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April 8, 2026
U.S. to Automatically Register Eligible Men for Draft
- Automatic registration for the draft will begin in December for men aged 18 to 26, as mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act signed by President Donald Trump.
- The registration will apply to U.S. citizens and all males in this age group, including green-card holders and refugees, while those on nonimmigrant visas are exempt.
- This change aims to improve compliance and reduce penalties for non-registration, which can include loss of federal benefits and potential imprisonment.
7 Sources
- Automatic registration for US military draft to begin in DecemberApr 8, 2026 at 9:44 PM · The Hill
- Eligible men will be automatically registered for military draft pool in US under rule changeApr 9, 2026 at 8:55 AM · Independent
- Automatic U.S. military draft registration planned by December, filing showsApr 9, 2026 at 4:25 PM · CNBC
- Automatic military draft registration takes effect in December. Here’s how it would workApr 9, 2026 at 7:25 PM · CNN
- U.S. Government Moves Toward Automatic Registration for Military DraftApr 10, 2026 at 12:49 AM · NYT
- Young men in U.S. to be automatically registered into military draftApr 10, 2026 at 12:25 PM · ABC News
- What to know about automatic Selective Service registration starting in DecemberApr 10, 2026 at 7:32 PM · The Hill