What is selective service?

Selective Service is the federal program under which most male U.S. citizens and male immigrants between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five must register with the Selective Service System, providing a pool of potential conscripts in case Congress reactivates the draft. The requirement applies regardless of immigration status: U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents holding green cards, refugees and asylees, and undocumented immigrants must all register if they fit the age and sex criteria. Registration occurs within thirty days of a man's eighteenth birthday and continues to apply through age twenty-five.

Failure to register before age twenty-six can produce serious lifelong consequences. Men who fail to register may be ineligible for federal student aid under the Higher Education Act, federal employment with most agencies, federal job training programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, security clearance, and naturalization, since USCIS treats failure to register as a sign of lack of good moral character if the failure was knowing and willful. Many states tie professional licenses, state employment, and state student aid to registration as well. Those who register late may still face some consequences, but USCIS often permits naturalization for applicants who registered late or aged out before becoming aware of the requirement.

The Selective Service System originated during the Civil War with the Enrollment Act of 1863 and was reestablished during World War I by the Selective Service Act of 1917, which drafted nearly three million men. The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 established the first peacetime draft. The modern system rests on the Military Selective Service Act of 1948, as amended in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

The Vietnam-era draft ended on January 27, 1973 when the United States moved to an all-volunteer force, although registration was suspended only briefly before being restored under President Carter. The Supreme Court upheld male-only registration in Rostker v. Goldberg (1981), reasoning that women were not eligible for combat assignments at the time. The combat exclusion has since been removed, and the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service recommended in its 2020 final report that registration be extended to women, though Congress has not enacted that change.

Registration is free and takes only a few minutes through the Selective Service website at sss.gov, by mail using Form SSS-1, or at the time of applying for federal student aid. Naturalization candidates and applicants for adjustment of status should ensure timely registration if applicable.