Washington — The Selective Service System plans to begin automatically registering all eligible U.S. men ages 18 to 26 for the military draft database by the end of December 2026, aiming to close a longstanding compliance gap that has left nearly one in five young men unregistered.

The agency submitted a proposed rule to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on March 30, kicking off the formal review process needed before the change takes effect. Once implemented, the Selective Service will use data from the Social Security Administration and other federal databases to register eligible men within 30 days of their 18th birthday — the same timeframe currently required for self-registration, though late registration is allowed up to age 26. 

The move addresses declining voluntary compliance rates. In 2024, only about 81% of eligible men registered, leaving roughly 19% out of the system. Registration has dropped further since 2022, when the question was removed from federal student loan applications — a channel that once generated nearly a quarter of all registrations.

Proponents say automatic registration will save millions of dollars currently spent on public awareness campaigns and reduce the risk of young men facing penalties for unintentional non-compliance, such as loss of eligibility for federal student aid, government jobs, or certain state benefits.

Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), who sponsored the provision in the annual defense bill, stated that the change will “allow us to rededicate resources toward readiness and mobilization rather than education and advertising campaigns.” She has emphasized the bipartisan nature of the reform and noted that it prevents young men from unknowingly committing a felony by failing to register.

Forty-six states and territories already use similar automatic systems at the state level. The new federal rule marks the first nationwide implementation of automatic registration.

Selective Service officials have stressed that the policy change does not reinstate the military draft or signal any intent to do so. The United States has relied on an all-volunteer force since the last draft inductions ended in February 1973, following the Vietnam War. Activating conscription would still require separate legislation passed by Congress and signed by the president.

The requirement for automatic registration was included in the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which President Donald Trump signed into law in December 2025. The legislation passed with bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress.

The proposed rule remains under regulatory review and must be finalized ahead of the December 2026 implementation target. 

This update modernizes a system that has required self-registration since the post-Vietnam era while maintaining the current legal framework for any future draft decisions.