective Service System provides a low-cost insurance policy in case a draft is ever necessary. The Selective Service System maintains a structure that would help ensure the equity and credibility of a draft. For example, the Selective Service System manages the registration of males aged 18 through 25 and maintains no-cost agreements with organizations that would offer alternative service to conscientious objectors. The Selective Service System also has unpaid volunteers who could be activated as soon as a draft is enacted to review claims for deferment. However, DOD has not used the draft since 1973, and because of its reliance and emphasis on the all-volunteer force, DOD has not reevaluated requirements for the Selective Service System since 1994, although significant changes to the national security environment have occurred since that time. Periodically reevaluating an agencys requirements is critical to helping ensure that resources are appropriately matched to requirements that represent todays environment. Selective Service System officials expressed concern that, as currently resourced, they cannot meet DODs requirements to deliver inductees without jeopardizing the fairness and equity of the draft. However, the lack of an updated requirement from DOD presents challenges to policymakers for determining whether the Selective Service System is properly resourced or necessary.
Restructuring or disestablishing the Selective Service System would require consideration of various fiscal and national security implications. GAO reviewed data on costs and savings associated with maintaining the Selective Service Systems current operations, operating in a deep standby mode with active registration, and disestablishing the Selective Service System altogether.
If Congress disestablishes the Selective Service System it would need to amend the Military Selective Service Act and potentially other laws involving the Selective Service System. There are also limitations that would need to be considered if Selective Service System functions were transferred to another agency. Selective Service System officials said that while other databases could be used for a registration database, these databases might not lead to a fair and equitable draft because they would not be as complete and would therefore put some portions of the population at a higher risk of being drafted than others.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that DOD (1) evaluate its requirements for the Selective Service System in light of recent strategic guidance and (2) establish a process of periodically reevaluating these requirements. In written comments on a draft of this report, DOD agreed with the recommendations.