Beginning in December 2026, the federal government will no longer rely on young men to sign themselves up for the Selective Service. Instead, nearly every eligible man between the ages of 18 and 25 will be added automatically to the military draft registry through existing federal records, marking the biggest overhaul to the system since it was revived in 1980.
The change comes after Congress included an automatic registration provision in the fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which the president signed into law in December 2025.
The Selective Service System submitted its proposed rule to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on March 30, and the rule is still awaiting final approval. Once it takes effect, men will be registered within 30 days of turning 18, without having to fill out paperwork themselves.
According to The New York Post, the Selective Service said the update “transfers responsibility for registration from individual men to SSS through integration with federal data sources.”
However, according to the Selective Service’s official website, the move does not mean the United States is reinstating an active military draft. The country has not drafted troops since the Vietnam War, and military service has been voluntary since 1973.
For an actual draft to resume, Congress would first need to amend the Military Selective Service Act, and the president would have to authorize inductions during a national emergency. The government would then begin a lottery system based on birthdays, with 20-year-olds called first, followed by other age groups if needed.
The updated system arrives at a time when military recruiting has become more difficult, and registration rates have slipped. Selective Service data showed that nationwide registration among eligible men fell from 84 percent in 2023 to 81 percent in 2024.
Representative Chrissy Houlahan, who supported the provision, argued that the change simply modernizes an outdated process and reduces taxpayer costs. She said the new system “simply moves the burden of filing the registration paperwork from the individual to the government, where it belongs.”
Even with the new automatic process, the legal consequences surrounding the military draft registry remain significant. Under the current law, failing to register can lead to fines of up to $250,000, prison sentences of up to five years, loss of eligibility for some state-funded college aid, federal job training programs, and certain government jobs.
Immigrant men who do not register can also face problems when applying for U.S. citizenship. Automatic enrollment is designed to prevent those penalties from occurring due to missed paperwork or a lack of awareness.
If a future draft were ever authorized, everyone placed into the system would initially be considered available for service. After receiving an induction notice, people could then request deferments, postponements, or exemptions.
The Selective Service recognizes several categories, including hardship deferments for people supporting family members, postponements for high school and college students, exemptions for ministers and some elected officials, and classifications for conscientious objectors.
Medical evaluations would also take place before anyone could be inducted into service. The agency says it would need to deliver the first draftees to the military within 193 days of Congress and the president authorizing a draft.
One major piece of the law is staying the same: women are still not included in the Selective Service system. Lawmakers have repeatedly proposed expanding the military draft registry to include women in recent years, but those provisions have been removed before final votes on defense bills.
