Pending administrative review, the new registration process for the military draft is expected to be in place in December.
SAN ANTONIO — The federal government is moving toward automatically registering eligible young men into a military draft pool beginning in December.
For decades, men ages 18-25 have been required to self-register through the Selective Service System (SSS), the agency that maintains the database of enrollees potentially subject to military conscription. The last military draft in the U.S. was conducted in 1973 during the Vietnam War.
The automatic registration process was approved by Congress in December as part of the National Defense Authorization Act.
Authorities argue the new process is designed to improve compliance and reduce administrative costs. The self-registration requirement applies to U.S. citizens and migrants. Penalties for failing to sign up include financial penalties, loss of federal benefits and jail time.
The change would not reinstate a draft. But it would ensure the government maintains a complete and accurate database in the event one is ever needed.
For some veterans, the proposal raises concerns rooted in personal experience.
Fred Alvarado, an Army veteran who served during the Vietnam era, said he joined the military before finishing high school, anticipating he would be drafted anyway.
“It was a horrible war,” Alvarado said. “We lost a lot of good friends there.”
Alvarado returned home baring the mental scars that still haunt him today.
“Every day, it’s a different struggle. It’s never going to go away,” he said.
He found faith and eventually created Broken Warriors Angels, a nonprofit that supports disabled and homeless veterans.
As it relates to the automatic registration for the military draft, Alvarado opposes the shift to automatic registration.
“I totally don’t agree on this,” Alvarado said. “Think of the parents, think of the kids. I don’t think we should have this kind of draft at all.”
Le Roy Torres, an Army veteran and co-founder of Burn Pits 360, said his perspective is shaped by family history, his father was drafted during the Korean War.
“I always looked up to my father. He was my childhood hero,” Torres said.
Torres supports automatic registration, arguing it reinforces a shared civic responsibility.
“It reminds young men that freedom isn’t free. It’s a small acknowledgement that there’s this debt that’s owed to those who have paid the price and have gone and served before them. It’ll be meaningful,” Torres said.
Peter Bernal, commander of the American GI Forum Bexar and Cynthia Garcia, chair of the American GI Forum My City is My Home, also shared concern and understanding regarding the new system in a joint statement.
“We recognize that Selective Service registration has long been considered a civic responsibility, and we understand efforts to modernize and streamline the system. However, as organizations representing veterans and working closely with military families in San Antonio, Military City USA, we approach this issue with serious concern and historic perspective.”…
“We support maintaining the ability to defend our nation. But any system tied to compulsory service must be approached with caution, humility, and a firm commitment to constitutional oversight.”
Full statement:
The automatic registration system is expected to be implemented by December, pending final administrative review.