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In a move aimed at simplifying the military draft process and cutting costs, eligible men will now be automatically enrolled in the draft pool by this December.
The Selective Service System (SSS), the federal agency responsible for maintaining a registry of men who could be called to serve during a national emergency, put forward a proposed rule on March 30, as detailed on the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs’ website.
While most men aged 18 to 25 are already required to sign up with the Selective Service, a mandate for automatic registration is set to take effect in December 2025. This change is part of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act.
The initiative aims to reduce expenses by shifting the registration responsibility from individuals to the SSS, which will now utilize federal data sources for this task, as stated on the agency’s website.
Currently, this proposed rule is under examination by the regulatory affairs office and is pending final approval.
The U.S. has not had a draft since the Vietnam War, with military service being voluntary since 1973.
But former President Jimmy Carter in 1980 reinstated the Selective Service in the event of a “national emergency,” where the registry could be used to “provide personnel to the Department of War and alternative service for conscientious objectors, if authorized by the President and Congress.”
Many have questioned whether a U.S. military draft could take place amid the war in Iran, which is currently in a tenuous two-week ceasefire.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in March said that while a draft is “not part of the current plan right now,” President Trump “wisely keeps his options on the table.”
Trump alone cannot bring back the draft through executive action, as Congress would need to pass legislation to amend the Military Selective Service Act to authorize the president to induct personnel into the military.
Still, failure to register in the draft is considered a crime and can prevent people from receiving state-funded financial aid and employment in numerous states, cause ineligibility for many federal employment opportunities and job training under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and can carry a fine of up to $250,000 and jail time for up to five years.
In addition, immigrants who don’t register may lose their U.S. citizenship.
Under the new rule, men will be registered automatically within 30 days of their 18th birthdays.
Women are still ineligible for the draft, even as lawmakers in the past few years have attempted to attach provisions adding women to the draft as part of the annual defense policy bill. The measures have all been stripped out before a final vote on the legislation.