US to automatically register eligible men for military draft starting in December

Published April 8, 2026 8:23pm ET



The United States will automatically register all eligible men for the military draft beginning in December, though a draft in the near future isn’t likely.

The move has little practical effect, as most U.S. men between 18 and 25 are already required to register for the draft. The automatic registration was pitched as a cost-saving measure, and one that “transfers responsibility for registration from individual men to SSS through integration with federal data sources,” according to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

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