No, all American men between 18 and 26 have not been ‘automatically registered’ in the U.S. military

What is the claim? 

Social media users have claimed that a recent bill passed in the United States House of Representatives automatically registers men between ages 18 and 26 into the U.S. military.  Users on Facebook have shared this claim with the caption: “ALL MEN (18-26) have been AUTOMATICALLY REGISTERED in the US military‼️‼ Y’all can thank the House of Reps who passed it overnight (SIC).” Archived versions of this claim can be found here, here, and here. 

Posts on Facebook claim compulsory registration in the U.S. military. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, this is a misrepresentation of the bill recently passed by the House of Representatives. This bill only looks to automate a process that has been in place since the 1980s and currently requires individual and manual registration.

What we found 

The United States House of Representatives, on June 14, 2024, passed HR 8070, also known as the ‘Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act.'

We conducted a keyword search within the text of the bill, and found it aims to amend the Military Selective Service Act to add the following: “Except as otherwise provided in this title, every male citizen of the United States, and every other male person residing in the United States, between the ages of eighteen and twenty-six, shall be automatically registered under this Act by the Director of the Selective Service System (sic).”

The proposed amendment to the SSS process in the recently passed bill. (Source: Congress.gov)

The Selective Service System (SSS) is an independent federal agency that acts as a database of male U.S. citizens and other eligible residents for potential conscription in case of an emergency. The official website (archived here) for the SSS states that: “The Selective Service system shall be maintained as an active standby organization” 

Under current law, registration with the Selective Service System is not a new requirement; it has existed since 1973. Section 3 of the current Act states: “Except as otherwise provided in this title, it shall be the duty of every male citizen of the United States, and every other male person residing in the United States, who, on the day or days fixed for the first or any subsequent registration, is between the ages of eighteen and twenty six, to present himself for and submit to registration at such time or times and place or places, and in such manner, as shall be determined by proclamation of the President and by rules and regulations prescribed hereunder.” The proposed amendment to this law merely seeks to automate the registration process for American men between 18 and 26 in the SSS. 

Importantly, registration on this system does not equal being drafted into the U.S. military; it only acts as a federal database.

Screenshot from the SSS website. (Source: Selective Service System)

The Frequently Asked Questions section (archived here) reiterates that registration with the SSS does not equal joining the U.S. military. 

While it is true that not registering with the SSS is a felony, will elicit a fine, and can affect eligibility for federal jobs or other financial aid, this registration process does not equal compulsory enlistment. 

This bill has not been passed in both houses of the American Parliament or signed into law by President Joe Biden yet. The bill was passed in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the U.S. Congress, on June 14, and is yet to be taken up in the U.S. Senate, after which it would require presidential approval to be made into law.

Screenshot from the official website of the U.S. Congress shows the status of the Bill in question. (Source: Congress.gov)

Additionally, it would take the U.S. Congress and the president’s authorization to enable a draft into the military. The last compulsory draft and enlistment in the U.S. military happened during the Vietnam War in the 1970s. 

The verdict 

A recent Bill passed in the U.S. House of Representatives has been misrepresented to claim that young men in the country are being forcibly drafted into the military.