Young American men could be automatically registered for the military draft as soon as December, replacing decades of self-registration to save taxpayer money and reverse declining sign-up rates.

According to a report by the BBC, a newly proposed federal rule would bypass the traditional system that requires men to register themselves within 30 days of their 18th birthday. Instead, the government would automatically register eligible men ages 18 to 25 by integrating the system with existing federal data sources.

The Selective Service System submitted the proposal to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on March 30, an administrative step documented on the agency’s regulatory dashboard.

The shift to automatic registration was approved by Congress last December as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. Proponents of the updated system argue that it will save the government millions of dollars previously spent on education and reminder campaigns. It also aims to address dwindling registration numbers, as Selective Service Compliance fell to 81% in 2024, the BBC reported.

The legislation’s co-sponsor, Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, issued a June 28 statement last year, clarifying that the modernization effort does not reinstate the military draft. Houlahan noted that fewer young people acquiring driver’s licenses and the removal of automatic registration from federal student aid applications heavily contributed to the compliance drop.

By automating the process, lawmakers say they hope to protect young men from unknowingly committing a federal felony. Failing to register can theoretically lead to five years in federal prison and bar individuals from receiving federal jobs, student aid and U.S. citizenship.

“This will also allow us to rededicate resources — basically that means money — towards [readiness] and towards mobilization … rather than towards education and advertising campaigns driven to register people,” Houlahan was quoted as saying by Military Times.

Although federal officials have emphasized the procedural nature of the change, the legislation has sparked public apprehension about a potential return to forced conscription amid ongoing global tensions.

The United States has not implemented a draft since 1973, following massive public opposition during the Vietnam War, and has maintained an all-volunteer military ever since, according to History.com. Selective service registration was reinstated in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter.

Addressing concerns over the possibility of forced conscription under President Trump, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt spoke about the military draft during an interview with Fox News on Wednesday.

“It’s not part of the current plan right now, but the president, again, wisely keeps his options on table,” Leavitt said in a clip shared to YouTube. “There’s no greater priority or responsibility to this president than, of course, protecting the American people and protecting our troops.”