Military Conscription No Longer NecessaryMore than forty years have passed since the United States inducted the last recruit through the Selective Service System. The Selective Service System is an independent agency of the United States that gives the president the right or authority to recruit men for military service. Since 1917, different laws have been passed by Congress requiring men of different ages to register for the service. Although the name of each law and the age requirements of the records changed, the laws were all similar in nature. They all gave the president the right to call men to war when he deemed it necessary. In January 1973, Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird announced the creation of an all-volunteer service, removing the need for conscription (GAO.gov). Under current law, all men ages 18 to 25 must register within 30 days of their 18th birthday. However, this information is primarily used for recruitment purposes and in case of future crises. There has been a lot of controversy about this since the Vietnam War, when people began to realize that the draft was unfair because of loopholes and exemptions that made it unfair to workers. At one time, military conscription may have been necessary, but today the all-volunteer military has eliminated the need for conscription. Simply put, the United States does not need a draft. As of December 31, 2013, the United States had the second largest military in the world according to the Department of Defense. The world's largest army is the Chinese People's Liberation Army, which is also entirely voluntary. The People's Liberation Army has approximately 2,300,000 members. By the end of 2013, the U.S. Army had approximately ...... middle of paper ......012. 558-563. Print.Induction statistics. 2007 Selective Service System. sss.gov. n. page. April 1, 2014. Laird, Melvin. “We don’t need military conscription.” My opinions. Washingtonpost.com. February 21, 2013. n. page. Internet. April 2, 2014. Paul, Ron MD “Military Conscription and Slavery.” » Weekend edition. March 23-25, 2002. counterpunch.org. n. page. Internet. April 5, 2014. Rhem, Kathleen. “Rumsfield: No need for draft; Notable disadvantages. US Department of Defense. Defense.gov. January 7, 2003. n. page. Internet. March 29, 2014. “Military conscription: potential impacts and other issues.” U.S. Government Accountability Office. GAO.gov. March 10, 1988. n. page. Internet. April 1, 2014.USLegal.com n. page. Internet. April 2, 2014. “40th Anniversary of the All-Volunteer Force (ARMY).” Stand-To: the official objective of the American army. Standing ! Edition. July 1, 2013. army.mil. n. page. Internet. April 1 2014.