…with one the agency itself controls. The change does not bring back an actual draft, which hasn’t been used since 1973. The US military remains all-volunteer, and Selective Service functions only as a backup list the government could turn to if a draft were ever reinstated.

Currently, men must register themselves within 30 days of turning 18. Being on the list doesn’t mean someone will be called to serve; it simply means the government has a record of who could be eligible if circumstances ever changed.

Why Congress Wants the Change

The new automatic system replaces self-registration that has been in place since 1980, when President Jimmy Carter reinstated registration. The agency has until December 18, 2026 to get the new system running.

It submitted its implementation plan in March, describing the shift as a “streamlined process” that moves responsibility away from individual men and onto the agency itself.

Part of the motivation is practical. In 2024, only 81% of eligible men were actually registered, meaning roughly one in five fell outside the system. Supporters argue automatic registration will close that gap while also saving money currently spent on reminder campaigns urging young men to sign up.

Representative Chrissy Houlahan, a Pennsylvania Democrat who sponsored the language, said those savings could instead go toward “readiness and towards mobilization.” About 46 states and territories already run similar automatic systems at the state level, typically pulling from driver’s license records.

Registration itself remains legally mandatory. Failing to register is still a federal crime, carrying penalties of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Men who were institutionalized, homebound, or incarcerated between ages 18 and 26 can contest their registration status by providing proof.

Is a Draft Coming?

Not under this law. Automatic registration changes how names get added to the list, but it does not authorize an actual draft. For that to happen, Congress would need to amend the Military Selective Service Act to give the president authority to induct people into the armed forces.

Concerns about a possible draft grew after the US and Israel struck Iran at the end of February. In March, then-White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that a draft is “not part of the current plan right now,” though she added that President Trump “wisely keeps his options on the table.”

The Hill reported that the registration overhaul is unrelated to the Iran strikes and predates that conflict entirely. The policy had bipartisan backing well before those events, with lawmakers on both sides supporting the move toward automatic enrollment.