SELECTIVE SERVICE WANTS TO BOOST RATES

In case America becomes involved in a major war, Uncle Sam has a list of nearly every draft-eligible male so the military can quickly boost its manpower.

Though there hasn't been a draft for 28 years, the government keeps the list all the same. Call it a national insurance policy.

With such a long period of relative peace and an all-volunteer force, most Americans likely give the Selective Service System little thought.

Selective Service officials are working to change that, particularly among 18-year-old men, who are required by law to register.

In 2000, 87 percent of men ages 18 and 19 registered, a bump of 4 percent from 1999. In Missouri, compliance was at 86 percent, a 2 percent increase from the previous year. The state director for Selective Service said he'd like to get Missouri's compliance rate over 90 percent.

Alice Teel-Burton, a spokeswoman with Selective Service headquarters in Arlington, Va., said the agency began publicizing compliance rates last year and more aggressively working with high schools and colleges to boost registration.

"We believe the reason men do not register is they don't know they have to," Teel-Burton said. "There is a lack of awareness."

Registration is simple. Forms are available at any U.S. Post Office, but Teel-Burton says Internet registration has become increasingly popular since that method was first offered in December 1998.

Earlier this month, an 18-year-old Virginia man became the 1 millionth man to register online. The Selective Service receives approximately 9,000 online registrations each week, in addition to nearly 30,000 registrations by mail or other means.

Cape Girardeau School District superintendent Dr. Dan Steska said the duty of young men to register is actively promoted at Central High School, and assistance in submitting online registration forms is offered.

Federal law requires all male residents of the United States -- even non-citizens -- to register within 30 days of their 18th birthday. Failure to do so is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

However, the agency has little interest in throwing violators in prison, at least during peacetime. The last prosecution for failure to register was in 1983.

"It is not the Selective Service System's wish to prosecute," Teel-Burton said. "We want compliance."

Condition for employment

But the government doesn't just turn a blind eye to non-compliance. Those who don't register are ineligible for federal jobs, government student loans and federal job training. Resident aliens can't gain U.S. citizenship unless they register.

Many states, including Missouri, also require registration as a condition for receiving state jobs and financial aid.

Don Hiatte, the Selective Service director for Missouri, said such efforts are an effective way to boost compliance. Unlike prosecution, Hiatte said denial of government jobs and benefits is strictly adhered to.

"We just want to be sure every young man is aware of their responsibility, but it is their choice of whether or not they want to comply with the law," Hiatte said. "I assume most federal and state agencies abide by that requirement as closely as they can. Someone might slip through the cracks, but I don't think so."

Those who miss the 30-day windows before and after their 18th birthday can still register and restore their eligibility for government jobs and benefits. However, they can't wait forever. Late registrations will not be accepted once a man turns 26, meaning they would be ineligible for government jobs and other perks for life.

President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act in 1940, establishing the country's first peacetime draft. Until 1973, men were drafted during both times of peace and war when the manpower needs of the armed forces couldn't be satisfied through volunteers. Mandatory registration was suspended in 1975 but reinstated in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter on the heels of the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan.

Reinstatement of the draft would require an act of Congress. Draft ages are currently 20 to 25.