A federally-managed automatic military draft registration system for 18-year-old men is set to launch by Dec. 18 under the Trump administration, raising anxieties across the country as the United States confronts escalating military tensions with Iran. The shift would end the longstanding requirement that young men register themselves.
Congress approved the automatic registration requirement in December 2025 within the National Defense Authorization Act, a bipartisan measure that shifts registration responsibility from individuals to the federal government. On March 30, the Selective Service System (SSS) submitted its implementation proposal to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. The new system will tap into existing federal databases, including records from the Social Security Administration and the Census Bureau. Shortly after Trump’s inauguration, the Department of Government Efficiency was also granted access to the existing Selective Service registration database.
The announcement comes against a backdrop of intensifying international conflict. On Feb. 28, the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran, with opening strikes killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Following the April 8 implementation of a fragile two-week ceasefire negotiated by Pakistan, peace talks collapsed in Islamabad on April 12 after Iran refused to abandon its nuclear program. Trump responded by announcing a U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, driving oil prices to nearly $100 a barrel. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged in March that Trump “wisely keeps his options on the table” when asked about reinstating a military draft.
The move toward automatic registration stands in stark contrast to President Donald Trump’s own military history. During the Vietnam War, Trump secured five draft deferments, including four student deferments while he studied at Fordham University and the Wharton School. In 1968, at age 22 after graduation, he obtained a medical exemption for bone spurs in his heels. The Queens podiatrist’s daughters later revealed to The New York Times that their father issued the diagnosis as a favor to Fred Trump, who rented him office space. Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, testified to Congress that when he asked Trump for medical records substantiating the claim, Trump “gave me none and said there was no surgery.” Trump never served in the United States armed forces, despite attending the New York Military Academy, a prestigious military-style boarding school.
Under existing law, men between 18 and 25 must self-register within 30 days of their 18th birthday, with late registrations accepted until age 26. Those who fail to register face up to five years in prison, fines reaching $250,000, and potential denial of government employment and some state-based student aid.
According to Selective Service reports to Congress, registration rates have dropped from 84% of eligible men in 2023 to 81% in 2024. While 46 states and territories currently automatically register men during driver’s license applications, the new federal system would ensure comprehensive nationwide coverage and eliminate the $11 million the agency spends annually on advertising campaigns urging men to register.
Pennsylvania Democratic Representative Chrissy Houlahan, who sponsored the automatic registration language in the defense bill, said the change would allow the government to “rededicate resources—basically that means money—towards [readiness] and towards mobilization.”
The timing has fueled concerns among some Americans that the government is preparing for potential mandatory conscription if the Iran conflict escalates or new crises emerge. In March, a coalition of 45 antiwar, religious, feminist, and civil liberties organizations issued a joint statement calling on Congress to repeal the Military Selective Service Act entirely before the December deadline, and raised additional concerns that the SSS database could be used by immigration authorities to identify noncitizen residents for deportation.
However, Congress would need to pass legislation to authorize an actual draft before anyone could be compelled to serve. President Jimmy Carter signed the law requiring draft registration in 1980, and the United States has relied on an all-volunteer military force since the Vietnam War ended. Approximately two million Americans were drafted during the Vietnam War era before conscription ended in 1973.
Trump has dramatically expanded American military commitments abroad despite campaigning as a peace candidate in 2024. In 2025, his first year back in office, he launched strikes in Venezuela to capture President Nicolás Maduro, initiated the war with Iran, and threatened to wipe Iran’s “whole civilization” off the planet. He has also threatened military action against Mexico and Colombia over drug trafficking, sought to annex Greenland from NATO ally Denmark, refused to rule out military force until walking back the threat in January, threatened Cuba and asserted claims over the Panama Canal.
During his State of the Union address in February, Trump told 100-year-old Medal of Honor recipient Capt. E. Royce Williams, “I’ve always wanted the Congressional Medal of Honor, but I was informed I’m not allowed to give it to myself.” The Congressional Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military decoration, reserved for those who demonstrate extraordinary valor in combat. More than 3,500 recipients have received the award since its establishment in 1861, all of whom served in the military.
If approved after regulatory review, the system would mark the most significant change to military draft registration procedures in more than four decades, automatically enrolling millions of young American men in a database that exists solely to facilitate rapid mobilization in the event of a national emergency requiring congressional authorization of a draft.