US4 min(s) read
Published 10:12 09 Apr 2026 GMT
The USA is set to introduce a military draft pool for eligible men aged 18 to 25.
It will be rolled out in December this year, with the automatic registration process being a product of a rule change which was submitted by the Selective Service System (SSS).
The SSS has a database of Americans who would be able to serve in the military, though this change is still under review by regulatory affairs, needing finalization.
Live Now Fox has reported that under this new rule, men will not need to sign up, with the system using data from federal sources to make sure that those who are required to register, are added automatically.
The agency's website reads: "This statutory change transfers responsibility for registration from individual men to SSS through integration with federal data sources."
While it is not the same as an all-out draft, the prospect of one comes in the midst of an ongoing conflict in the Middle East, primarily between the US and Iran.
The last time a draft was held in the US was in the 1970s, during the nation's involvement in the Vietnam War, where 1.9 million Americans were drafted between 1954 and 1975.
While there is no active conscription, men between the ages of 18 and 25 must register with the SSS if one were to happen.
But certain groups of people are set to be exempt from conscription altogether, and they are as follows:
There have been suggestions to add young women to the draft too, but this has not yet been confirmed by Congress.
If a military draft lottery were to take place, it may follow the old format of starting with 20-year-olds before working through other age groups.
Draftees would then go through medical and psychological screenings to determine if they were fit to serve.
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Eligible men who previously failed to register for SSS faced a fine of up to $250,000, five years behind bars, and loss of eligibility for federal programs.
Last year, all male US citizens aged 18 to 25 were required to sign up within 30 days of their 18th birthday, with this including undocumented immigrants, green card holders, and refugees.
It was considered a crime if eligible men did not sign up, as it could have disqualified people from student loans, most federal jobs, and even US citizenship for immigrants.
Now, it is expected for automatic registration to be fully implemented by December 2026, though this follows a decline in draft registrations in recent years, which may be linked with the removal of a registration option from federal student loan forms back in 2022.
Trump has recently stated that the US military is remaining near Iran until the "real agreement" they reached is complied with, threatening: "If for any reason it is not, which is highly unlikely, then the 'Shootin’ Starts,' bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before."
He insisted that there would be no use of nuclear weapons, promising that "the Strait of Hormuz WILL BE OPEN & SAFE," in a post on Truth Social.
While White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt didn't rule out conscription as an option, the President has cooled rumours of deploying ground troops in Iran, only aiming to do so "if necessary".
Polls have long showed that US citizens are against a draft, as a result of the failures of the war in Vietnam - any decision to bring the draft back would need to be approved by Congress, which would amend the Military Selective Service Act.
