America's last military draft ended in 1973, but with US troops dying in the Middle East and a full-scale war raging against Iran, the question of whether conscription could return is no longer hypothetical.
On 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury, a joint military campaign targeting Iran's nuclear programme, missile infrastructure, and government leadership. The strikes killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and triggered a wave of retaliatory Iranian attacks across the Gulf region.
