The automatic registration provision was included in the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, passed by Congress and signed by President Trump in December 2023. The change transfers responsibility for registration from individual men to the Selective Service System through integration with federal data sources. Auto-enrollment of eligible men aged 18 to 25 is expected to begin in December 2026.
Under current law, failure to register for the draft is a crime carrying a $250,000 fine, up to five years in jail, and loss of state-funded financial aid and many state employment opportunities. Reinstating a draft would require an amendment to the Military Selective Service Act by Congress. S.
has not had a military draft since the Vietnam War; military service has been voluntary since 1973. Women remain ineligible for the draft. S.
troops on the ground in the Middle East during the Iran conflict. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a non-committal answer about operational limits in the Iran conflict. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Trump does not remove options off the table regarding military operations in Iran.
Critics of President Trump are fuming at the Pentagon's plans to automate the military draft. The automatic draft registration rule has attracted fresh scrutiny amid Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. Internationally, former UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has called for a Nordic-style conscription in the UK.
Sweden reintroduced conscription in 2017 to address falling service numbers, requiring all 17-year-old men and women to apply, with entry capped at about 8,000 per year.