The administration under Trump intends to create an automatic registration system for all 18-year-old males for potential military draft by December, representing a major departure from the longstanding practice of voluntary registration. This shift presents a striking irony: President Donald Trump personally secured five deferments from the draft during Vietnam, including one medical exception for heel bone spurs.
On March 30, the Selective Service System submitted its automatic enrollment plan to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, executing a mandate that Congress authorized last December within the National Defense Authorization Act. This bipartisan provision shifts registration obligations from young men themselves to federal authorities via linkage with current federal databases, such as Census Bureau and Social Security files.
The proposal’s timing has heightened discussions regarding military readiness. It emerged approximately one month following the February 28 launch of U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran, which resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during initial attacks. Pakistan facilitated a fragile two-week cessation of hostilities that commenced April 8, though it disintegrated when peace negotiations between the United States and Iran in Islamabad broke down on April 12 due to Iran’s unwillingness to relinquish its nuclear ambitions. In response, Trump declared a U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, causing oil prices to spike near $100 per barrel. When questioned about potential draft reinstatement, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated in March that Trump “wisely keeps his options on the table”.
During the Vietnam War period, Trump obtained four student deferments while studying at the Wharton School and Fordham University. Following his 1968 graduation, he obtained a medical deferment at 22 years old for heel bone spurs. The New York Times reported that the daughters of the Queens podiatrist who authorized the diagnosis stated their father issued it as a courtesy to Fred Trump, Trump’s father, who provided him office rental space. Michael Cohen, Trump’s previous attorney, told Congress that when he requested medical documentation supporting the diagnosis, Trump “gave me none and said there was no surgery.” While Trump was educated at the New York Military Academy, a distinguished military-themed boarding institution, he never enlisted in the United States armed forces. During the Vietnam War period, roughly two million Americans received draft orders before the conscription system ended in 1973.
The automated registration framework marks a substantial shift from existing law, which mandates that males aged 18 to 25 must self-register within 30 days following their 18th birthday. Men can submit late registrations through the Selective Service System until they reach 26. Non-compliance brings severe penalties: imprisonment up to 5 years, monetary fines up to $250,000, and possible disqualification from federal jobs and certain state student financial assistance.
According to Selective Service congressional reports, registration compliance has decreased recently, falling from 84% of qualified males in 2023 to 81% in 2024. Presently, 46 states and territories implement automatic registration through driver’s license applications, though the proposed federal framework would guarantee complete national coverage and eliminate the $11 million the agency expends yearly on promotional campaigns encouraging male registration.
Chrissy Houlahan, a Pennsylvania Democratic Representative who authored the automatic registration provision in the defense legislation, explained the modification would enable the government to “rededicate resources—basically that means money—towards [readiness] and towards mobilization.”
The plan emerges while Trump has substantially increased U.S. military involvement internationally, notwithstanding his 2024 campaign emphasis on peace. During 2025, his initial year following his return to office, he ordered strikes in Venezuela targeting President Nicolás Maduro, began the Iranian war, and warned he would eliminate Iran’s “whole civilization” from existence. He has additionally warned of potential military operations against Colombia and Mexico regarding narcotics trafficking, pursued annexation of Greenland from Denmark, a NATO partner, declined to dismiss the possibility of military force before reversing the threat in January, and made territorial demands regarding the Panama Canal.
The transition to automated registration has generated anxiety among certain Americans that authorities are positioning for possible mandatory military service should the Iranian situation intensify or additional crises develop. Legislative action by Congress would be necessary to implement an actual draft before compelling anyone to serve. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter enacted the legislation mandating draft registration, and the nation has maintained an all-volunteer armed forces structure since Vietnam concluded.
The plan continues undergoing regulatory evaluation. Upon approval, the framework would constitute the most substantial modification to military draft registration protocols in over forty years, automatically entering millions of young American males into a registry designed exclusively to enable swift mobilization during a national emergency requiring congressional approval of conscription.
Trump has additionally speculated openly about bestowing upon himself the Congressional Medal of Honor, the country’s highest military honor, designated for individuals displaying exceptional battlefield courage. At his February State of the Union speech, Trump addressed 100-year-old Medal of Honor awardee Capt. E. Royce Williams, saying, “I’ve always wanted the Congressional Medal of Honor, but I was informed I’m not allowed to give it to myself.” Since its creation in 1861, over 3,500 individuals have been awarded this honor, every one having served in military service.