A “U.S. Army” sticker is affixed to the uniform of a soldier of the 1st Infantry Division during military training at the Nowa Dewa training range in Poland, April 12, 2023.
Arthur Widak | Null Photo | Getty Images
The Selective Service System plans to automatically enroll eligible American men between the ages of 18 and 26 into the U.S. military draft by December, according to government filings, nearly half a century after mandatory registration for the draft by this group became law.
SSS’s proposal would introduce a requirement in the National Defense Authorization Act, passed by Congress in December, to include automatic enrollment for “all American men” of these ages.
There has been no conscription since 1973, when U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War was winding down.
But in 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed a law requiring men between the ages of 18 and 25 to register for the draft. Since then, the federal government has relied on voluntary compliance with its laws rather than automatic enrollment. A 26-year-old man is allowed to enroll late in accordance with the law.
The SSS announced that 81% of all eligible men will be enrolled in 2024, a decrease of 3 percentage points from the previous year.
The proposal by the SSS to automatically enroll men in the draft was submitted to the Department of Information and Regulatory Affairs on March 30.
The proposal was made about a month after the United States and Israel began their war against Iran. A two-week ceasefire in the conflict came into effect on Tuesday night.
There are currently no plans to reinstate the draft.
But on March 8, when asked by Fox News Sunday host Maria Bartiromo about the possibility of reinstating the draft, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said President Donald Trump was “keeping options on the table.”
Failure to comply with SSS registration is a felony punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 or up to five years in prison.
Some states require enrollment in the Selective Service for employment and student financial aid.
SSS registration was previously a requirement for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, but was removed as part of the FAFSA Simplification Act of 2020.
