Is it a Draft? Or Surveillance? or Both?
The first American federal draft was employed during the Civil War in 1863. This required all men aged 20-45 to register, allowing exemptions only via substitutes or a fee. This decision triggered widespread riots. Notably, there were the New York Draft Riots, where an estimated 119 died. Most of the rioters were poor Irish immigrants, with African-American New Yorkers often becoming the scapegoats of these conflicts. Nearly every subsequent draft produced opposition, riots, protests, and draft dodgers. Modern thoughts of a draft may be hard to conceive, but the word keeps coming up in policy discussions and news reports in the U.S. with the current war in Iran; this fear lingers over a lot of conversations. To better understand what’s happening now, let’s start with World War I.
In 1917, Woodrow Wilson signed the Selective Services Act in preparation for U.S. involvement in WWI. The initial act required all men between the ages of 21 and 30 to register with the Selective Service System, which should sound familiar. After WWI, the draft was dissolved until 1940, when Congress passed the Burke-Wadsworth Act, which imposed the first peacetime draft in the history of the United States in preparation for involvement in World War II. The registration of men between the ages of 21 and 36 began soon after. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson would draw draft numbers out of a big glass bowl and hand them to President Franklin D. Roosevelt to read aloud in a public announcement.
Between 1948 and 1973, men were drafted into the armed forces in both peacetime and conflict periods. During the Vietnam War, dissent of the draft was at an all-time high, with a high number of draft dodgers. Nearly 210,000 men were charged with draft evasion, including boxer Muhammad Ali, whose conviction was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. President Jimmy Carter then pardoned all convicted of draft dodging.
What’s Happening Now?
After 1980, the Selective Service System (SSS) remained in “standby” mode, should Congress see it necessary to resume military conscription. It is required that all men must register with the Selective Service System within one month of their 18th birthday; this even includes non-citizen residents and immigrants. But Congress and Donald Trump have passed laws related to an Automatic Selective Service System, changing how men register for the SSS.
Starting in December 2026, the U.S. will automatically register men ages 18-25 for the Selective Service using information from federal databases. It’s important to note that this isn’t a formal proclamation of a draft; none have been confirmed, as we’re only aware that “No options are off the table,” according to Karoline Leavitt. This proposal was made a month after the U.S. and Israel started a war against Iran, although this doesn’t seem to be entirely about the draft.
As previously mentioned, both citizens and non-citizen residents are required to register for the SSS. While men are obviously required to participate, poor men and those of color tend to face the most consequences from the implementation of an official draft. Under the new legislation, the Selective Service has an unprecedented amount of power to obtain information that they think might help identify potential draftees. Even before this law was passed, after Trump’s inauguration, DOGE and Elon Musk were given access to the current SS Registration Database. Scholars and reporters show heavy concern for the privacy violation and data collection that occurred under DOGE and is occurring under the Trump administration. Whistleblowers have come out from the Social Security Administration and the National Bureau of Labor Statistics, saying that DOGE illegally accessed and stole personal and sensitive information. These allegations have been denied by U.S. officials, but the concerns still remain relevant, especially when there are potential legal consequences that aren’t directly mentioned or foreseen.
Where Do We Go From Here?
First off, a draft seems to be unlikely as of right now, but regardless of whether a draft is happening or not, it’s important, especially during wartime, that one critically engages with the media they consume and the statements they consider from the government. Nearly every government has participated in propaganda efforts during wartime, and now is no exception.
