The United States will begin automatically registering eligible men for the military draft pool in December, marking a significant change from the current system that requires individuals to register themselves.

The Selective Service System (SSS), the federal agency responsible for maintaining a database of men who could be called to serve in case of a national emergency, announced the new automatic registration process. The change is designed to streamline operations and reduce administrative costs compared to the previous self-registration system.

Under current law, men between the ages of 18 and 25 are required to register with the Selective Service within 30 days of their 18th birthday. Failure to register can result in penalties including loss of eligibility for federal student aid, federal job training, and federal employment.

The automatic registration system will eliminate the need for eligible men to proactively sign up for the draft database. The Selective Service System maintains records of potential draftees that would be used if Congress and the President were to authorize a military draft, though no draft has been implemented since the Vietnam War ended in 1975.

Details about how the automatic registration process will work and what information systems will be used to identify eligible men have not been fully disclosed. The change represents the most significant update to the Selective Service registration process in decades.