Student Deferment in Selective Service

Student Deferment in Selective Service was first published in 1952.What dies "student deferment" mean? Is is an exemption or a postponement of military service? Why did our government adopt the policy? How dies it operate? How does it affect national security? Does it result in special privilege? Is deferment justified regardless of what curriculum a student chooses?These are some of the questions Dr. Trytten answers in this timely review of an important and controversial national program. As a shrinking manpower pool points up the need for new sources to meet draft quotas, the deferment policy may well come under attack from those who do not understand its purpose.To stimulate informed thought and discussion about the program, Dr. Trytten here reviews the broad problem of manpower needs, as well as the history of the deferment policy. He explains the bases for the policy's adoption, outlines the criteria and methods of deferment, and describes the college qualification test used.This central fact is emphasizes as fundamental in any consideration of our manpower problems: National defense once rested largely on the military; today's age of technology, however, dictates that the military must depend upon an uninterrupted functioning of civilian activities. The laboratory, the industrial plant, and the business organization are as vital as the armed forces themselves. Thus college training has become as essential as military training.