Senators Mull Proposal to Require Women to Register for Military Draft.

 

 

Lawmakers are again considering changes to the U.S. military draft, including a provision to begin requiring women to register with the Selective Service System.

 

The proposed changes to the draft come about as the Democrat-controlled Senate and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives are each advancing their proposals for the fiscal year 2025 version of an annual defense budget bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The Senate Armed Services Committee’s proposal for the NDAA includes a provision to amend the Military Selective Service Act—the 1948 law overseeing the modern U.S. military draft system—to require women to register their names for potential use in the draft should the conscription practice resume.

 

The military draft system fell out of use in 1973 as the military transitioned to an all-volunteer force. Male U.S. residents have still had to register their names in the draft system after they turned 18 in the decades since the military transitioned to a volunteer force.  The age requirement would be the same for women.

 

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said that support for including women in the draft shouldn’t be stirring such a partisan response. In an emailed statement, Mr. Reed noted the 2015 National Commission on Military, National and Public Service—which he described as a nonpartisan panel led by then-Republican congressman Joe Heck—had also recommended including women in the selective service registration requirement.

 

“There is no draft. But there should be an end to the notion that women are less critical to our national defense than men,” Mr. Reed said. “And if the day ever comes where we need a draft, it will certainly require the skill, courage, and talent of men and women alike.”