The US government wants young men to be automatically registered as eligible for the military draft starting in December, which would end decades of self-registration. The new rule, proposed by a government agency, would see men registered automatically, rather than having to do it themselves within 30 days of turning 18. Proponents of the plan argue that automatic registration would allow the government to save millions of dollars spent each year on reminding eligible men that registration is mandatory by law for those aged 18 to 25. The rule is still under review and must be approved before implementation, though it has already sparked fears of a possible forced draft in the US. “Instead of allocating it to education and advertising campaigns aimed at registering people”. The fears it generates However, the change has raised fears among some Americans that the country is heading toward a mandatory military draft if the war with Iran escalates or if a crisis erupts in the future. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt directly addressed a question about the draft and the possibility of deploying US troops to Iranian territory during an interview with Fox News in early March. “It is not part of the current plan at this time, but the president, once again, wisely keeps all options on the table,” Leavitt responded. US citizenship can also be denied to non-citizens who do not register. The vast majority of US states and territories also automatically register men for the Selective Service when they issue driver's licenses. Despite these rules, the compliance rate fell to 81% in 2024, according to government data. The new change to automatic registration was approved by Congress in December as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, which authorizes funding for the US military and its operations worldwide. Pennsylvania Democratic Representative Chrissy Houlahan, who pushed for the provision, noted at the time that the measure would allow the government to “reallocate resources”. “Basically, that means money allocated for preparation and mobilization,” Houlahan told Military Times. “There is no higher priority or responsibility for this president than to protect the American people and our troops”. The US government has implemented a forced draft during wartime six times in its history, most recently during the Vietnam War. Approximately 1.8 million Americans were drafted during that conflict, which ultimately led to the creation of an all-volunteer military in 1973. in case of a crisis. The last US military draft occurred in 1973, after years of massive public opposition during the Vietnam War. Transfer of responsibility The Selective Service System (SSS) submitted the automatic registration proposal to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on March 30, according to that office's website. The SSS website states that the change “transfers the responsibility for registration from individual men to the SSS” by integrating with other federal data sources, which the agency says will result in a more “streamlined” process. In the United States, most men aged 18 to 25 are already required to register. Failing to do so is a crime and can theoretically carry up to five years in federal prison. While prison sentences are practically nonexistent, failure to comply can also result in ineligibility for federal student aid and federal jobs.
