No one is more scared by the thought of a draft these days than young men eligible for conscription. Except, perhaps, politicians.

Most members of Congress, aware of the political implications of the draft, are saying "no draft, no way." And military analysts in Washington D.C. call chances of a draft very, very slim.

But what would it take for Congress to revive the draft, which has been dormant since 1973?

Surprisingly, the answer is: very little.

First in a four-part series on the war in the Gulf

To reinstate the draft, Congress need only pass a single piece of legislation that is already written, and activate a bureaucracy that is already in place.

The Selective Service System has all of the details worked out, says spokesperson Larry Waltman. If the draft were to come tomorrow, it would happen something like this:

* On national television, a representative of the Service would appear with two barrels, each full of small plastic capsules. In one, capsules would be numbered one to 365. In the other, each of the 365 capsules would designate a different day of the year.

* The barrels would be spun, and the representative would choose a capsule from each barrel. The "date capsule" would designate a birthday, and the "number capsule" would indicate the order in which men born on that date would be required to report to the military for physical examinations.

* Each round applies to men born in a particular year. For example, if the first date were to be June 4, and the first number chosen an 18, then 20-year-olds born on June 4 would be the 18th group called upon. If the draft is activated anytime in 1991, then all those born in 1971 would be considered 20-year-olds.

* Initially, the Service would only order one year. But if the pool of over two million 20-year-olds is exhausted, they will turn, in order, to 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 19, and 18-year-olds.

Getting Out

Although millions of men are eligible for the draft, it seems as though there is an equal number of creative excuses. But in fact, the list of acceptable exemptions has already been decided, Waltman says.

Although they were exempt for much of the Vietnam War, college students are today fair game for the draft. They can petition to postpone their service until the end of the semester, or, if they are in their final year of a degree program, until the end of the year.

Conscientious objectors--those who can prove that they are opposed in principle to all wars, and not just this particular conflict--can substitute public service for military enlistment. Sometimes, however, they are assigned to non-combat duties in the military.