Automatic US military draft registration to commence in December
Eligible men will be automatically enrolled into the military draft pool by December, as part of an effort to streamline and save money on the former self-registration process.
The Selective Service System (SSS), the government organization that keeps a database of men who can be called up to serve in the event of a national emergency, submitted a proposed rule to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on March 30, according to the office’s website.
Most men between the ages of 18 and 25 are already required for the military draft registration with the Selective Service, but automatic registration became mandatory in December 2025 as part of the fiscal 2026 National Defence Authorisation Act.
The shift, which was intended to save money, “transfers responsibility for military draft registration from individual men to SSS through integration with federal data sources,” according to the website.
The proposed rule is now being reviewed by the regulatory affairs office and is awaiting finalisation.
The United States hasn’t had a draft since the Vietnam War, and military service has been voluntary since 1973.
However, in 1980, former President Jimmy Carter reintroduced the Selective Service in the event of a “national emergency,” allowing the registry to “provide personnel to the Department of War and alternative service for conscientious objectors, if authorised by the President and Congress.”
Many have questioned if a US military draft could take place during Iran’s conflict, which is now in a shaky two-week ceasefire.
In March, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that while a draft is “not part of the current plan right now,” President Trump “wisely keeps his options on the table.”
Trump cannot reinstate the draft solely through executive authority, since Congress must adopt legislation to amend the Military Selective Service Act to allow the president to induct personnel into the military.
Nonetheless, failure to register for the draft is a crime that can prevent people from receiving state-funded financial aid and employment in many states, disqualify them from many federal employment opportunities and job training under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and result in a fine of up to $250,000 and up to five years in jail.
Furthermore, immigrants who do not register risk losing their US citizenship. According to the new legislation, men will be automatically registered within 30 days of turning 18.
Women remain ineligible for the draft, despite efforts by MPs in recent years to include measures allowing women to join the draft as part of the yearly defence policy bill. All of the measures were removed before the legislation’s final vote.