The current military service system in the United States is a full-voluntary military service system, that is, military recruitment, and young people who meet the conditions volunteer to enlist. This system was announced in March 1973 after President Nixon all withdrawn from Vietnam. This system emphasizes patriotism and promotes its effectiveness for national and American values, as well as attracting outstanding talents to join the military through higher welfare benefits and opportunities for further education in colleges. Previously, the United States had implemented military service systems such as militia system, recruitment system, and conscription system.
Currently, a US soldier who has joined the army for one year is about $20,000 a year, and he also enjoys free health care and various insurances, while officers earn more. In addition, soldiers can get government-funded opportunities to attend college after they are discharged. The current U.S. Army policy stipulates that soldiers who have served for two years can receive a scholarship of $26,000 after retirement, while soldiers who have served for four years can receive a scholarship of $50,000. This regulation attracted many children from poor families to join the army. In addition, the US military has also set its sights on a large number of foreign immigrants. According to regulations, any foreign immigrant with permanent resident status can be conscripted as long as they meet the conditions, and can be converted to citizenship after staying in the army for a certain period of time.
The current military service organization in the United States is divided into two sets of institutions: one is the government military service registration system under the National Recruitment Administration; the other is the recruitment system carried out by various branches of the Ministry of National Defense. Under U.S. law, male young men over the age of 18 must register at the Military Recruitment Bureau and its military service committees across the country. This military service registration system divides the United States into six major regions: Northeast, South, Midwest, Southwest, Central and Western regions. Each region has a regional bureau that governs military service work in several states, and its grassroots units are more than 2,000 military service committees spread across the country. The military recruitment agencies are coordinated by the Ministry of National Defense and carried out by each service branch separately. The names of recruiting agencies of each service are also different. The army's name is called the recruitment headquarters, the air force and the navy's name is called the military personnel center, and the marines' name is called the Human Resources and Reserves Affairs Department.
As an insurance strategy, the United States has also maintained a compulsory military service system, with its main purpose being to provide military support to the army when volunteer forces cannot meet the needs of war or to cope with emergency situations in other countries. In peacetime, the main task of the US compulsory military service system is to register potential U.S. troops. The group that may be recruited is composed of male American residents aged 18 to 25 years old. According to current laws, women are not included in the recruitment scope because the US Department of Defense prohibits female soldiers from joining ground combat forces.
There are a few categories of men who can be automatically exempted from military service, including: (1) active-duty men in the military; (2) men who are studying at a military academy or choosing a university officer study program; (3) foreign citizens holding valid students, visitors, or diplomatic visas in the United States; (4) certain specific foreign personnel engaged in agriculture; (5) patients who cannot move freely in hospitals or mental institutions; (6) disabled persons who are unable to participate in public activities; (7) criminals. Except for the above situations, all other American male residents aged 18 to 25 should register within 30 days after they are qualified. Persons who meet this requirement can register through email, the Internet, ordinary mail, or a compulsory military service registry established by high schools. Most U.S. residents are eligible for registration after their 18th birthday, and others should also register when they no longer have exemption (such as the day they graduate from a military academy). Foreigners who meet the requirements need to register within 30 days after entering the country.
