March 16, 2026
Although a draft remains unlikely at this current point, it is not completely off the table for the government.
As tensions escalate in the United States’ war with Iran, some fears over a military draft, or conscription, have also risen.
The U.S. has not launched a military draft since the Vietnam War. However, Americans remain concerned about who could be impacted if revived. Currently, the U.S. military operates on a volunteer basis.
While Congress has yet to comment on or propose reinstating a draft, conversations have begun among citizens about a modernized version. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also noted that President Trump has not taken a military draft completely off the table.
“It’s not part of the current plan right now, but the president again wisely keeps his options on the table,” she asserted during a Fox News appearance on March 8, as reported by People.
However, Military.com reports that the Selective Service System, the federal agency that would oversee a military draft, still has a procedure for ordering new soldiers to report for duty. It entails a lottery system based on birthdays, which would randomly draw people, beginning with 20-year-old males. The order of induction would continue with 21-year-olds, then those between 22 and 25 years old, respectively.
Lastly, 18- and 19-year-olds would be the last to be inducted. However, before anyone puts on the uniform, they must first pass medical, physical, and administrative screenings.
However, once they are deemed eligible to serve, those drafted would become officially inducted into the military. For those wondering how the U.S. would find potentially draftees, male citizens and immigrants between the ages of 18 and 25 are required to register with the Selective Service System.
As it stands, millions of men within these requirements are already registered in this database. However, not all have abided by this self-registration. That being said, the U.S. does not have the most accurate count of eligible men, which could allow others to evade the lottery.
If one wished not to undergo the draft process legally, they would have to file a claim with a civilian-led draft board. Members of these local boards review requests for deferment and exemptions, making them a crucial part of a potential draft.
Women, on the other hand, have much less to fear when it comes to the draft. Women remain ineligible for a draft following the 1981 Supreme Court decision on Rostker v. Goldberg. However, the basis of that ruling centered on women’s ban from combat roles, a stipulation officially reversed in 2015.
Furthermore, less than a quarter of all potential male draftees meet the basic eligibility standards for military service. Many outliers have disqualifying factors, such as health issues, criminal offenses, or drug use, that would prevent their induction.
While a draft is not completely out of the question, the military prides itself on its current all-volunteer status. Given this, the U.S. will presumably look to avoid a military draft unless the government finds it necessary.
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