The short answer
Not under current US law. The Military Selective Service Act requires male US citizens and men living in the US, aged 18 to 26, to register. Women are not required to register. A law signed on 18 December 2025 makes registration automatic from 18 December 2026, but it still covers men only. Registration is not a draft: the law has barred anyone being inducted since 1 July 1973, so a draft would need new action by Congress. Changing the law to include women has been debated, including by a national commission in 2020, but it hasn't happened.
The short answer
| Question | Answer today (2 Nov 2026) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Must women register? | No | 50 U.S.C. §3802 |
| Must men register? | Yes, men aged 18 to 26 who are US citizens or live in the US (with some exceptions) | 50 U.S.C. §3802 |
| What changes on 18 December 2026? | Registration becomes automatic, done by the Selective Service. Still men only | Pub. L. 119-60 |
| Is there a draft now? | No. No one can be inducted after 1 July 1973 under the current law, apart from a small group whose deferments end | 50 U.S.C. §3815(c) |
| Could women be drafted in a future war? | Only if Congress changed the law | Supreme Court, 2021 |
This page is for US readers. If you're in the UK, see our post on whether the UK would bring back conscription.
What the law says now
The Military Selective Service Act requires every male citizen of the United States, and every other male person residing in the United States, between the ages of 18 and 26, to register. Some people are exempt, such as foreign nationals on certain non-immigrant visas.
Women are not included. The Supreme Court summed it up in 2021: the Act requires men, and only men, to register.
What changes in December 2026
A law enacted on 18 December 2025 (Public Law 119-60) repeals and replaces the registration section. From one year after it was signed, 18 December 2026, eligible men shall be automatically registered by the Director of the Selective Service System, instead of signing up themselves.
The new text keeps the same wording: male citizens and male residents, aged 18 to 26. It doesn't add women, and it doesn't start a draft.
We couldn't open the Selective Service System's own website today (it blocked our reader), so we haven't described how automatic registration will work in practice. Check sss.gov.
Registration is not a draft
Being registered means the government has your details. It doesn't mean you'll be called up.
Under the current law, no person shall be inducted into the armed forces after 1 July 1973, except a small group whose earlier deferments have ended. So a draft would need Congress to pass a new law. Nothing we read today shows any law to do that.
Why women aren't included, and the debate
- 1981: Rostker v. Goldberg. The Supreme Court upheld men-only registration, partly because women were then excluded from combat roles.
- 2015. The Supreme Court's 2021 statement notes that, as of 2015, no positions in the US armed forces were closed to women.
- 2016–2020. Congress set up a National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service to study whether registration should apply regardless of sex. Its final report on 25 March 2020 recommended ending male-only registration.
- 2021. The Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to men-only registration. Justice Sotomayor, joined by Justices Breyer and Kavanaugh, wrote that the Court's deference to Congress on defence matters argued against taking the case while Congress actively weighs the issue.
- 2025. The new automatic registration law kept men-only wording.
So the question has been raised more than once, but on 2 November 2026 the law still covers men only.
Worried about war headlines?
Searches for "WW3 draft" go up whenever the news is frightening. No law today drafts anyone, man or woman. If the news is making you anxious, our post on coping with worry about war has practical steps, and a simple family emergency plan is a calm thing to do this week.
What we couldn't check
- sss.gov blocked our reader on 2 November 2026, so we used the law text (via Cornell's Legal Information Institute) and the Supreme Court statement instead.
- We didn't read the full Public Law 119-60 on congress.gov; the new section's wording comes from the US Code note.
- We don't predict whether Congress will change the law. This page will be updated if it does.
Frequently asked questions
Can women get drafted into WW3?
Under current US law, no. Only men are required to register with the Selective Service, and there has been no draft since 1973. For women to be drafted, Congress would have to change the law to include them and also authorize a draft.
Do women have to register for the Selective Service?
No. The law, 50 U.S.C. section 3802, applies to every male citizen and every other male person living in the US between 18 and 26. The new automatic registration law that takes effect on 18 December 2026 keeps the same wording.
What is the draft age if WW3 starts?
The registration law covers men between the ages of 18 and 26. That's who is registered, not a decision about who would be called. Any actual draft would need Congress to act, and the rules would be set then.
Is the US bringing back the draft?
No. The change in December 2026 is about how men are registered: the Selective Service will register them automatically instead of men signing up themselves. It doesn't start a draft. Since 1 July 1973 the law has barred inducting anyone (apart from a small group of people whose deferments end), so Congress would have to pass a new law.
Did the Supreme Court rule on women and the draft?
In 2021 it declined to hear a challenge to men-only registration. Justice Sotomayor, joined by two other justices, wrote that the Court should defer to Congress while Congress was considering the issue. The earlier 1981 case, Rostker v. Goldberg, upheld men-only registration when women were excluded from combat roles.
Sources
We opened each page on the date shown. Official advice changes: if a source says something different now, follow the source.
- Legal Information Institute (Cornell Law School): 50 U.S. Code section 3802, registration, with the Pub. L. 119-60 (18 Dec 2025) repeal and reenactment note (read 2 November 2026)
- Legal Information Institute (Cornell Law School): 50 U.S. Code section 3815(c), no induction after 1 July 1973 (read 2 November 2026)
- Supreme Court of the United States: National Coalition for Men v. Selective Service System, No. 20-928, certiorari denied, statement of Justice Sotomayor (7 June 2021) (read 2 November 2026)
Related guides
- Emergency preparedness for American households: a calm guide
- How to make a family emergency plan (with a filled-in example)
- 72-hour kit checklist: what to keep at home
Free tools
We're an independent UK site, not the government. We check guides against official sources and link to them. In an emergency call 999.
More from the blog
Would the UK bring back conscription? What the law says today
There is no conscription in the UK. What ministers said in October 2026, how reserve call-out works, the Armed Forces Bill change…
War & nuclearIs WW3 likely? A calm read of what officials have said
We don't predict war. This page collects what UK defence chiefs, the government and NATO have said in public, with dates, what…
Getting startedCoping with worry about war and the news
Calm, practical ways to live with worry about war and nuclear news: what the NHS and Sweden's crisis brochure suggest, setting…
War & nuclearWhat Sweden, Finland and Ukraine tell their citizens, compared with the UK
A side-by-side look at Sweden's In case of crisis or war, Finland's 72-hour advice, Ukraine's shelter advice and the EU's 72-hour…