I. Selective Service

Congress will maintain a Selective Service, requiring all Persons aged 18 through 30 to register. Those activated who conscientiously object, or whose physical health precludes military service, will be assigned alternative civilian duties with pay equivalent to that they would receive as members of the military. Service requirements must be equal, regardless of gender, economic class, race, ethnicity, belief, or other legal classifications. No deferments will be granted for educational pursuits.

Sometimes conscriptions are inevitable. They are a severe tool of government, and they rob people of their agency. But times of war require shared sacrifice.

During the Vietnam War, deferments for education or health were much easier to get for wealthy American men. A person was far more likely to be drafted if they couldn’t get to college or were not white. That turned an authoritarian system into something beginning to resemble the scutage[1] schemes of the Middle Ages. The difference was, instead of paying the King, you paid a doctor or a University.

This Charter recognizes the need for conscription, but also its unfair history. Congress is required to maintain a Selective Service. It requires all persons to register. That includes citizens and non-citizens alike. It’s also gender blind. If you live under the umbrella of protection afforded by the nation’s army and you’re between 18 and 30, you have an equal stake in its defense.

The slightly wider age range (currently 25) reflects that we are healthier for longer. Some argue that people in their late teens and early twenties are “unsettled.” Maybe true for some, untrue for others. But what difference does it make? This is a burden. Starting a family or career doesn’t relieve you of it.

Health exceptions are no longer an excuse. Congress can build in exceptions for severe illness. If you’re not healthy enough to serve in the military but are otherwise capable, you will serve in the civil service instead.

Educational deferments are no longer an excuse. Tragically, education will be paused by conscription. That’s an argument for avoiding war, not exempting people from it.

“But what about foreigners? Maybe you can’t trust them….” This doesn’t scrap security clearances. The military needs people in many roles, from mortuary services to kitchens. And the civil service can take those considered a risk, freeing someone else for military duty. The point isn’t that everyone picks up a rifle. The point is that everyone has skin in the game.

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[1] A system that accepted monetary payment in lieu of legally required military service in medieval feudal systems.