The proposal for “automatic” draft registration is among several previously-undisclosed provisions related to Selective Service in the newly-release version of the National Defense [sic] Authorization Act (NDAA)

a spokesperson for the SASC told me that if “automatic” Selective Service registration had been included in the bill, it would have been included in the summary. That proves to have been incorrect: The proposal for “automatic” draft registration was included in the SASC version of the bill, but not in the summary.

What’s a near-certainty is that this “must-pass” bill will be enacted into law, in some form, later this year – probably by a lame-duck Congress after the elections

Politically, registration and other preparation for a draft, by whatever means, makes war more more likely and enables military strategists to plan and commit to larger, longer, less popular wars without having to think about whether enough people will be willing to fight them.