Draft Possibilities for High School Students?

I've been reading a lot about the draft lately and it's been freaking me out a bit. Does anyone know if high school students can be drafted into the military? I'm a junior, btw.

The U.S. draft, or Selective Service System, is a means of conscription which the government can use in times of national emergency to draft citizens into the military. As it currently stands, all male U.S. citizens, and male immigrants living in the U.S., who are age 18 through 25 are required to register with Selective Service.

However, in practice, the draft has not been used since 1973 during the Vietnam War. All current U.S. military forces are voluntary, making the possibility of a draft happening again quite low. Nevertheless, the legal mandate to register remains. A few days after a male U.S. citizen or immigrant turns 18, they are legally obligated to register.

In terms of being a high school student, the law does account for this. If you are a male student who is not yet 18 or in your senior year, you will not be drafted. Even if a draft were to occur and you were of the correct age to register (18), you would not be taken out of school. You could defer until the end of the spring semester or turn 20, whichever comes first.

While recognizing this can be an anxious topic, it's really important to remember that a draft is highly unlikely, and any such action would require Congressional authorization. Also, today's military is highly technological, requiring specific skill sets that are often obtained through advanced training, meaning a broad draft could potentially be less useful.

So while you should fulfill your legal obligation to register when you turn 18, it's also crucial to remember that the probability of an actual draft is quite low.