Selective Service online registration hits 250,000

More than 250,000 men have registered with the Selective Service using the internet since the program was inaugurated a year ago.

Agency officials say online registrations now account for about one quarter of incoming registrations. Dec. 2, 1999 marks the first anniversary of the Selective Service System’s popular internet registration program.

Federal law requires men turning 18 who reside in the United States, citizens and non-citizens alike, to register with Selective Service within 30 days of their 18th birthday. About 2 million men are required to register every year. Male U.S. citizens reaching age 18 must register regardless where they live, so internet registration is especially convenient from American men who reside overseas.

“When Selective Service began the online registration program, it was an immediate success,” says Gil Coronado, director of Selective Service. “It is gratifying to see the number of young men who are responding by logging on and registering via computers at schools, libraries, and homes and from overseas locations. In fact, no other service we’ve provided has had more immediate impact than online registration. Its popularity surpasses our most optimistic expectations.”

To register online, a man with a valid Social Security number must connect to the Selective Service web site at http://www.sss.gov. After keying in his registration information, he clicks on the “Submit” button and instantly receives his Selective Service number. Additionally, he receives a formal acknowledgment postcard in the mail within two weeks. Men also can register by returning a mail-back registration form received in the mail, by registering at any U.S. post office, or by checking a box on government forms such as the student financial aid application. Even so, Coronado points out that the fastest and easiest way to register is through the internet.

Although late registrations are accepted, a man cannot register after reaching age 26. Failure to register is a felony and causes man to be ineligible for student loans and grants for college, most federal and many state jobs, jobs with the U.S. Postal Service, and federal job training programs. Moreover, male immigrants who are subject to the registration requirement also may be denied U.S. citizenship if they do not register.

Although the U.S. relies primarily on an all-volunteer military today, Selective Service continues to be a low-cost national defense manpower “insurance policy” that provides the means to reinstate a fair and equitable draft, if necessary. “Without Selective Service and the draft registration program, America would be far less prepared to respond in a crisis,” Coronado explains. “The success of online registration is not only a milestone in our agency’s history, it is a milestone in America’s history.”