A bipartisan group of US senators introduced legislation to eliminate the Selective Service System, citing its obsolete role more than five decades after the last military draft.
A bipartisan group of US senators introduced legislation to eliminate the Selective Service System, citing its obsolete role more than five decades after the last military draft.
The Selective Service System is a federal agency that keeps information on individuals who could be drafted into the military if the executive and legislative bodies authorize national conscription.
Senators Ron Wyden, Rand Paul, and Cynthia Lummis said the agency spends more than $31 million annually maintaining a draft database despite the US Armed Forces operating as an all-volunteer force since 1973.
“The Selective Service is an outdated program that costs millions of taxpayer dollars to prepare for a military draft that Americans don’t want or need,” Wyden stated.
He added there is “no need to replicate the same draft that sent two million unwilling young men to war 50 years ago.”
Paul echoed that sentiment, saying the agency “no longer serves a purpose,” arguing that Americans would volunteer if a conflict justified war.
Lummis also described the office as a costly Cold War-era institution that contributes “nothing to our national defense.”
The proposal comes ahead of a policy change set for December 2026 that will automatically register men ages 18 to 25 using federal data sources, replacing the current self-registration system.
Hurdles Anticipated
Analysts noted that the bill is expected to face significant challenges in Congress, as previous efforts to repeal the Military Selective Service Act, which established the modern draft framework in 1948, have repeatedly failed.
The move also comes amid broader discussions over US defense policy, including proposed troop cuts in Europe and growing pressure from Washington for NATO allies to increase military spending.
