The National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth (NNOMY)

As the US becomes more a militarized threat to international order, peace groups are reaching out to students with counter-recruitment to resist war as their way forward.

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December 22, 2025 / National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth - In a time when the United States is increasingly seen as a militarized force shaping global instability, peace advocates are turning their attention to the places where the next generation is being quietly funneled toward war. Across campuses, community centers, and public events, small groups of organizers are meeting students face‑to‑face, offering a different path than the one recruiters present.

Their approach is simple: honest conversations about what militarization means — not just abroad, but at home. They talk about how foreign policy decisions ripple into classrooms, neighborhoods, and futures. They share information about alternatives to enlistment, from apprenticeships and civilian service programs to local organizing efforts that strengthen communities instead of sending young people into conflict.

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December 8, 2025 / Rebecca Kheel / Roll Call - Young men are set to be automatically registered for the draft under the compromise version of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act unveiled Sunday night.

The automatic draft registration provision was one of several measures included in the bill that broadly aim to make it easier for the military to find young people at a time when the propensity to serve remains low.

The U.S. has not drafted anyone into compulsory military service since 1973, but young men still have to register with the Selective Service System in case there is a draft again in the future. Failing to register is a felony punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and five years imprisonment, as well as a loss of eligibility for federal jobs and, in most states, state student aid and state jobs.

Under the NDAA provision, the Selective Service System would be able to tap into existing government data, such as Social Security Administration information, to automatically register all 18- to 26-year-old men.

The Selective Service System would also be tasked with notifying men they have been registered, as well as asking them for any missing contact or biographical information and informing them of the process to unregister if they’re not actually required to register.

Some men are exempt from registering if, for example, they have a medical condition that confines them to home or are in the country on a nonimmigrant visa.

The provision would take effect one year after the bill’s passage, which is expected by the end of the month.