The Selective Service’s Website Crashed and Not Because People Are Rushing to Enlist

The killing of an Iranian commander has drummed up fear of a draft—however improbable.

Capt. Robyn Haake/Planet Pix/Zuma

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.

As concerns about violent reprisals or a Middle East war unfolded following reports that President Donald Trump had ordered the killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani on Thursday, some Americans were also worried about more personal implications of the event. So many Americans Googled “draft requirements” and “military exemptions” that the United States Selective Service website crashed.

Iran’s Supreme Leader and President have vowed to enact revenge for the death of their military leader, and many experts have described Trump’s drone strike as an “act of war.” As concerns about the threat of war with Iran grew, so did internet traffic related to the draft. The Selective Service System is part of the Department of Defense that collects information about men who are eligible to be enlisted in the military. Its website allows people to register online and provides information about eligibility and exemptions.

There hasn’t been an active draft since the Vietnam War, and the draft officially ended in 1973. Military service has been voluntary throughout the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Still, American men between the ages of 18 to 25 are required to register with the Selective Service System lest a draft becomes necessary. As it struggled with unprecedented demand on its website, the Selective Service assured Americans Friday that a draft would require Congressional approval, meaning eligible civilian men won’t be drafted and sent overseas in the foreseeable future.

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate