Who has to register for Selective Service, and are there exceptions?

The U.S. Selective Service System is implementing automatic registration for all eligible young men in the United States, with the process scheduled to begin later in 2024, as mandated by the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act to modernize the draft system and increase registration efficiency. This shift from the long-standing voluntary registration process represents the most significant change to the system in decades, designed to ensure compliance and maintain an accurate roster of potential military conscripts in case of a national emergency requiring a draft. The automatic registration will primarily affect male U.S. citizens and immigrants aged 18 through 25. The system will utilize existing federal databases, such as those from the Department of Education (for federal student aid applicants) and possibly state driver's licensing agencies, to identify and enroll individuals without requiring them to take any action. This data-sharing approach aims to capture nearly the entire population of eligible men, addressing historical issues of under-registration that have persisted since the transition to an all-volunteer military force in 1973. Despite the move toward automation, certain exceptions to the registration requirement remain firmly in place. These exceptions include non-immigrant aliens (such as tourists and students on visas), diplomatic personnel, and individuals who are institutionalized or hospitalized. Furthermore, the law continues to exempt women from Selective Service registration, a policy that has been the subject of ongoing legal and political debate but remains unchanged by this modernization effort. The implementation of automatic registration does not signal an imminent draft but rather updates the administrative framework for maintaining what the government describes as a 'hedge against unforeseen threats' to national security.