The United States Army raised the enlistment age limit for eligible recruits, as the U.S. continues to deploy more troops to the Middle East, fueling the rising concerns across New York and the country about the possibility of a draft being called for the Iran war.
The Army announced the new age limit in a memo last week, around the time President Donald Trump claimed the U.S. was negotiating a 15-point peace plan with Iran.
Since then, there has been no specific timeframe on when the war is expected to end; however, Trump did say that the U.S. military is “nearing completion” of its list of objectives during his April 1 address to the nation.
This list of objectives has been evolving and changing, but during the April 1 speech, Trump said “we’re going to hit them [Iran] extremely hard over the next two to three weeks,” threatening that the U.S. would bring Iran “back to the Stone Ages where they belong.”
The conflict has killed thousands throughout the Middle East and 13 American soldiers. More than 300 U.S. military service members have been wounded since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, according to Reuters.
Here’s what New Yorkers should know about the Army’s new enlistment age limit, the Selective Service System, and how the draft would work or who gets drafted first.
What is the new enlistment age for the U.S. Army?
The U.S. Army’s new enlistment age will go into effect on April 20 of this year, and will allow recruits between the ages of 18 and 42 years of age to enlist. The minimum age is 17 with parental permission. The Army’s previous age limit was 35 years old.
The change aligns the age limits more closely with those of other service branches, such as the Navy (17 to 41), the Air Force/Space Force (17 to 42), and the Coast Guard (17-41). The Marine Corps has a younger limit of 17-28 years of age.
Is the draft coming back?
No, there is no active or planned draft at this time.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on March 8 that bringing back the draft is “not part of the current plan right now,” but added that the President “wisely wants to keep his options on the table.”
Consideration for a draft would begin only after exhausting troops on the ground with the country’s active-duty military personnel, including full-time professional military, like the National Guard and Reserves, and any volunteers or enlistees who join after the war begins.
A draft would require congressional approval when and if all-volunteer and professional forces are insufficient to meet the military’s personnel requirements during a major national emergency.
Who is required to register for Selective Service? Who is exempt?
All men ages 18-25 are legally required to register with the federal Selective Service System. This includes all male U.S. citizens, dual citizens residing in the U.S. or living abroad, and male immigrants, including permanent residents, refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented immigrants, according to the Selective Service.
Women, individuals already on active duty with the armed forces and those who are hospitalized/institutionalized are exempt from the draft. The Selective Service does not accept voluntary registrations from women.
Registration for the Selective Service can be done online, at the post office, via a registration form and is sometimes included in driver’s license applications. According to the Selective Service, full, automatic registration using government databases will go into effect on Dec. 18, 2026.
Failing to register for the Selective Service is a federal felony punishable by up to five years in prison and fines up to $250,000, according to the Selective Service. It can also result in other penalties, including ineligibility for federal student loans, federal employment and U.S. citizenship for immigrants.
Who can be drafted? Who would be drafted first?
As of now, only men aged 18 through 25 who are U.S. citizens or residents (including immigrants, refugees and undocumented) would be considered for a draft.
Women can volunteer to fight in a war, but they would not be considered for a draft, according to the current laws.
If a draft were to get reinstated, the Secret Service would pick draftees through a nationally televised and live-streamed National Draft Lottery, where the order in which individuals would receive orders to report for induction into the Armed Forces would be decided through a random drawing of birthdays and numbers.
Who would be drafted in order of age, would be as follows:
Am I registered with Selective Service? How to check registration status
To register with the Selective Service, go to sss.gov/register/ to start registration. If you want to check your registration status, you can click here.
CONTRIBUTING Maria Francis USA TODAY
SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Reuters; U.S. Selective Service; military.com
— Madison Scott is a journalist with the Democrat and Chronicle who covers breaking and trending news for the Finger Lakes Region. She has an interest in how the system helps or doesn’t help families with missing loved ones. She can be reached at MDScott@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: U.S. Army raises enlistment age. Here’s what New Yorkers need to know
Reporting by Madison Scott, New York Connect Team / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
