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The Selective Service System is moving to develop a sophisticated computer simulation of the military draft, driven by concerns that its forthcoming overhaul of the registration process may fall short under real-world pressures.

According to a report from Military Times, the agency is seeking vendors to build a “Readiness Simulation” tool capable of stress-testing the entire national mobilization system before the changes take effect.

Under a proposed rule, men ages 18 to 26 will be automatically registered for the draft beginning December 19, 2026. Instead of requiring individuals to sign up themselves, the Selective Service System will draw data from other federal databases.

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Officials acknowledge the shift raises serious questions about whether the agency is prepared to manage the new volume and complexity.

In a recent Request for Quote, the agency issued a blunt assessment of its current capabilities: “SSS currently relies on manual analysis, legacy modeling approaches, outdated assumptions, and historical datasets that do not fully reflect modern demographics, communications channels, throughput constraints, or operational readiness conditions.” Vendors have until August 14 to submit proposals for the simulation project.

The planned system is intended to model the full end-to-end mobilization pipeline. It will test staffing and resource needs, compare different mobilization and enforcement scenarios, and measure how the system performs under surge conditions. Officials want the tool to “identify throughput risks, delays, and bottlenecks” while generating analytics to support leadership decision-making and reporting requirements.

Scenarios will cover every stage of the process—registration, selection, notification, delivery to processing stations, and classification—along with the Alternative Service Program for conscientious objectors and community service assignments.

The models must also account for Military Entrance Processing Station capacity, no-show rates, medical disqualification rates, claims processing, and diversion into alternative service. Contractors are being told to proceed with the understanding that older draft data “may be outdated or unreliable.”

Because the new registration system will rely on data from multiple federal agencies, privacy protections are a central requirement. The simulation “shall operate within an SSS-designated cloud environment, use anonymized aggregate data, and support complete Government ownership and sustainment,” while complying with applicable privacy regulations.