FILE - Soldiers with the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne fill out forms for vaccination and testing February 11, 2003 at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. (Photo by Rusty Russell/Getty Images)
The U.S. military will automatically register eligible men for the Selective Service draft system later this year.
Previously, the onus was on men to register themselves. Here’s the latest:
What is the Selective Service System?
The backstory:
The Selective Service System, or military draft, was established in 1917 by President Woodrow Wilson after the U.S. entered World War I. Under federal law, most males between 18 and 25 years old are required to register with the Selective Service System in case Congress and the president authorize a military draft. Currently, they have to self-register within 30 days of their 18th birthday, but they’re allowed to register late without penalty until they turn 26.
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Failure to register is considered a crime that could disqualify you from student loans, most federal jobs and U.S. citizenship for immigrants, Stars and Stripes reports.
Women are still exempt from registering.
Automatic registration
A new rule passed by Congress last year will automatically register eligible men in the system, which "transfers responsibility for registration from individual men to SSS through integration with federal data sources," according to the Selective Service System’s website.
Big picture view:
Draft registration has declined in recent years, according to The Military Times, in part because federal student loan forms removed the option to register in 2022.
When will the military draft become automatic?
Timeline:
According to the Selective Service System, automatic registration will be in place by December 2026.
When has the US drafted soldiers?
The U.S. has drafted soldiers to fight in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
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The country ended conscription and moved to an all-volunteer military in 1975, but President Jimmy Carter brought back registration for the draft in 1980, when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.
The Source: This report includes information from the Selective Service System, Stars and Stripes and The Associated Press.