How did the Vietnam war draft affect the war?

Because it was the cold war, a mobilization of military reserves would be a sign to the Soviets, that the US was raising it's military defensive posture, which could also mean offensive status. Consequently, the Soviets (and/or Red China) would be obligated to counter this move, by mobilizing their military reserves. The cold war would begin to "warm up", raising world tensions. Therefore, US presidents decided to fight the Vietnam War with conscripts (draftees); approximately 40,000 men a month were fed into the war machine by 1968. This caused anti-draft protests & riots.