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How did the draft change after nixon gained office
Executive summary
When Richard Nixon took office in January 1969 he moved quickly to reform the Vietnam-era draft: he cut planned induction calls by 50,000, ordered an end to many deferments, pushed a randomized “lottery” based on birthdays, and set a course toward an all‑volunteer force—actions that culminated in legislation putting the draft on “standby” in 1971 and the effective end of conscription in 1973 [1] [2] [3]. Nixon combined executive actions (canceling draft calls, phasing out certain deferments) with a Gates Commission and congressional measures to transition from conscription to an all‑volunteer military [4] [3].
1. Nixon’s immediate moves: canceling calls and shrinking intake
Within his first year Nixon publicly reduced planned draft calls for late 1969 by 50,000 men—canceling November and December inductions—and signaled further cuts to come; officials said the reductions reflected lower manpower needs and an attempt to reduce draft inequities and campus unrest [1] [5]. The administration framed these cuts both as manpower management and as political strategy linked to calming anti‑war protests [1].
2. Reforming deferments: who would still be exempted
Nixon sought to eliminate many occupational, agricultural and paternity deferments and to bar general graduate deferments except for medical and allied fields; he used executive authority to phase out future paternity exemptions while preserving hardship protections and limited exceptions [6] [7]. The change narrowed who could avoid service and helped prepare a smaller, more predictable draft pool [6] [2].
3. The lottery: making selection random and changing vulnerability windows
A central Nixon proposal was to randomize selection—drafting the youngest first, limiting the period of “vulnerability,” and establishing an annual random order—culminating in the 1969 implementation of a birthday lottery meant to remove perceived arbitrariness in the 1967 law [2] [4] [8]. The lottery shifted selection from a multi‑year uncertainty to a more immediate, single‑year eligibility model for 19‑year‑olds [8].
4. Strategy toward an all‑volunteer force: the Gates Commission and legislation
Nixon quickly convened the Gates Commission to assess whether a volunteer army was practicable; the commission unanimously recommended a move to an all‑volunteer force with higher pay and improved recruiting, and Nixon combined those recommendations with draft reforms and congressional outreach that led to the 1971 law putting Selective Service on “standby” [3] [4]. The administration nonetheless requested a two‑year statutory extension of induction authority to June 1973, reflecting a phased approach rather than an immediate abolition [9].
5. How changes altered who and when was drafted
Practically, Nixon’s reforms made 19‑year‑olds the primary pool (drafting the youngest first), shortened the window during which men could be called, and reduced long-standing deferment categories—changes designed to reduce inequities and let young people plan education and careers with more certainty [2] [8]. The administration also publicly tied reductions in calls to “Vietnamization” (turning fighting over to South Vietnam) and lower U.S. manpower needs [1].
6. Political context and competing interpretations
The Nixon White House and supporters presented reforms as fairness and manpower modernization; critics and some officials argued the moves were politically motivated to cool campus protests and improve bargaining in Paris peace talks [1]. Some in Congress opposed rapid abolition and sought extensions or conditions on renewal; Nixon therefore combined executive measures with legislative negotiation and commission work to reach a compromise path [9] [7].
7. Outcome and timeline: from reform to standby status
Key milestones: Nixon announced draft reductions and lottery reform in 1969, implemented the lottery late that year, pressed the Gates Commission and congressional measures in 1970–71, and signed enabling legislation on Sept. 28, 1971 that put the Selective Service on standby; the Department of Defense announced the end of draft inductions in January 1973 [4] [3] [10].
8. Limitations in the available reporting and open questions
Available sources document policy steps, political aims, and commissions but differ on emphasis: some stress fairness and administrative reform [2] [4], others highlight political calculation to reduce unrest [1]. Sources do not provide exhaustive detail on internal White House deliberations beyond the cited memos and messages, and they do not fully quantify the longer‑term personnel or budget tradeoffs beyond commission recommendations [6] [3].
If you want, I can produce a concise timeline of dates and specific orders/legislative acts cited above, or extract exact language from Nixon’s 1969 messages and the 1971 enabling law referenced in these sources [2] [3] [4].