Who Is Exempt From Being Drafted Into the Military?

Unstable countries that have problems like terrorism, internal conflicts and civil wars sometimes need American military assistance. As these problems arise, there may be a need to reinstate the draft in America. Even if a draft was put into place, there would be a percentage of people who are exempt from being drafted into the military for various reasons.

Age

There is an age requirement to be drafted. If a man is 18 to 26 years old, he has to register. A young man is eligible for the draft when he reaches the age of 18. For the next eight years, until the man is 26, he may be called in to do his service. After that time, he is exempt, although in extreme cases of war age requirements may be eliminated.

Physical

All branches of the military will not accept people who are handicapped or have any other physical problems. This includes problems like being deaf in one ear or having severe asthma or allergies. Any physical condition that interferes with a soldier's ability to perform a task has to be considered and could make him exempt.

Depression

When young men are drafted, they are given tests to make sure that they are not only in good psychical shape but also are mentally sound. People who are chronically depressed are exempt from being drafted. If the candidate is on any depression-related drug, he is not eligible. He has to be off all these types of drugs for one year prior to being drafted.

Felony

Any criminal that has been charged with a felony type of crime cannot be drafted. This includes drug-related charges. For example, if the candidate was convicted of drug trafficking, he will never be able to join. People who have these types of backgrounds are considered a high risk to the military and will not be accepted.

Test

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or ASVAB, is a test that the military gives each candidate before he can join or be drafted. It assesses the abilities of the candidate so that he can be placed into the right position. If a person does not score well on this test he might not be able to join, and this can cause problems in a draft situation. If the candidate does not want to be drafted, he may purposely fail this test.

References

• Military information
• Draft information