An ill-considered and unworkable proposal by the Selective Service System to try to "automatically" register all men ages 18-26 for a possible future military draft has been removed from the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025.

The proposal for "automatic" draft registration was included in both the House and Senate versions of this year's NDAA -- without hearings, budget review, or debate -- but was removed during closed-door House-Senate conference negotiations.

A proposal to expand Selective Service to young women as well as young men, which was included in the Senate version of the NDAA but not in the House version, was also removed by the House-Senate conference.

The conference proposal for the FY 2025 NDAA has yet to be considered by either the House or Senate, although it is likely to be one of the highest priorities for the brief "lame-duck" sitting before the end of this session of Congress. The conference proposal could, in theory, be amended during floor consideration in either or both chambers. In practice, however, members of Congress probably have higher priorities for last-minute compromises on the NDAA. The proposals for expansion and attempted automation of draft registration are unlikely to be reinstated in this year's NDAA before it is enacted.

This doesn't mean that Congress has put a stake through the heart of either of these proposals. That would happen only if Congress ended Selective Service registration entirely. The latest version of the Selective Service Repeal Act, S. 4881 in the 188th Congress, never made it out of committee and seems destined to die at the end of this session. Urge your U.S. Representative and Senators to reintroduce it in the new Congress!

Aug. 14, 2024, Aleksandra Wrona, Snopes - Claim: Project 2025, a conservative coalition's plan for a future U.S. Republican presidency, proposes that all public high school students should be required to take the military entrance exam.

Rating: True - The exact sentence of Project 2025's "Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise" document, reads: "Improve military recruiters' access to secondary schools and require completion of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) — the military entrance examination — by all students in schools that receive federal funding."

In early August 2024, a rumor spread on social media that Project 2025 — a conservative coalition's plan for a future U.S. Republican presidency — would require all public high school students to take an exam for entrance into the military.

"Did you know that Project 2025 would require that all public high school students take the ASVAB exam for entrance into the military? Private school students would be exempt. I can't imagine why ...," one Threads post on the topic read, amassing over 2,600 likes as of this writing.

NOTE: NNOMY's posting of the article about the U.S. Army Reserve's "Minuteman Campaign," ironically featuring a young woman, is for informational purposes only to the counter-recruitment community and not an endorsement of the program.

August 20, 2024 / Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Oposnow / U.S. Army - The U.S. Army Reserve's Minuteman Scholarship has become a significant tool in recruiting and developing future military leaders. Two individuals deeply involved in this initiative, Jordyn Hoit, an ROTC cadet, and James Bernet, an Army Reserve Ambassador from Nevada, offer insight into how the scholarship shapes the lives of recipients and the broader community.

Jordyn Hoit, who grew up in Escondido, California, began considering her future as early as middle school. She initially aimed to attend a military academy like West Point but later decided that a traditional college experience was a better fit for her. This decision was influenced by her desire for independence and a more conventional college life, something she felt was not fully available at a service academy.

After scoring well on the ASVAB, Hoit was introduced to the Minuteman Scholarship by her recruiter who connected her with James Bernet. The scholarship was officially presented to her during a high school football game in Escondido, marking a significant milestone in her educational and military journey.

The Minuteman Scholarship provides full tuition or room and board, a monthly stipend, and the opportunity to serve as a commissioned officer in the Army Reserve. For Hoit, it allowed her to pursue her educational goals while maintaining a commitment to military service. She just completed her first year at Hofstra University, where she is majoring in criminology. Post-graduation, she plans to join the FBI, a career path where military and law enforcement experience is highly valued.