Eligible men will soon be automatically registered for military draft

Eligible men will be automatically registered into the U.S.military draft poolby December in an effort to streamline the existing self-registration process, according to the agency that oversees the system.

On March 30, theSelective Service System– the federal agency which oversees the database of men eligible for service in the event of amilitary draft– submitted aproposed rulefor automatic registration to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, according to itswebsite.

The new automatic registration process was approved by Congress under theNational Defense Authorization Actfor fiscal year 2026, whichPresident Donald Trumpsigned intolawin December 2025.

According to SSSwebsite, the agency will implement the switch to automatic registration by December, creating a "streamlined registration process and corresponding workforce realignment."

Here's what to know about the new military draft registration process.

Iran updates:Trump warns Iran of 'bigger' attacks if no deal is reached

Smoke rises following an explosion, after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Smoke rises following an explosion after the U.S. and Israel reportedly launched an attack against Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026, in this screen grab taken from video.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> A plume of smoke rises following a reported explosion in Tehran on February 28, 2026. Two loud blasts were heard in Tehran on February 28 morning by AFP journalists, and two plumes of thick smoke were seen over the centre and east of the Iranian capital.

Israel's defence ministry announced it had launched a "preemptive strike" on Iran as sirens sounded in Jerusalem and people across the country received phone alerts about an "extremely serious" threat.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> U.S. President Donald Trump pumps his fist after disembarking Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., February 27, 2026. Hours later, Trump made live comments about the military strikes he launched against Iran.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Buildings inin Tehran stand after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, February 28, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Latest photos capture US and Israeli strikes against Iran

Smoke rises following an explosion,after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026.

What to know about selective service's switch to automatic registration

Most male U.S. citizens ages 18-25 are required to register with SSS, though there has not been an active military draft since 1973, according to the agency'swebsite.

Now, the agency is moving to an automatic registration process, rather than requiring eligible men to sign up manually.

The amendment to the Military Selective Service Act implementing automatic registration is set to take effect one year after the NDAA was enacted into law, according to thebill text.

On March 30, SSS formally submitted automatic registration as proposed rule to OIRA, which will now review and finalize the regulatory action.

According to the SSSwebsite, the change "transfers responsibility for registration from individual men to SSS through integration with federal data sources."

How does the draft registration currently work?

Currently, eligible male U.S. citizens ages 18-25 are required to registerthrough the Selective Service System online.

Advertisement

To fill out the form, men are required to provide their full name, home address, date of birth and Social Security number.

Men who are serving in the military on full-time active duty continuously from ages 18 through 26 do not have to register for the draft. Also, those who are hospitalized or incarcerated for the entire period from ages 18-25 are exempt.

The Military Selective Service Act only requires draft registration for men. Women can enlist in active duty combat in order to serve.

Will there be a military draft?

Thewar and current ceasefire in Iranhas sparked renewed questions about whether the U.S. willenact a military draft.

In a March 8interviewon Fox News, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said bringing back the draft is "not part of the current plan right now," but she added that Trump "keeps his options on the table."

Returning to an active draft would require Congress to amend theMilitary Selective Service Act, according to SSS.

In the event of a military draft, not all men registered with SSS would be called to report for duty. The agency would randomly draw from a lottery of birthdays and numbers to establish the order that individuals would be inducted.

When was the last time the draft was used?

There has not been an active military draft since 1973, according to SSS.

Between 1948 and 1973, the military draft system was actively used to enlist men to fill vacancies during both peacetime and periods of conflict.

In July 1980, then-President Jimmy Carter reinstated registration for the military draft underPresidential Proclamation 4771.

Contributing: George Petras and Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY

Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached atmelina.khan@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Automatic registration for US military draft coming by end of 2026

byCosmopolite

in

April 10, 2026

Eligible men will soon be automatically registered for military draft

Eligible men will be automatically registered into the U.S.military draft poolby December in an effort to streamline the existing self-...

Read More

Bestselling Author Shocks Fans By Revealing True Identity After 13 Years Of Double Life

Freida McFadden, best known for penning psychological thrillersThe Housemaid,The Intruder, and more, on Wednesday, April 8, revealed hertrue identityto the world.

While it was known that she is not only a best-selling author but also a practicing doctor, her real name had remainedconcealed, and that is exactly what she made public in herlatest interview.

“I’m at a point in my career where I’m tired of it being a secret,” McFadden said.

Reactions to the author’s reveal varied from shock to excitement, with one netizen commenting, “I had no idea Freida was not Freida,” while another said, “Now this is a d**n plot twist.”

Freida McFadden has shared her real name while explaining why she hid it for so long

Image credits:Getty/Dia Dipasupil

McFadden, who made her writing debut in 2013, introduced herself as Sara Cohen, a doctor who treats brain disorders, when speaking toUSA Todayyesterday.

“My whole goal was to keep it a secret until I was [ready to] step back from mydoctorjob, so it wouldn’t be like everyone I work with suddenly knew and it compromised my ability to do my job,” the author said.

Image credits:TODAY

Despite her best efforts to not to let her two lives intersect, McFadden’s colleagues figured out who she was before she went public.

“They were really nice about it, though,” she said, revealing that many of them were fans of her books.

Image credits:fmcfaddenauthor

McFadden, per her account, stopped practicing medicine full-time in 2023 and now only takes one or two shifts per month.

“I realized I was completelyoverwhelmedfrom trying to do both,” she noted.

As the author concealed her true identity, she appeared publicly in a wig and glasses.

Image credits:TODAY

She clarified in her interview that she needs glasses in her real life, but thewigwas merely because she had “no idea how to style” her hair.

“It’s so much more boring than anything that happens in my books,” McFadden said about her revelations.

Advertisement

Image credits:Lionsgate Movies

By revealing her real identity, McFadden also sought to put to rest several theories about her, the most prominent being that she was not real and that “three men” collectively wrote her books.

“I’m a real person, and I have identity, and I don’t have to hide anything,” McFadden said.

The author shared that writing was never meant to replace her career as a doctor, while revealing that she will continue publishing under her pen name

Image credits:TODAY

“Some people go into writing hoping to quit theirday job, but I didn’t. I was just having fun,” McFadden explained.

“I kept clinging to being a doctor because, first, I worked very hard to get there, and I find it really rewarding. I love seeing patients and helping other people.”

Image credits:tfmakena

Image credits:fmcfaddenauthor

Further in her interview, McFadden confirmed she won’t be giving up her pen name.

“Even though I did not reveal my real name, I feel like I’ve shared the real me all along, and everything I’ve told them has been the truth.

“Even though the name will be a surprise, nothing else will. I’ve always been genuine with my readers.” McFadden reasoned.

McFadden’s big revelation came months after one of her books made it to the screen

McFadden’sThe Housemaidwas turned into a movie last year, with Paul Feig directing.

It starredSydney Sweeneyas Millie Calloway, a young woman with a troubled past who becomes the live-in maid for a wealthy couple, Nina and Andrew Winchester, played byAmanda SeyfriedandBrandon Sklenar.

Released worldwide on December 19, the offering grossed $399 million on a $35 million budget, becoming a massive blockbuster.

Image credits:Instagram/mycosybookishhome

The film’s success ensured the book’s sequel,The Housemaid’s Secret, would also be adapted into a film.

Confirmed cast for the effort includes Sweeney, Michele Morrone, and Kristen Dunst.

Feig is set to return to the director’s chair.

“Legend”: McFadden’s fans praised her for her honesty and hard work

byCosmopolite

in

April 10, 2026

Bestselling Author Shocks Fans By Revealing True Identity After 13 Years Of Double Life

Freida McFadden, best known for penning psychological thrillersThe Housemaid,The Intruder, and more, on Wednesday, April 8, revealed he...

Read More

Frankie Muniz can't believe he – and Malcolm – are 40 in show's reboot

BURBANK, CA − It’s not just you.Frankie Munizalso can’t believe he’s 40.

"I ride a Peloton, and now it says 'Frankie Muniz, 40s.' I'm like, 'Whoa bro, my mom's 40,' " Muniz tells USA TODAY. "She's not; she's 70, but in my head, I think that."

The character he’s best known for playing, Malcolm, is similarly not immune to the sands of time. Twenty years after we left him on the hit Fox series "Malcolm in the Middle," the smart-alecky, exasperated teen from the aughts is still just as embarrassed by his zany family inthe show's new Hulu revival, "Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair" (all four episodes streaming April 10).

Muniz points out that he is not far from Bryan Cranston's age when the now 70-year-old started playing Malcolm's dad, Hal, in 2000.

"It's pretty wild when you think that because I remember thinking he's so old, you know?" Muniz confesses. "I'm not that old!"

Join our Watch Party!Sign up to receive USA TODAY's TV and movie recommendations right in your inbox

The show's creator, Linwood Boomer, told USA TODAY that he wasn't able to reel Sullivan (seen here in 2007) back in despite his best efforts; the former actor is now working toward his master's degree at Harvard University. "Eric Sullivan hasn't been an actor for decades. I asked him to repeat [Dewey]. We still talk all the time. I love him, and he didn't want to be an actor anymore," Boomer says. "He didn't like [acting] 10 years ago, and he sure doesn't now. I had to respect that."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

'Malcolm in the Middle' cast then and now – 2000s show to reboot

The show's creator, Linwood Boomer, told USA TODAY that he wasn't able to reel Sullivan (seen here in 2007) back in despite his best efforts; the former actor is now working toward his master's degree at Harvard University. "Eric Sullivan hasn't been an actor for decades. I asked him to repeat [Dewey]. We still talk all the time. I love him, and he didn't want to be an actor anymore," Boomer says. "He didn't like [acting] 10 years ago, and he sure doesn't now. I had to respect that."

After memory loss claims, Frankie Muniz says 'Malcolm' reboot 'brought back so many memories'

Cranston is the only costar Muniz has kept close contact with over the decades, an accomplishment he solidly credits to the "Breaking Bad" actor. Muniz admits his New Year’s resolution every year is "better communication, but that never works."

Nearly the entire original cast, which includes Jane Kaczmarek as matriarch Lois, Christopher Masterson as eldest brother Francis and Justin Berfield as second child Reese, came back for the reboot.

And when the "Malcolm" familyreunited on the Canadian setlast year, it was "as if no time had passed." He adds, "You could have told me that it was a week after we wrapped in 2006."

Fans who have kept tabs on Muniz over the years might have some skepticism about the actor's recollections of the "Malcolm" days; much has made aboutthe actor allegedly suffering memory loss from brain injuries. He has since clarified that he's fuzzy on the details because he was working nonstop "in that time frame," booking roles in 2000's "My Dog Skip," 2002's "Big Fat Liar" and the "Agent Cody Banks" movies.

"I equate it to if I asked you about going to high school and I was like, 'What did you do in February of your sophomore year?' You'd be like, 'I don't know,' " Muniz explains. "But you'd remember highs, lows, stuff like that. And I have a lot of that, obviously, with the show."

Advertisement

The "Life's Still Unfair" team, which includes original series creator Linwood Boomer, sat the cast down in the impeccable replication of Malcolm's family's living room and jogged their memories by showing clips from throughout the seven seasons and more than 150 episodes.

"I was surprised by how [many] of us were like, 'I don't remember that at all,'" Muniz says. Just being back in this room – where he and Berfield passed a football between doorways and a drunk Malcolm threw up into a turkey – "brought back so many memories of the seven years I spent in that house."

The memories are almost entirely from filming, as Muniz admits he hasn't watched the series in its entirety: "I watched Season 1 and just got so busy."

Frankie Muniz's son can be 'a mix' of all the 'Malcolm in the Middle' children

Muniz's son, Mauz, similarly has not seen "Malcolm in the Middle." That might be in part why the 5-year-old primarily considers his father's profession to be race car driver (Muniz drives in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series). But for "Life's Still Unfair," in which Mauz has a brief cameo, Muniz's son had the opportunity to see his dad doing a job that doesn't require so much protective gear.

Playing a parent onscreen for the first time, Muniz found some parallels between his character and his real life as a father of one. Just like the reboot's Malcolm, a single father who frets over daughter Leah (Keeley Karsten) and is intent on being the exact opposite of his parents Lois and Hal, Muniz is "constantly questioning [if I'm] doing it right."

"I want my son to just like me. We have a good relationship, but I want him to not be spoiled and I want him to listen," Muniz says. "He's pretty good, 90% of the time."

"Angel" Mauz is usually "perfect, really unbelievably smart, very articulate, [and has a] fun little personality," Muniz gushes. But that other 10%? Mauz can be a "mix of all the 'Malcolm' kids. Just crazy."

"Maybe he needs to go to military school like Francis," Muniz jokes.

Reality TV drama "The Hills," starring Whitney Port, Heidi Montag, Audrina Patridge and Lauren Conrad, first aired on MTV in May 2006. The show followed Conrad to Los Angeles after her graduation from "Laguna Beach."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

'Hannah Montana,' 'Dexter' and more favorite shows that aired 20 years ago

Reality TV drama "The Hills," starring Whitney Port, Heidi Montag, Audrina Patridge and Lauren Conrad, first aired on MTV in May 2006. The show followed Conrad to Los Angeles after her graduation from "Laguna Beach."

But he tries to not dwell on whether he's the perfect dad because "Malcolm and his family, sure, they struggled, but they really cared about each other."

"Malcolm turned out all right in the end, so the parenting, I guess, worked," Muniz says.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Frankie Muniz found Bryan Cranston 'so old' in 'Malcolm in the Middle'

byCosmopolite

in

April 10, 2026

Frankie Muniz can't believe he – and Malcolm – are 40 in show's reboot

BURBANK, CA − It’s not just you.Frankie Munizalso can’t believe he’s 40. "I ride a Peloton, and now it says 'Frankie Muni...

Read More