US3 min(s) read
Published 08:11 09 Apr 2026 GMT
Here's who is eligible as the US military is preparing to roll out automatic registration for the Selective Service System later this year.
According to Live Now Fox, under the new rule passed by Congress, eligible men will no longer need to sign up. Instead, the system will pull data directly from federal sources, ensuring that those required to register are automatically added.
The Selective Service System says this "transfers responsibility for registration from individual men to SSS through integration with federal data sources."
The change comes at a time of heightened global uncertainty between the US and Iran.
On Thursday (April 9), President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to state that all "U.S. Ships, Aircraft, and Military Personnel, with additional Ammunition, Weaponry, and anything else that is appropriate and necessary for the lethal prosecution and destruction of an already substantially degraded Enemy, will remain in place in, and around, Iran".
The Selective Service System was established by President Woodrow Wilson after the US entered World War I.
Today, federal law requires most males between the ages of 18 and 25 to register within 30 days of turning 18. While late registration is allowed until age 26 without penalty, failing to register can carry serious consequences.
It is considered a crime and may disqualify individuals from student loans, most federal jobs, and even U.S. citizenship for immigrants, Stars and Stripes reported.
Women remain exempt from registration under current law.
The transition to automatic registration is expected to be fully implemented by December 2026.
This follows a decline in draft registrations in recent years, partially linked to the removal of a registration option from federal student loan forms in 2022.
At the same time, military readiness remains a major point for US leadership as Trump warned that any violation of agreements with Iran would trigger overwhelming force.
"If for any reason it is not... the ‘Shootin’ Starts,′ bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before," he wrote. "In the meantime our great Military is Loading Up and Resting, looking forward, actually, to its next Conquest,” before concluding: “AMERICA IS BACK!”
The draft registration comes after the US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire, hours after Trump said: "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will."
The deal, brokered by Pakistan, paused six weeks of fighting and raised hopes for stability in key shipping routes, such as the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy chokepoint through which around 20% of the world’s oil supply passes.
"Subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz," Trump said on Tuesday. "I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks.
"We have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran,” he continued, adding that he received a 10-point proposal from Tehran.
However, divisions remain between the two nations, as Iran warned that the ongoing strikes in Lebanon could derail negotiations.
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