<P> Conscription in the United States , commonly known as the draft , has been employed by the federal government of the United States in five conflicts : the American Revolution , the American Civil War , World War I , World War II , and the Cold War ( including both the Korean War and the Vietnam War ) . The third incarnation of the draft came into being in 1940 through the Selective Training and Service Act . It was the country 's first peacetime draft . From 1940 until 1973 , during both peacetime and periods of conflict , men were drafted to fill vacancies in the United States Armed Forces that could not be filled through voluntary means . The draft came to an end when the United States Armed Forces moved to an all - volunteer military force . However , the Selective Service System remains in place as a contingency plan ; all male civilians between the ages of 18 and 25 are required to register so that a draft can be readily resumed if needed . United States Federal Law also provides for the compulsory conscription of men between the ages of 17 and 45 and certain women for militia service pursuant to Article I , Section 8 of the United States Constitution and 10 U.S. Code § 246 . </P>
when was the last time the military drafted
1973