For nearly 50 years, American men have been required to register for the military draft themselves when they turned 18. Miss the deadline? Risk a felony charge, loss of federal jobs, student aid, and even citizenship for immigrants.

That system is about to change — big time.

In December 2025, President Trump signed the fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act into law. Buried inside it was a historic change: starting December 18, 2026, the Selective Service System will automatically register every eligible male U.S. resident between ages 18 and 26 — using existing federal government databases — without them having to do a thing.

Registration rates had also been quietly declining — dropping from 15.6 million registrations in 2022 to 15.2 million in 2023.

Who does it apply to?
The law applies to male U.S. citizens and “every other male person” in the country ages 18 to 26 — including green-card holders, refugees, asylum seekers, and undocumented men. Men on nonimmigrant visas such as international students are exempt.

The proposal to automatically enroll men was submitted for regulatory review on March 30 — about a month after the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt recently said Trump “keeps his options on the table” when asked about a potential draft.

Analysts are calling this the largest change to Selective Service law since 1980 — one that moves the U.S. closer to being able to activate a draft on demand than at any point in the past half century.