U.S. Selective Service System Plans Automatic Draft Registration for Men Aged 18-26

Selective Service to Implement Automatic Draft Registration

The U.S. Selective Service System plans to implement automatic registration for eligible American men aged 18 to 26 for a military draft by December. This initiative fulfills a mandate from Congress passed in December as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. While there are currently no formal plans to reinstate a draft, this move shifts compliance from voluntary registration, which has been the standard since 1980, to an automatic process.

The Selective Service System intends to implement automatic registration for eligible American men between the ages of 18 and 26 for a U.S. military draft by December. This information is based on a government filing submitted by the agency.

This plan aims to fulfill a requirement passed by Congress in December as part of the National Defense Authorization Act.

The act specifically mandates automatic registration for "every male citizen of the United States" within the specified age range.

A military draft has not been conducted in the U.S. since 1973, a period that coincided with the conclusion of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed a law requiring men aged 18 to 25 to register for military conscription.

Historically, the federal government has relied on voluntary compliance with this law, rather than automatic enrollment. Under current regulations, men aged 26 are permitted to register late to comply with the legal requirement.

In 2024, the Selective Service reported an 81% registration rate among eligible men. This figure represents a 3 percentage point decrease from the previous year.

The agency submitted its proposal for automatic enrollment to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on March 30. This submission occurred approximately one month after the U.S. and Israel began a conflict against Iran, which recently saw a two-week ceasefire take effect.

Despite these developments, there are currently no formal plans to reinstate a military draft.