What was the name of the US military draft system during the Vietnam War?

The name of the US military draft system during the Vietnam War was the Selective Service System. It registered eligible men, classified them for military service, and supplied inductees to the armed forces.

The system was created in 1917 during World War I and continued, with interruptions and reforms, into the Vietnam era. During the war, local draft boards evaluated registrants. In 1969, the government introduced a birth-date lottery to make the order of induction more random and less dependent on local board decisions.

The Selective Service System was the administrative organization; “the draft” or “conscription” described the compulsory military service itself. The system did not determine the overall strategy of the war, and it did not mean that every registered man was inducted. Deferments, medical classifications, student rules, and conscientious-objector provisions affected eligibility.

The last US draft induction occurred in 1972, and the induction authority expired in 1973. The United States then moved to an all-volunteer military, although Selective Service registration remains a legal requirement for many young men.