In December 2025, President Trump signed the annual military policy bill into law. The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026 authorized the Selective Service System to automatically register young men, potentially making them available for a future military draft.
On March 30, the Selective Service System submitted its proposed rule to implement automation, with implementation planned to begin in December 2026.
What Automation Means in Practice
Since 1980, young men have been required to register for the Selective Service by mail or website portal upon turning 18. Declining compliance rates drove a push in Congress to automate the process. The proposed process would verify data across multiple databases and register individuals into the Selective Service System automatically.
The Selective Service System describes this change as a way to save money and modernize the system by transferring responsibility for registration from individual men to the government.
In an era of aggressive immigration enforcement, a federal database that identifies young immigrant men has the potential for dangerous misuse.
In reality, this means the federal government will now access databases from state Departments of Motor Vehicles, the Socal Security Administration, and the Census Bureau to gather information to register young men automatically, without their consent.
Currently male U.S. citizens between 18 and 25, and some green card holders, are required to register for the Selective Service. However, as a result of automation, many young men who are not required to register — and who may not be made aware they have been registered — could end up in the draft system. Some transgender or non-binary individuals could potentially be swept into the system as well, with little recourse to challenge their inclusion.
In an era of aggressive immigration enforcement, a federal database that identifies young immigrant men for possible conscription has the potential for dangerous misuse. By sharing private data across agencies, it creates real risk that the Selective Service could be weaponized as a tool to target vulnerable communities.
The Loss of Choice
This change also threatens the rights of conscientious objectors. Automatic registration removes the opportunity for individuals’ moral decision making. Young men will no longer be the opportunity to decide for themselves whether registering goes against their religious or moral beliefs.
In a recent Friends Journal essay, Elizabeth Emrey recalls walking into a Philadelphia meetinghouse in 1969, getting ready to leave for the Peace Corps with her husband who was resisting the Vietnam-era draft. After she spoke, many Quakers gathered to pray for her and her husband. That kindness and community were carried with them throughout their time in Sierra Leone.
Emrey’s essay captures what automation erases. A young person made a deliberate, difficult choice about their relationship to war, and a community gathered to witness it. Under automatic registration, that choice disappears.
What Comes Next
For decades, the Selective Service registration has forced young men to confront the call to war and that of their conscience at the threshold of their adult life.
Importantly, this change to Selective Service registration does not mark a step towards the implementation of a draft, or the forced conscription of young men. However, at a time of rising tensions globally and increased U.S. military actions abroad, young people across the country are concerned about their futures.
Congress should focus on preventing war, instead of maintaining a system designed to force young people to engage in it.
The Selective Service System has received $6 million to update its old conscription systems. This funding is meant to make sure they are “ready in the event of a national emergency.” But by investing in these systems, the United States continues to prioritize military readiness at the expense of programs to deter violent conflict and foster stability. Instead, Congress and the administration should invest more money and effort into diplomacy and peacebuilding, to prevent wars and avoid the need for a military draft system entirely.
As we argued last year, Selective Service automation is not a compromise or an advancement. It is entrenchment. Congress should repeal, not reform the Selective Service. Senators Ron Wyden (OR), Rand Paul (KY), and Cynthia Lummis (WY) have taken the first step with the Military Selective Service Repeal Act.
Alongside the administration, Congress should focus on building peace and promoting diplomacy to prevent war, instead of maintaining a system designed to force young people to engage in violence.
Now is the time to speak up, before December arrives. Urge Congress to co-sponsor the Military Selective Service Repeal Act.
