This major rule change to US military conscription will affect 23 million Americans

The United States is planning a huge rule change to the military draft, which means 23 million Americans will be automatically registered to the conscription system.

It will come into force in December if approved by Donald Trump, which is incredibly likely, and means all men in the US aged between 18 and 25 will be automatically registered into the Selective Service System.

The Selective Service System is a database of American men who can be called to fight anywhere in the world if authorised by the president.

“In a national emergency, the Selective Service System will use the registry to provide personnel to the Department of War and alternative service for conscientious objectors, if authorised by the President and Congress,” the website says.

That means if Trump calls for men to be conscripted, all men on the database can be called to go and fight in the war.

Credit: Canva

The US has only imposed conscription six times in history: during the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

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This rule change has sparked fears that there will be mandatory call-ups for the Iran conflict. However, authorities have not addressed this. Women still remain ineligible for the military draft in the US.

Right now, Federal law requires almost all male US citizens and immigrants to personally register when they turn 18, up to the age of 25. But the new rules mean men will automatically be enrolled when they turn 18.

“This statutory change transfers responsibility for registration from individual men to SSS through integration with federal data sources,” the Selective Service System states.

It was proposed as part of the National Defense Authorisation Act 2026 in December 2025 and submitted to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on 30th March 2026 for confirmation.

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Featured image credit: Canva