Conscription in the Manticoran Empire

Conscription in the Manticoran Empire, more commonly referred to as The Draft and officially known as the National Service Act, has been a staple of the Imperial Armed Forces since the mid 19th Century. The National Service Act of 1857 divided the Citizens of the Empire into several categories, based on the marital and financial status of the individual. The National Service Act of 1925 expanded the draft to include non-white males and the National Service Act of 1955 further expanded the draft to include females.

As of the National Service Act of 1955, upon reaching the age of 21, all citizens are given a letter in the mail from the government, instructing them to report to their local federal building to go through the draft process. Upon arrival, the draftee will confirm their draft status. There were four classes that a draftee could fall under. Class I status classified them as fit for active service, with Class I Draftees immediately sent to a training center to begin their basic training. Class II status deferred a draftee from serving due to their occupation, however they would still complete basic training before returning to their civilian career. Class II Draftees would form the core of the Inactive Reserves. Class III status deferred a draftee for dependency. Draftees with this status were exempted from military training as it would constitute a deprivation of key services to spouse, offspring, or parental dependents. Class III draftees would instead be sent to perform non-military work, often in public works programs close to their homes, allowing them to continue to meet the needs of their dependents. Class IV status declared a draftee as unfit for military service. Class IV draftees included those in religious studies, those with moral objections to military service, and those with physical or mental defects preventing them from serving. Class IV draftees also included persons who were currently serving or had already completed their service. As such, Class IV draftees were directed to a non-military form of National Service, typically filling positions in government offices, particularly those related to public assistance programs such as emergency housing, welfare, and other such programs.

Upon being accepted into military service, Class I and Class II draftees would be dispatched to a training center and complete a three month Basic Training Course of Instruction. Class II draftees would then be sent to a three week job training course to learn their military task before being sent home and entering the Inactive Reserve until the age of 45, being required to appear for annual exercises. Class I draftees would be sent to complete their job training courses, often being longer and more detailed than those of Class II draftees before beginning 12 months of active service. Upon completion of their 12 months of active service, the draftees would enter the Active Reserves for a period of 10 years, where they would be required to attend monthly training weekends and appear at annual exercises alongside Inactive Reserve personnel.

Class III and Class IV draftees would be assigned non-military work, typically in public works or in public assistance programs before performing their 12 months of national service in that task. Upon completion of their national service, if applicable, they would be returned to their civilian lives.

In all cases, draftees had the option to continue in their position, either military or civilian. There was also the option to voluntarily enlist in the Armed Forces at age 17 or join one of several government agencies at the same time, thereby completing their national service by default. A decent number of recruits joined voluntarily before their 21st birthdays and formed the core of the Active Armed Forces.