The Selective Service System plans to automatically register eligible men from the ages of 18 to 26 starting in December for a potential military draft. This new law will end decades of self-registration.
This proposal was made one month after the United States and Israel began a war against Iran. President Donald Trump had created a two-week ceasefire against Iran, which was set to end on April 22 before Trump extended the ceasefire. There are currently no formal plans to reinstate a draft. However, on March 8, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump plans to “keep his options on the table,” when she was asked about the possibility of the draft returning.
There has not been a military draft since 1973 when the U.S. was involved in the Vietnam War. Then in 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed Proclamation 4771, which required men between the ages of 18-25 to register for military conscription.
In 2024, 81% of all eligible men registered, which was a 3% drop from the previous year, according to the Selective Service. After this law goes into effect, men will be automatically registered within 30 days of their 18th birthday. The law applies to green-card holders, refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented men. It does not apply to men on a non-immigrant visa. According to the Hill, immigrant men who do not register risk losing their U.S. citizenship. Women are still ineligible for the draft despite multiple lawmakers attempting to create laws including women in the draft in the past. “It should be a person’s choice if they want to fight for their country. Just because someone lives here does not mean they want to fight in a war,” senior Ami Nahid said.
There is an argument that this will eliminate the bureaucratic process of signing up for the Selective Service System. People will not have to worry about registering themselves and will instead be automatically signed up. This change was also meant to save money and streamline the process. Additionally, according to CNN, automatic registration is already in place in 46 states so there is not much of a difference by making it a national law.
However, this erases the ability of people to make their own decision about whether they want to sign up for the draft. Eligible men can delay signing up for the draft up until their 26th birthday. Although men are required to sign up for the Selective Service System, there are opportunities for people to object known as “conscientious objectors.” According to the Selective Service website, in the event of a draft, if someone is selected for service but has moral, ethical or religious objections, they may be able to perform an alternative service such as educating or working in healthcare. “I believe this is a violation of personal choice because I don’t have the decision. It should be my own decision if I want to join or not,” junior Nikhil Arya said.
If you fail to comply with the required Selective Service registration, it is considered a felony with a fine of up to $250,000 or up to five years in prison. This creates an incentive for people to comply with the law and register for Selective Service, making this new law of automatic military registration extremely unnecessary. American citizens should have the ability to choose when to register for the Selective Service instead of having the government do it for them, providing them with the freedom to object if they wish to. “I feel like a draft is a violation of personal choice. Drafts force young people to fight and die for things they don’t understand or agree with while the politicians who started the conflict stay safe,” senior Tyson Nakashima said.
